Archive of Our Own ^beta

Her appearance is not her priority, but considering that, she's kenichi, her pride won't allow her to not look her best. After all, everything is a weapon, including her body, which disgusts her that she must see her body in that way or see it in that way; but it's the truth: her body is a weapon, just like any other, and making sure to take care of her appearance is like sharpening a blade on a katana or a shuriken. Her appearance is useful to catch men off guard and get them to talk; she doesn't like it, but she's not going to not use it, whatever tools she has at her disposal; they have helped her on many of her missions.

She was once offered a position in the Abu because of her looks and how useful it would be, and how good she would be at the job. She could have accepted, but she had no desire for that kind of life.

Work assignments in the Abu Black Ops can be anywhere from months to years, and she has no desire for it. Not to mention the mental toll it takes on the individual; most don't serve in the Abu for more than five years. The kinds of things required by those who are part of that occupation change them fundamentally to their core.

Not to mention, she has no desire to lose herself; she wants to become Hokage, and she doesn't want to lose her humanity in the process. Because that's the danger of being a part of the Abu. The standard for the Abu isn't nearly as bad as Root, which shouldn't exist as an organization, but it does if she were Hokage. She would have forced the organization to disband permanently, either officially or not.

She was thinking too much as the water continued to drop on her body. As she rubbed the soap she usually used, she thought about everything that had happened. Her promise to Kushina, that she had made when she was almost 6 years old, about a week before Naruto's birth, was something she took very seriously. She was determined to keep that promise. Some would criticize her for holding on to a promise of a little girl she has no obligation to keep.

Kushina inspired her to become a great kenichi, and she almost became the fourth Hokage. Had it not been for the bias against her by the civilian council, she would have been the fourth Hokage. She was so furious when she was a child; she was only four years old and she recalls the memory vividly. It was one of the few times the shy and timid girl who she was ever got angry openly. Minato, her husband, was chosen instead. He was a great Hokage for the time that he was. When she felt like Kushina was robbed of something that was hers by right, that she had worked hard for.

She cried when she thought about her and Minato, who were important people to her. Her mother was a great friend of theirs, as was the man she refuse to call father.

After she was done rubbing the soap on her body and washing it off, she went to the shampoo that she uses and rubbed it through every inch of her scalp. She was determined to have her hair clean. Impressions were everything after all. After a few minutes of ensuring that every ounce of her scalp was covered, she washed it off and then used conditioner for her hair. She had lavender conditioner in order to make her hair look and smell nice.

She would be called a hypocrite for chastising Sakura, but there was a difference between focusing solely on your appearance and taking care of your appearance. She hopes to instill that difference to Sakura in time. All Kenichi cares about their appearance to one degree or another, considering how useful their bodies can be in interrogation and getting what they want from men who have viable information. It is especially useful for deceiving enemies by getting them to lower their guard. She hopes to instill those lessons into Sakura. She has the potential to be a great ninja, but for her potential to be completely brought out, she would have to get over her infatuation with Sasuke.

When she was thoroughly done putting the conditioner on her scalp, she slowly and carefully rinsed it out. The last thing she wanted was for there to be any conditioner left when it dried. It would be problematic and attract attention she didn't need. Once she was satisfied, she turned off the water and dried herself.

She went into her closet and got out her clothes that she would be wearing for the day. Though the main difference was she was going to go to her preferred attire the only difference is she would wear her vest over it. her preferred attire is a form-fitting light lavender, sleeveless kimono-style blouse with vertical lines, tied with a dark purple obi around her waist and short dark navy shorts. She also wore thigh-high stockings with black, open-toed made sure to put her vest over her upper body she looked at herself in the mirror perfect.

The outfit she wore yesterday she looked at it it was what she wore as a Chunin but because of her recent promotion she wanted her attire to reflect that. (though she was clueless of how Naruto reacted to her appearance regardless if she thought it made her look like a teenage girl.)

"That's more like it this makes me look like a mature woman unlike before."Hinata said proud of the outfit of her choice what made it even better was it covered that mark on her neck that she didn't want anybody to see. After she was done she went to where she kept her ninja tools and double checked if she had that she was required to have. When she was satisfied that she had what was needed she made herself breakfast it was nothing special it was just pancakes.

After she was done she made sure to make lunch for herself she stored it in a scroll the wonders of summoning jutsus. After she was done she headed out would be there before Naruto but that wouldn't be so bad she always did her training exercises early in the morning and late at night in order to keep herself in shape and maintain her discipline.

She got to the training grounds she went to her usual training routine it wasn't like the one she did a few days ago her preferred training exercise but it would be sufficient. she would train for the next hour and when she was done she sat down cross-legged and sat and meditation and waited for her student to arrive.

Naruto made sure to go to bed early in order to arrive at the training grounds on time, where he will receive the extra training that Hinata promised him. He wants to prove to his new sensei that he is worth her time; he can't deny that he is infatuated with her. He looks at himself in the mirror; he feels so lame, but he can't get any other clothes because of how the villagers treat him and deny him access to any of the shops. So, he has to make do with what he has.

He didn't know why he just didn't want to be seen as a child, so he wanted Hinata to take him seriously. He didn't want her to see him as a boy; he wanted her to see him as a man worthy of her respect and time. He made sure to get everything he needed. He double-checked all the essentials in his pouch, along with his tools (which were required for all ninja to possess). He wasn't required to have shuriken, but he had them anyway.

He couldn't believe his stroke of luck in the past few days. Not only had he become a Shinobi, but he also had Hinata Hyuga as a sensei. He never thought he would even have a chance to have someone like her as a sensei. Or for her to give him the time of day.

Until this point, the adults had treated him as a pest, someone not worth acknowledging his existence.

He can only count on one hand the amount of people who treated him as human: Iruka, Teuchi, and Ayame, along with the elderly Hokage. Hinata was the only other person who had ever done that. Hearing her say that she believed in him, that he had talent more than anyone had ever said, everyone else that he would never accomplish anything, and that he would forever be a loser. He didn't know what this feeling was; it was nothing like his crush on Sakura. It was something different entirely. He put that thought aside. He couldn't focus on that right now. He had to get to the training grounds. He couldn't afford to be late. He had to make Hinata believe that he was worth her time.

After he was done double-checking that he had everything, he left and was really looking forward to Hinata's private lessons.

20 minutes later, Naruto arrived at the training grounds. He saw Hinata in a different outfit than what she wore the previous day and it was hard to believe, but she looked even more beautiful than she did in the previous outfit she was wearing. It was difficult for him to actually comprehend. He couldn't help admiring her, then he stopped himself. He didn't want her to think that he was some horny fanboy.

Many boys had a crush on her, which was no secret; men lusted after her, but the idea of anyone looking at her but him made him filled with rage and jealousy. "Stop it!" he said himself. He took a deep breath and spoke, wanting to bury his nervousness of being alone with this beautiful woman. "I'm here, Sensei," Naruto said shyly, not realizing how meek it sounded. The woman opened her eyes and smiled, but then he noticed something about that smile: it wasn't genuine. Now that he thinks about it, neither was the first time they met. This woman was reluctant to smile, but why? It felt artificial now that Naruto thought about it.

He did not have time to indulge in his thoughts before Hinata spoke: "I am pleased that you came early. For the next hour, I'm going to evaluate what your skills are and where they're at so I know what skills need to be worked on and how we can proceed. Let's show me everything that you can do first. Let's start with the basics, but first, I want you to create a shadow clone."

Creating a shadow clone was a basic skill that was required for most Shinobi, with exceptions for those who didn't have the ability to do ninjutsu. Most Shinobi were required to at least be able to create two shadow clothes. This would be easy. When he was done creating a shadow clone, he couldn't tell what Hinata was thinking.

"I want you to create as many shadow clone's as possible and I want them to do the exact same thing that we were doing not too long ago." Naruto created hundreds of shadow clones. His sensei looked at them and she created twenty shadow clothes of her own. "What do you want us to do, boss?" asked one of her shadow clones. "Training exercises with your shadow clones. The exact same thing I'm doing with him." She ordered, but there was a hesitation in her clones. They started training with his what was the point in this? He would ask later.

"Let's start with the basics, Naruto. Show me your skills with Taijutsu."

He started using his taijutsu, she blocking everything he threw at her, dodging in a fluid motion. If this were any other situation, he could have admired her gracefully and elegantly. But he couldn't admire her now; he didn't want her to think he was a pervert. She went on the offensive, Naruto unable to keep up. She was much faster and stronger than him. He tried to block everything, but he couldn't. He knew she was holding back, but even with her holding back, he couldn't keep up. He felt so pathetic. He was glad he wasn't in the judgmental eyes of his peers back at the academy. They would think of him as a pathetic wretch.

The object of his desire he doesn't his sensei doesn't want him to do, so he doesn't want her to acknowledge him. He knows this is just a basic exercise, but he still feels inadequate and weak. Why can't he be better? He's frustrated and angry, but he keeps his feelings to himself. Of course, he doesn't want Hinata to think he's angry with her.

She ordered him to stop so that he could move on to the next exercise.

"Show me your skills now at using a kunai!"

He did exactly as she asked, taking her own and they fought.

He was amazed by her speed; she was so much faster, and he couldn't keep up.

He did a lot better than he did with Taijutsu, but that wasn't saying much since he was made more and more aware of just how abysmal his skills were. It was amazing that he was even a Genin.

The exercise continued, so she told him to practice throwing kunai. He did, and he did well. Actually, she didn't show any expression on her face.

"Now show me your skills with the shuriken." Like you did for the kunai, I want you to show me your skills with the shuriken.

He did exactly as she instructed and threw the shuriken as best he could. Most of them hit the bullseye. He didn't know what she was thinking. What was the point in this?

When she ripped into his mediocre skills the previous day, he couldn't help but realize she was right: some of the basic skills he's expected to know make him feel like a complete amateur. She signaled him to stop. It felt like she gave up; she realized just how much of a disappointment he is and he's a waste of time, but she didn't let him indulge in those thoughts. She spoke.

"I've seen enough." she said with a neutral tone, he gulped so this was it then, she was going to judge him as not worth her time, but before his thoughts could progress any further, she continued. "You weren't taught the basic skills of self-defense and how to properly operate as a ninja. This isn't your fault; I don't know what nonsense you had to deal with in the Academy. The biases you experienced, the opportunities that were taken from you to learn skills, Most Shinobi take for granted. I told you I would teach you properly, and I mean that. I had to evaluate your skills, so I know where to begin. My shadow clones are teaching yours the same lessons I'm about to teach you." She explained patiently. Naruto wondered what reason did she have for him to create Shadow Clones at the start of their private training exercise.

"Do you know every time your shadow clone dissipates, you gain that information from that clone?" Hinata asked him. "Wait what?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded, but what he felt like should have been common knowledge. The fact that he had never heard of this before. Hinata continued" Genin shouldn't be able to use techniques as advanced as this one. Your confusion is understandable; not many ninja know this, and the kind of shadow clones you use is a very advanced technique that genin shouldn't even be able to use at all. The reason why this knowledge isn't widely known is how dangerous it is, and how many potential users would kill themselves because they would be impatient about wanting to get stronger faster."

It made sense to Naruto. He probably would have been tempted to use this technique if he had known about it earlier. He can create thousands of shadow clones, and he'd be so easy to defeat. He'd be able to make progress quickly by using this method, but before he could indulge in that thought, Hinata shut down what he was thinking immediately.

"I know what you're thinking, Naruto. You shouldn't do it. It's dangerous. Yes, you are capable of utilizing this technique better than most of the village because of your large chakra reserves, but you should be careful."

As if to demonstrate her point, all of Naruto's clones dissipated, making him feel disoriented.

"You see the drawbacks of this technique; you already know this: that you get the information from the clone. Well, if you gain too much information at once, it will overload your brain. That's why it's better that you train with fewer Shadow Clones at least at the beginning so you don't overwhelm yourself. Do not be impatient, Naruto! It's not worth dying just to catch up to Sasuke and Sakura quickly. you will catch up with them in time, but not if you recklessly use this technique that you have at your disposal. It's a great tool, but it's dangerous. Potentially, if you don't use it properly."

She was explaining to him patiently what he did to deserve someone like her. This was the first day, but he learned more than he had through most of his time at the academy. He felt angry that they didn't teach him anything."Your basic techniques, though what I've evaluated from them, they're mediocre. Sorry to be so harsh, but it's the truth: you're not bad at taijutsu. I'm actually amazed at how good you are, considering you weren't taught most of your skills. They must have been self-taught, or else I wouldn't be so impressed." She asked him.

Naruto barely spoke the whole time, answering.

"I trained relentlessly to try to refine my skills and hand-to-hand combat. I couldn't stand losing to Sasuke all the time or anyone else, so I trained almost nonstop until I could at least be able to properly defend myself. Because the village took advantage of me, I never mind; I think I've said too much."

Barter felt like he'd said too much about the village's treatment of him and how he had to learn proper taijutsu just to survive, even if it was self-taught. He couldn't tell from her expression what she was feeling when he revealed that information.

"Your skills in Taijutsu are not as bad as you think they are, Naruto. I know what you're thinking in your head. You've taught yourself for the most part, but the more advanced techniques that are required for Genin you haven't learned. You weren't taught them to properly defend yourself. You aren't taught the defensive aspects of Taijutsu and how to properly disarm your enemy or to counter any attacks they would throw at you."Naruto sat down, listening intently to her lessons.

"Your skills with a kunai and shuriken are really good, actually better than most of your age. Though I can use them just like everything else." He was blushing, one of the few things he wasn't awful. Maybe he thought too lowly of himself.

"There are other skills that are required, but I know you haven't been taught them, so that's why I ended the evaluation earlier than I originally intended. Naruto, I told you yesterday that I have no intention of having you go out on a mission until I am comfortable that you know these skills and you are adequate at them. With your shuttle clones, you will be able to catch up to Sakura and Sasuke quickly. There are other skills that you need to work on, like chakra control, but that's not nearly as essential as the basic skills that you are inadequate at."

It was difficult to tell by her tone what her feelings were: disappointment or pity? No pity is not something she would feel towards him; if she felt pity towards him, it would be insufferable. He Instruction

"I like to train you for more private lessons after I train the others."

"More private lessons?" Naruto would squeal at the thought of spending more time with her.

He put that thought aside; it's just training, nothing more. But he really liked her - something about her made it easy to be around her, even if she doesn't smile or laugh. Something drove him to her, and he didn't know why.

His thoughts about her ended as soon as Sasuke and Sakura showed up. Naruto went to his team, who were giving him a look he didn't like. It especially came from Sasuke and Sakura, but he ignored it for now. His priority was to be on his sensei's good side so she wouldn't feel like she's wasting her time with him.

"All right, team!" Hinata started to speak to everyone. "This is our first day as a team. We're going to start with exercises that will test our teamwork abilities." She started to explain the basics of formations and how to communicate non-verbally. It was a lot to take in. Naruto made sure to create Shadow Clones when they were on break in order to do the training that Hinata promised. It wasn't too many Shadow Clones; it was five. The other Shadow Clones listened intently to Hinata's lesson so Naruto would ingrain the lesson into his memory. He was determined not to hold his team back.

The next week was extremely difficult, the training was the hardest training he had ever had in his life. Despite his sensei's advice, Naruto still trained even after their training sessions. He had his shadow clones train, doing the same thing that Hinata taught him. He wasn't going to be a burden on anyone. He was careful about the amount of Shadow clones he created, though. He didn't do it while they were training because he knew it would create more Shadow clones than were recommended. He did that after training was over. When he spent the rest of his day relaxing, his shadow clones trained heavily, much to their annoyance.

The unfortunate thing for Naruto was that he didn't make as much progress as he wanted. He felt exhausted after each training session, because it felt like he didn't ever sleep. But he was determined to catch up by any means necessary. He had the means to do it; why not use his shadow clones to get stronger faster? Why wait years to catch up when he could do it much faster than that? This wouldn't go unnoticed by his sensei or his peers.

The intense training that he was doing wasn't unnoticed by Hinata who after a week decided she had to have a talk with him. She appreciated his effort to try to get stronger but she was worried about how he was going about it he was eager to please her she wasn't blind to it he wanted to prove to her that he was worth her time. She had to put a stop to Naruto's reckless training regimen before it did something that would do irreversible damage.

Naruto looked exhausted. Naruto looked at her and smiled, it was a fake smile; she knew, but he was trying to save face. He was exhausted from all that training.

"Naruto, we need to talk about the training regimen that you're doing." Hinata said to him in a worried tone.

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Naruto said, playing dumb. Hinata took a deep breath, patience.

"Naruto, I know you want to get stronger quickly, but you're not going to get stronger if you're exhausted all the time in your training sessions. Naruto, you need to rest when you're not training. You shouldn't be training 24/7. There's only so much that you can do. Yes, you can use your clones to do what you can't do normally, but even then, your clones also feel what you feel. You're not going to get the results that you want that way."

Naruto knew that she was right.

"You barely made any progress this week because you're impatient. You're going to catch up to your teammates at the rate that you're going. If you wish to catch up to them, you're going to have to do it the right way. Rest when you're not training. It is an important part of being a Shinobi to rest. Know when to train and know when not to."

Hinata explained to him in a gentle tone.

"I didn't think you would care," Naruto admitted.

"Of course I care; you're my student, and I want you to succeed. Naruto, that's why we're doing these private lessons. I want you to be who I believe you can be. Naruto." Hinata explained to a boy who wasn't used to people caring about him. It baffled her why he was treated this way, but she held her thoughts aside. This wasn't about her feelings; it was about her student.

"I just don't want you to think you're wasting your time teaching me." Naruto admitted, embarrassed. So he wanted to impress her. She put her right hand on his shoulder and made him face her.

"Listen, things aren't the same as they are in the academy when you fail. I'm not going to chastise you for it. I'll tell you to try again and as many times as necessary until you succeed, Naruto. Failure is the end; you're a proud failure, Naruto. I can see that about you. Please. I'm asking you to take more care of yourself. You're exhausted today. I won't train you because you're tired. I ordered you, as your Sensei, to rest. We'll train tomorrow."

Naruto didn't look happy about that, but he wasn't going to argue with her. However, he looked at her and wanted to ask her a question.

"Why do you call me a proud failure?" he asked curiously.

"Because that's what I was. I didn't give up when I failed; it made me try harder. I guess I see part of myself when I was your age. I know what it's like when people look at you and don't think you're going to do anything or succeed at anything. You're not a failure, Naruto. A failure would give up before they've even started. You haven't. If you ask me, you are not a failure. This lesson that you're getting today is a lesson in patience. You'll get stronger. You'll catch up to your classmates. Believe in yourself. Rest when you're supposed to and train when you're supposed to. That's how you'll be able to catch up." She Contrived smiled.

He looked disappointed that she wasn't training him, but quickly changed his expression; he was trying to save face. "Okay, sensei. I won't train with you today. I'll rest for the day."

Naruto headed back home. Sakura and Sasuke would ask questions, wondering why Naruto wasn't going to train with them today. She would explain that he wasn't feeling well, but she wouldn't tell them because of over-exhaustion from training.

Sasuke would have to admit that Hinata was a good teacher, despite his dislike of her. He wasn't going to ignore what was obvious; she explained things quickly and concisely. She didn't waste time, rather than getting into long, boring lectures about how to do this skill or how this works. She showed it. It was refreshing in a way. He would have to admit that he was making more progress in a week than he had in most of his time at the Academy. It baffled him just how incompetent those teachers were. Iruka aside, they couldn't teach to save their lives. Even his sensei laughed when she recounted how incompetent they were when she was teaching them the basic formations, something they should have taught them at the Academy.

She wasn't wrong when she said their training would start again. It felt like he knew nothing, but the way she explained it, she did it patiently and didn't hesitate to help those who were struggling with lessons. He noticed Naruto struggled and suspected that Naruto and Hinata were having private lessons. It wasn't his business, and it didn't concern him. If the dope was going to get extra lessons from Hinata in order for him not to be a burden to her, then it was the same to him. He would rather Naruto be able to hold his own weight than be useless.

He couldn't help but notice that she was at him with abhorrence ; she didn't say anything, but he could feel that she was uncomfortable around him him. He didn't know why.

He had heard rumors that his brother was involved with a Hyuga. Could Hinata be that person? It didn't matter, though. If she was, it didn't matter to Saskia. Did she look at him with hatred even if she didn't show it? He wanted to confront her about it, but he felt like it'd be a waste of time. No, he had to do something.

Sensei was alone; she wasn't doing her private sessions on Naruto yet, Sasuke was never this early, but he had to confront Hinata about it. She was surprised to see him. "Sasuke, I didn't expect to see you so early." She said, surprised. "Yeah, well, I want to ask something. And I've noticed this: ever since you started teaching me, you look at me with apprehension and hatred, and I don't understand why. What the hell did I do to deserve this?" Sasuke was not usually this confrontational, but he had to know there's no way he was going to not get answers he was going to get answers otherwise.

"I don't know what you mean Sasuke."Hinata said avoiding the question."look since I don't know what your problem is with me but I want to know if if you're going to be my teacher I want to get this resolved I don't make it a secret I don't like you but I want honesty."Sasuke said on the verge of losing his patience. Hinata signed"I would rather not talk about it it's something personal."she said with her voice guarded. Sasuke could help with detect there was something painful in that tone. it couldn't be Sasuke didn't want to believe the rumors even before the massacre. he recalled a conversation that he overheard with Itachi and his father regarding his relationship with a Hyuga he thought it was just a baseless rumor at the time something by Hinata's his expression confirmed it wasn't.

Flashback: 6 years ago, one year before the Uchiha clan massacre.

Sasuke wasn't able to sleep; he got up and went to the bathroom, but he heard two people arguing. He knew he shouldn't have eavesdropped, but it was his big brother arguing with their father. He made sure not to be seen, so he listened to his father Fugaku and his brother argue.

"I don't want you to see her anymore." His father said, not leaving any room for argument. "Why, father? I'm doing exactly what you want! I'm spying for you. What harm does it do to the clan with my friendship with her?" He asked angrily. "That girl is a Hyuga, and she's pathetic and weak. She was disinherited by her own clan in favor of her more talented younger sister. You're wasting your time training her." His father argued in revulsion.

"Don't talk about her like that"Itachi said defensively."don't forget that you are my heir, I won't have you involved with a Hyuga, especially one as pathetic as her."Itachi was so angry that it scared Sasuke; he slammed his father against the wall and activated his Sharingan. Sasuke felt killing intent from his brother; he had never felt so terrified of him before. Then, as soon as the moment passed, he put his father down."I'm sorry, Father"Itachi said apologetically.

Sasuke decided to leave the room; he didn't want to eavesdrop anymore. He couldn't help but pick up on the fact that his brother was in love with a Hyuga girl and was very protective of her. He wanted to get answers, but unfortunately, he never did. His brother always avoided the question whenever he asked.

back to the present

What happened that night, he remembered the argument between Itachi and his father. The woman the way she looked at him, it started to click for Sasuke. He didn't need to ask her anymore; it was no secret that he had a strong resemblance to his older brother, so that could be the reason why they were in a relationship and it ended badly. Seeing him reminded her of that relationship. He didn't like her, but he wasn't asking any more questions. He got his answers just by her expression on her face. It said more than words would

Sasuke decided to drop it; the last thing he wanted to do was aggravate his sensei. If he did that, she'd be less willing to train him, and that's the last thing he could afford. He couldn't waste any time; his brother he had to kill. And he wouldn't be able to do that if he didn't get the training that was required.

"Sorry, let's drop it and focus on training." Sasuke apologized, his demeanor changing as soon as he said that. Something about this woman made him feel uncomfortable; she seemed hard to read. He had heard rumors that she was cold and detached and kept people at arm's length. What did his brother do to her? No, he wouldn't indulge in that thought. That didn't concern him. His training and getting stronger was what mattered. Not his sensei's past relationships. That wasn't relevant.

A few minutes later, Sakura showed up and she was confused as to why Naruto wasn't there. He had been "where" was he exactly?"

Naruto isn't feeling well today, so I let him go home and rest. It's important that all ninja remember this lesson: overtraining is never good for the body. In order to actually get stronger, you must know when to train and when not to."

Sasuke understood this, but Sakura was listening in. It was obvious to Sasuke that Naruto had overtrained using his shadow clones. Of course, he would use shadow clone's to try to catch up quickly. He smirked.

"That makes sense, but we're three-man cells; what are we going to do today if Naruto isn't here?"

Sakura asked Hinata.

"I'll train both of you in skills that you lack. Sakura, attack me as if you're going to kill me."

Stay wondered what she was getting at. Sakura did as she was told, despite her best efforts, she wasn't able to do much. Hinata took Sakura to a chokehold and then let her go.

"Sakura, you don't have the strength Naruto and Sasuke have. If you're going to fight, you have to think there's more than one way to fight than attacking an enemy head-on."

To prove her point, she showed alternative ways to attack. She showed her various different ways to approach a situation. This was obvious: Sasuke was annoyed, but then again, the people at the academy were incompetent and we're not qualified to teach none of them were worth a damn. (with the exception of Iruka.)

"Sensei, can I speak freely?" asked Sakura.

"Hinata nodded, and then Sakura began speaking."

Why weren't we taught this at the academy? These skills that you're showing us, that you've been teaching us for the past week, should be obvious. What the hell were we doing for all these years? What was the point of the Academy? What was the point of us doing all these pointless tests? I almost feel like the damn counsel expects Jonin pick up the slack instead of doing their damn jobs."

Sakura ranted; her grades were good, but she realized how useless they were in the real world. Sasuke understood how useless the Academy had been. It didn't teach them any useful skills. It's no wonder so many students were dropped from the program. The civilian Council is a joke. He thought.

"I understand you're frustration Sakura I share them but these skills are required otherwise there is no chance any of you to survive on any life or death missions. I understand you're contempt for the civilian council and it's incompetent teachers they appointed I share them I suffered fromthe same problem you have it's one of the reasons why I'm teaching you all step by step teaching you what they should have taught you years ago."Sakura listen to her patiently as Hinata continued. "They have a bias towards students that don't do as well academically as we all know academics isn't everything. students aren't tested based on actual ability for the most part oh there's so much I would tell you how much I hate about the current system that we would be here all day but there's no time. now Sakura let me show a way you can defend yourself against a opponent that's stronger than you."

Sasuke saw Hinata show her various techniques to disarm stronger opponents than the one they're fighting; he couldn't help but admire the way she was teaching. She gave constructive feedback but also didn't sugarcoat where someone's skills were or how they could improve. He was definitely satisfied that he had someone like her as his Sensei, rather than someone who would be completely inept in spite of her being a Hyuga.

After she was done, she went to Sasuke. He would tolerate these boring and tedious lessons for now, until the more advanced techniques are taught. He cursed those idiots at the Council for forcing him to go through this kind of training. He had already gone through it years ago.

It had been two weeks since Hinata gave him that harsh lesson about when to train and when not to. It was a difficult lesson for Naruto to swallow; he saw the results, however, when he took her advice, he got more done. He actually got stronger faster by resting. He wouldn't lie if it didn't take a toll on his pride, but he would never tell his sensei that. All he wanted to do was have her recognize him as a man and not a boy. Though it was futile, of course, getting her to acknowledge a 13-year-old shinobi as a man was asking for a laugh.

But there were other things she could see in his eyes: the sadness, and her smiles, every one of them, that she gave to him and his teammates. It was fake; it wasn't real. With such a beautiful face, it was difficult for him not to feel sad. What drove him to her? He couldn't explain it. It wasn't just a physical attraction. It was something else entirely.

She noticed he was spacing out. "Is something on your mind?" Hinata asked him as they tried something different during a training exercise near a lake. He didn't know what kind of training to expect from her, so the first time they did it, she told him it was a way to calm the mind. It worked; he practiced this training method with his clones, improving his chakra control immensely. He wasn't able to walk on water, but that wasn't the point of the exercise; the water was shallow. It was to train him to stay focused. She started to show him this method when he returned from his rest. When he wasn't allowed to train until he was completely better in mind and body, he wouldn't have been able to do it.

He recalls an embarrassing first lesson when she taught him this method to keep his body and spirit focused.

flashback two weeks ago

Naruto wondered why his Sensei was leading him to this spot, where he saw the water was shallow. It was near a lake; just what was it that Hinata was bringing him here for? He saw his sensei take off her jacket and remove part of her clothing. Naruto turned away, blushing furiously. When Hinata finished, she took a glance at what she was wearing: a one-piece bathing suit.

Part of him was disappointed and relieved that she didn't strip down to her undergarments, even though she didn't, he couldn't help but admire her body; it didn't completely cover everything. No, he couldn't let his imagination run wild, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He kicked himself; he didn't want his sensei to lose respect for him because he saw her as a piece of meat rather than a person.

Though he wouldn't lie he found her body extremely attractive.

"Naruto strip down"

Naruto blinked, "What?"

"don't make me repeat myself"

Hinata replied

He was embarrassed; he did as she instructed and he was down to nothing but his underwear.

"I'm going to show you an exercise that will help you concentrate. They'll calm down the body and mind. This was taught to me by my mother."

Said reluctantly, detecting the sadness in her tone when she mentioned her Naruto did not ask any questions, not wanting to see her sad.

"I can't walk on water, is the point of this exercise? How will this bring help me mentally and physically?" Naruto asked her.

"I'll show you"

Hinata went into the water and moved her body like a dancer. Her body moved in smooth motion. She moved with grace and elegance, it was like watching a dancer from a play.

Naruto could watch her all day and get lost in her movements. She is so beautiful.

Naruto thought. He let his imagination run wild of Hinata taking him by the hand and they danced like a couple in a fantasy story. At the end of it, Naruto leaned towards Hinata and.

Naruto stopped turning red and feeling embarrassed when his imagination ran wild again. He took a deep breath, not wanting Hinata to notice his blushing.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Hinata looked concerned, oblivious to the cause of Naruto's blushing.

"Oh, I'm fine. I... I" He couldn't say what he wanted to say; he felt like a stuttering fool. She made him feel like this.

No, he couldn't let her see him like this. He couldn't.

He put his thoughts aside and did exactly what she instructed. He was clumsy by comparison; he was nowhere near as elegant or graceful as she Hinata' in fact. It was clumsy. The woman was patient as Naruto. She copied everything that she did, but then she told him to stop.

"Naruto," she said kindly, "I don't expect you to copy everything I do. The point of the exercise is for you to relax and find your own way."

They continued with the exercise until it was time for them to head to the training grounds.

After that embarrassing episode, thankfully, his sensei didn't notice. He trained on his own when she wasn't instructing him. It was a useful training exercise to the spirit. It actually helped him concentrate better and had him make more progress. He felt like he was progressing at a faster rate. It was so stupid for him to do what he did in the first week; he made more progress in the two weeks since then. All his time then at the academy.

Having the shadow clone technique almost felt like having a cheat code; he was doing things that would be difficult, if not impossible, for most people. He was able to get training done in a matter of weeks, rather than months. The jutsu that he had learned, he managed to master quickly, but he doesn't use them because he hasn't had a situation where they were needed.

Like the wind style windexplosion, or , wind bullet, He wondered what Hinata was going to teach him this time. he is always eager for her lessons; she was so nice to him, even though she had never smiled once, she always treated him with kindness and respect. She never talked down to him or insulted him when he made a mistake. She was perfect to him in every way; it made him desire something else.

He couldn't explain these feelings he was having towards her; it was different than how he felt about Iruka and some of the other people who had treated him like a human being. It wasn't the same.

When he looks at her face, he wonders what her smile would look like if it were real and genuine, and what her laugh would sound like.

Naruto is determined to find out one day.

"You're doing a good job, Naruto. You have made a lot of progress in the past few weeks." said his sensei, pleased with the amount of progress he was making.

Naruto wiped his forehead with the towel that Hinata had provided for him. It was amazing how much progress he had made under such a short amount of time. His body was more lean and had more muscle thanks to the Shadow Clones' training regimen: they did everything he instructed them to do, they did all the heavy workouts every other day, while Naruto did his own training with Hinata.

It was amazing the amount of progress he was able to make under a short amount of time, but he knew he wasn't even close to his goal; he wouldn't be for quite a while. Sasuke struggled in their sparring matches; it wasn't one-sided anymore. Sasuke actually had to put all of his effort in to not lose to Naruto.

His life changed so quickly that it was overwhelming. She handed him a bottle of water, and he drank it. "Ha! What a workout! Thank you for showing me this training regimen, Sensei. I made so much progress; I don't know if I could have done it without you."

Naruto said embarrassedly. "You've always been talented, Naruto. You just need a teacher to bring it out." She said kindly, when he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but see sadness and loneliness in them. It seemed like she was holding something back that she had built walls around herself. She had kept her team at arm's length, which bothered Naruto not because she did it to him but because he understood that loneliness. He didn't want her to feel lonely.

He doesn't have the courage to say anything. "We should get going, Naruto. We don't want to keep your teammates waiting." Hinata got up and put on her vest. Naruto was thinking deeply about what it would take to make her smile. What would it take to make her laugh? Naruto was determined to find out one day. He would know what a smiling and laughing Hinata looks like someday. He strongly believes it.

Hinata kept her distance from her teammates; she didn't want to get too close to anyone. She put her team at arm's length, which wasn't unnoticed by her peers, who were training their own students.

She had a day off, and that's what she usually wore. She didn't like standing out even more in the red-light district. She hated being there, but the restaurants were cheaper in the red-light district than in other parts of Konoha.

They were in a restaurant in the red light district, which Hinata couldn't help but be disgusted by the very idea. This is where her sensei, Kakashi, wanted to meet her along with her peers, Asuma and Kurenai. She didn't even know why Kurenai would want to be in a place like this; it disgusted her. She hated this place.

"Hinata, you need to smile more," Asuma said, trying to relieve the tension in the bar that they were at. She didn't want to drink; it was legal, technically, since she turned 18, but she never liked the taste of sake. Not to mention, she didn't want to get drunk. The last time she did was no different; she didn't want to think of that night. So she dropped it as soon as it entered her mind.

"I do smile I just don't like it here"she replied annoyed."I don't know what Naruto sees in you I mean seriously relax. This place is cheaper than the rest of the village not to mention it's one way to give the finger to your clan who takes themselves way too seriously."remarked Kakashi"you should relax seriously Hinata you're going to get old before your time you'll have wrinkles before you turn 30 at this rate." Asuma said playfully."certainly team 7 can't be that bad." asked Kurenai."it has nothing to do with that it's just"she didn't want to be reminded tonight was the anniversary.

"You are pathetic and weak, Hinata, just like every other Hyuga; a weakling like you will never be Hokage. Trusting me was a mistake; I'll spare your pathetic life because you're not worth killing." said Itachi 5 years ago when she confronted him; when she was chasing him; when he was fleeing Konoha; she had almost lost her life that night; she remembers that night vividly; she doesn't want to believe it; she won't think of him. She takes the bottle of sake and gulps the entire bottle at once; shocking everyone in her group. "Damn! You should be careful with that; it's strong stuff." remarked Kakashi.

"I know this isn't the happiest day for you, and we didn't want you stuck in your apartment drowning yourself in memories of that awful night." said Kurenai, understanding what had happened, but they couldn't have understood that night. Her trust in people, her ability to believe in others, was destroyed along with her heart being ripped out of her chest and crushed like it was nothing. Since then, she has no desire to get close to anyone. They would never listen to her; they would tell her to open up again, but she has no desire to.

Naruto Usamaki keeping her promise to her mother figure, which was the only thing that kept her going, and becoming the Hokage was all that mattered; there was nothing else.

"Hinata, you need to open up. I know what happened is painful, but you can't be fixated on the past; you have to move on." said Kakashi. Worried about her well-being, she asked the bartender to give her another bottle of sake and she gulped it down just like the first one. "I think you've had enough, Hinata." said Kurenai, who was worried about her drinking.

"I'm fine"

Her speech was slurred due to her being under the influence.

"I'll take her home, Asuma." Kurenai said to her boyfriend.

"I hope you don't forget our date tomorrow." he said to her with a smile.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kurenai said, smiling as she took Hinata by the hand and they left the bar.

With Kakashi and Asuma

After Hinata and Kurenai left, Kakashi said to Asuma, "That certainly could have gone better."said Kakashi disappointed on how things turned out.

Asuma took a sip of his bottle of sake; it was nice and hot, just like he likes it. But the flavor was soured by the atmosphere.

"5 years later, and damn, she's not the same person anymore." Asuma said, sadly over what had happened to the woman he saw as a little sister. Him and his girlfriend always had a strong bond with her; they were like sisters when she left her clan years ago, reasons he doesn't know. She lived with her girlfriend.

Then there was the time when she smiled and laughed; it was the happiest I had ever seen her. Until that awful night, he remembers it vividly. The girl who was so sweet and kind, whose smile could melt anyone's heart, that wasn't a malicious person, became cold and detached. It was hard to even fathom that she was even the same person. He had known Hinata since she was a little girl. He had seen her grow up. Her upbringing was harsh, but prior to that night, Itachi Uchiha was the only bright spot. If he ever had a chance, he would kill him for breaking the heart of such a sweet girl.

"Hinata has closed herself off completely I know what it's like it's a coping mechanism used to deal with trauma. I understand Hinata well I've been through it myself. I understand her better than anyone"Kakashi said speaking from experience of the trauma that he had been through with the death of his Sensei along with the horrific things he had seen in the war. Everyone dealt with trauma in different ways and Hinata dealt with it by cutting herself from others and being detached from others and being cold. he had not seen her smile genuinely in 5 years or laugh or even cry. she had kept her emotions bottled up he was worried about her.

Then her hatred for her clan is another thing that concerned him she could be another Itachi if enough time passes and that's terrified him more than anything. he's always had suspicions about Root being involved in the Uchiha clan massacre but he cannot prove it. He cannot confront the Kakashi about it cuz he cannot talk about it due to him not wanting to talk about his time in Root.

"We will have to see what Naruto will do for her. I mean, Hokage-sama has a good reason. I suppose having Hinata instead of me as the sensei of Team 7."

Kakashi said with some optimism. Asuma.

I don't know. I mean, what? I've heard the way she treats Sasuke Uchiha; she doesn't say it out loud, but she shows her contempt for him every chance she gets. It's not Sasuke's fault that Itachi is his brother. He rarely even mentions the former prodigy of the Uchiha clan; it's not something that can be discussed openly, especially with Hinata.

"None of us can know for sure what their relationship was, but whatever happened changed her at her core. Every smile that she has ever given anyone in the past five years has been fake; she hasn't given a real smile to anyone since. Unless someone is very observant or not blind, they wouldn't notice the difference. Kakashi remarked."

"What's the likelihood of history repeating itself?" Asuma asked, taking a cigarette out of his pouch and lighting it. "You mean Naruto and Hinata becoming an item? Isn't that a little premature?" Kakashi said. "That's what they said about Minato and Kushina. Yeah, look what happened." Asuma smiled, remembering the uproar when Minato asked Kushina to marry him.

"Do you want to make a bet if they will become an item?" asked Asuma "Get real, this is hardly the same situation between Naruto and Hinata and Minato-sensei and Kushina-sensei; it is completely different."

Kakashi replied .

"Really? As far as I remember, Kushina hated her red hair; it wasn't until Minato called it beautiful that she started to love it and started to fall in love with him. What an interesting relationship that was! Are you sure you want to disregard a chance to make easy money? If I turn out to be wrong, aren't you?" Asuma asked with a mischievous grin.

"Fine, but you better be prepared to pay up. How much do you want to bet?" he asked him mildly. "Are you sure? This could empty your bank account." Asuma joked. Kakashi signed, "As long as it's reasonable, I'm willing to bet." He had a feeling Kakashi would regret this later.

"300,000 Ryo" Asuma said in a mischievous tone because Kakashi sweetl dropped.

"That's insane! I would literally have to do two to three A-rank missions, but then again, so would you. I'll do it, but you're going to regret it." Kakashi smiled on one of his rare occasions.

"I'll hold you to that," Asuma said as he finished smoking the cigarette he was holding.

He was hoping his girlfriend could at least give some comfort to Hinata, even if it's just words.

"I hope you can bring back the kind and gentle Hinata that we all knew Naruto Uzumaki."

He didn't know why, but he had a strong feeling that Naruto would be the key to bringing Hinata back to the woman/girl she once was and restoring her faith maybe though that was wishful thinking Naruto could do for Hinata that Kushina once did for Minato.

with Hinata and Kurenai

Kurenai was escorting Hinata back to her apartment, they said nothing; she had no idea what to say. She knew how hard this day was for Hinata: the day that Itachi betrayed the village, the day he broke her heart into thousands of pieces. This woman's smile used to melt almost anyone's heart by seeing it it was like being in the presence of the sun itself. But in five years since, every smile that she's seen that comes from her face has been fake. She was colder and more ruthless on missions than she was before; it made her sad.

She wishes she could just make the sorrow go away so she could forget that night. Itachi was once a part of her life, but that isn't possible because every memory with him is tainted. She understands this and to top it all off, he was there for her when Hinata's own father said the most horrible thing any father could say to their child.

She couldn't even imagine the words she heard from her own father. It was unimaginable, and the person who comforted her was there for her when she needed it. The man who ultimately betrayed her and broke her heart. She hated Itachi for what he did. Things were silent as she opened the door to her apartment. She helped carry Hinata to her couch and helped her sit down. She was going to leave before Hinata spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai-san. I didn't mean to ruin your fun time with your boyfriend or Kakashi." She said with a tone of sadness. "It's okay, Hinata. I understand completely." It still doesn't make it right." Hinata replied, looking up. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked the younger woman. "I can't cry, no matter how hard I try. I can't laugh nor can I smile. I know what everyone says about me. I'm cold, heartless. I'm probably the ideal daughter-" She was interrupted by Kurenai, not letting her finish.

"You don't need to do anything for that bastard's approval, Hinata. You don't have to be anything that you don't want to be. You know that, right?" She asked the woman who had become a little sister to her. "What good is being kind and gentle where is that ever gotten me?" She asked, her voice on the verge of raising. She recoiled from the bitterness in Hinata's tone. She would give anything to make her smile again, to restore her faith; she feels completely helpless.

"I should go Hinata. I don't want you to be late for your lesson tomorrow with your team." She left, and  she noticed the apartment. She almost wanted to cry herself. The woman standing before her is a shell of who Hinata once was. She once believed in people, but now she's a bitter and angry woman. She has lost faith in people and has lost the ability to also love others. She would give anything for Hinata to smile and laugh again if there's anyone that was willing to make that happen she would support them 100%.

Tazuna welcomed her team into his house. This would be the place where they would stay during the duration of their mission. She didn't want to burden him or his family any more than necessary."

"These are guests from Konoha. Tsunami. They will stay here for the time being until the bridge is completed."

She didn't want to be a burden on them. She could tell that their food reserves were limited. She looked at her team. They looked exhausted and hungry.

"I hope we're not a burden on you," Hinata said to the older woman.

"aren't you a little young to be a sensei?" asked the woman. Hinata tried hard not to show her annoyance she gets this from everyone she's met since her promotion.

"Yes, I am. I know I'm young and inexperienced, but I am their sensei." She said with confidence, hoping the woman wouldn't see through her nervousness.

"I'm sorry, but I don't mean any offense to you, Hinata-san. It's just that you don't look much older than some of the teenage girls here. How old are you?"

She didn't look her age. She was often mistaken for being younger than she really was, which was one of the reasons why she dressed the way she did to show that she was a woman, not a girl.

A lot of it had to do with her face; she was often told that she looked younger than she actually was, because of her face. Despite her body looking like a woman in her twenties when she was around the age of 16, it angered her and attracted all sorts of creeps with weird fetishes.

She shoved that thought deep down, but she was there as a guest and she wouldn't be rude. She would answer the woman's question.

"I am 19."Hinata answered, shocking both Tazuna and his daughter.

"19! I could swear you were younger!" Tazuna, surprised and ashamed on how he treated Hinata at the start of the mission.

"I'm sorry if I knew you were 19, I would" Hinata silenced him with a motion of her hand."It's okay. I just got promoted a few months ago. I have to show through my skill and conduct myself to prove that I'm a woman and not a girl. You will not be the first to make that assumption, nor will you be the last. Know this: I give you my word that I will not fail you or the people here."

Her students weren't ready for this kind of mission, but pulling out now would doom these people. She couldn't in good conscience do it, not after seeing how dead they were inside. Their eyes, even children who should be happy and playing, not starving or wondering when their next meal would be. She had a strong suspicion the Hokage knew this mission was more important than she realized, but why would he send her on a mission like this? Her team wasn't prepared, but it was too late to pull back.

In a time like this, she had to set an example for her team. If she were to back out, it would show them that Konoha and by extension shinobi are heartless and cold machines that should not care about anything but the mission. The doctrine of Root is what a real shinobi is in their eyes; she refuses to be anything like them. She wants to be someone who can inspire others if she would have backed out on her first challenge, which is what this mission is. She'd be nothing more than a pathetic coward and she refuses to be known as that.

Naruto looks eagerly at Tsunami, who puts a plate of food on the table. Everyone gets their share, but she can't help but wonder who the food on the table was for then her question was answered" Inari's dinner is ready. She hears the doors upstairs open, and she sees a boy who she assumes is named Inari. He has spiky black hair and dark-colored eyes. He wears a green jumpsuit with a yellow shirt.

She had the same look as every other person she saw in this land. Her students were uncomfortable; even Sakura didn't like this atmosphere. It was tense. He sat down, and the boy took the food his mother gave him. Everyone ate in silence.

After the boy was done eating he went upstairs to his room when everyone was done eating Hinata offered to do the declined she was tired and she knew her students were as well."you three can use the guest rooms that we have" Tsunami showed her students to their rooms I didn't mind sleeping on floor she was used to doing such a thing on Long missions.

"My grandson used to be full of life, but now he's just like everyone else. That's the reason why I want to build the bridge; so the light that has gone from him can return. I am grateful to you, Hinata-san. Everyone else would have abandoned us. I am just curious as to why."

She decided to answer him honestly."If I can do something to help people, especially if I have the power to do so, and I don't do it, then I won't be able to live with myself. Seeing all the suffering around me, everyone is dead inside, it's almost as if everyone has given up on life, like they are beaten both physically and spiritually. I can't abandon these people; it would go against everything I believe in.

"You should act like this more. You try to be tough and cold, but you're nothing like that. Why do you do that?" She should really tell him they barely know each other, but the man is being respectful and he apologized for his earlier comments. She supposes he deserves some explanation." Women it's expected for us to be cold because the way this world works: women Shinobi, for them to be taken seriously, they have to be colder and even more ruthless than their male counterparts. I try to do the part of being cold so people will take me seriously it's what's to be expected out of all Shinobi.

"to be honest with you the more I spend time with you the more I see that the way you project yourself onto others you're hiding something deep down pain. If you ask me, I think it takes far more strength to be kind and gentle. I would feel far more comfortable with someone like you; than some cold-hearted assassin. As leader of your village"

Tazuna said meaningless genuinely.

"I'm not kind or gentle I'm just doing what's right nothing else."Hinata said denying what Tazuna was saying and rejecting it.

"I don't know if you're trying to convince yourself or me, but you say it through your actions. Hinata-san is kind, and you just don't want to admit it to yourself."

He left her alone and headed to his room in order to sleep.

"I wish I could be like you, mother; please give me strength." She said to herself. She couldn't sleep, so she decided to visit her students' rooms to tell them about their lessons for the next day.

Naruto couldn't sleep. Naruto looked around and then noticed he wasn't inside the room that he was assigned to, he was inside a place that looked like a prison cell. He walked and looked down and saw water. What the hell is this place? he thought. As he walked he saw a gigantic cell that looked like it housed a prisoner and what he saw was a gigantic fox from the description of the Kyubi that his teachers had ever told him and his peers. He matched the description in every way. Naruto should have been scared looking at the creature in front of him but for some reason he wasn't.

He was looking at him almost amused. "You show no fear; you either are brave or stupid, or possibly both. It matters not why you are here." He was waiting for Naruto's answer. Kyubi, what are you? Naruto wanted to ask him questions. "Do you know anything about my parents?" Naruto asked him. "You mean you don't know anything about your own parents, boy? Sure, I can tell you, but why should I? What do I have to gain?" Kyūbi asked him impatiently. Naruto had to choose his words carefully. If he said anything to upset him, he wouldn't get the answers he sought. "I don't know why it's stupid; the likelihood of you knowing who my parents were is probably zero after all they were just one of many people that died the day you attacked the village." The fox angrily shouted at him.

"You speak about things you know nothing about boy I didn't attacked your village by choice "this was the first Naruto heard of it he was told he attacked the village because he wanted to destroy it yet here the fox is saying the opposite Naruto was confused it was hard to tell fact from fiction."what do you mean you didn't attack my village by choice what are you talking about?"Naruto asked him, confused. The fox took a deep breath" before I can even tell you, you need to do something for me first. This isn't charity." Naruto genuinely wanted to know what he wanted. "What is it that you want from me?" Naruto asked. "Freedom and respect." He answered. Naruto didn't know what he meant by freedom. He had to be careful; he had to choose his words carefully. "How do I know this is not one of your tricks?" Naruto asked him. He couldn't just do what he asked unless he knew for sure he wouldn't do anything to screw him over or potentially kill him once he gave him what he wanted. "Your death would be an inconvenience, and I'm likely safer with you than I am with that man who attacked your village that night."

"He was still wondering what he was talking about."

"What you have to do is loosen the seal enough where I'm able to come and go as I please. Obviously, it wouldn't be all of my chakra because that's not possible, but enough of me so I don't have to be in this cage 24/7. If you do that for me, I will tell you what you want to know and let you use more of my power."

Naruto didn't think that was a bad deal, but he knew there had to be a catch. Nothing like this is for free.

"There has to be a catch. What you're saying is too good to be true." He chuckled as if he was amused by Naruto's pointing out that nothing was for free.

"Of course it's not free. My catch is that you will treat me as a partner and not as some tool you could use and disregard at a moment's notice. That's my catch. Prove to me that you're not like the host who came before you."

"Treating him like a person seems reasonable. Respecting him as a living being instead of a weapon that can be used, Naruto didn't know why, but perhaps Kyuubi wasn't as bad as he initially thought."

"I guess that's reasonable," Naruto admitted.

"All you have to do is place your hand on the seal, and I can come and leave your body as I please."

Naruto knew this was a risk, but he had a dream and people to protect. If he's going to be able to survive the next time those two ninjas (Zabuza and the mysterious boy) arrive, he would need to be prepared. He did as he was instructed, and when he was done, the seal was weakened, but he didn't feel the fox trying to do anything. The door opened in his cage. He walked out and stared at Naruto. He sat cross-legged, wondering what he was doing. "It will take me some time. Your sensei is coming for you; we will have to cut this short. I will speak to you later, Kit." Kyubi sent him out of his mind space and back into the real world.

Naruto looked around him and found himself alone in his guest room in Tazuna's daughter's home just as Kyuubi had said. Hinata opened the door and looked at Naruto. She spoke in a soft tone, "What you did was reckless. I'm both angry and proud; you're lucky you weren't killed." Hinata walked towards him and checked if he was all right. Why was she worried? "I'm fine, Hinata-sensei, really. You're worrying too much."

Hinata signed. "Someone has to care. I'm your teacher; it's natural for me to care about your well-being."

He couldn't help but notice something in her eyes. She was worried about his wellbeing, concerned he wasn't used to it.

"Of course she cares about your well-being, you idiot! She's been proving it through her actions time and time again; you're not very observant, are you?" He wanted to tell the fox to shut up.

He wasn't used to such kindness, why did she care? Naruto couldn't help but speak his mind aloud.

"No it's just I'm not used to it there's only been a few people that treated me with any kindness at all"he wasn't used to being treated this kindly what made him more confused. Why did Hinata act cold one minute and kind the next? Why did she care? "I know what it's like for people not to think you're worth anything or can't do anything or thinking you're worthless and won't amount to anything I know what that feels like. I know I shouldn't be doing this some would think I'm doing favoritism towards you but I've been through the same thing in the academy the expectations I guess I just see the experience you're going through and I'm reminded of what I went through I don't want you to go through the same thing I did.

"Naruto was surprised at how open she was being. It felt nice for someone to treat him as a person instead of a monster for something that wasn't his fault. How would Hinata react if she found out that he had Kyubi inside him? Would she hate him? He was afraid she was the closest thing he had to a real friend. He felt his heart beating "Thank you for your concern. It means a lot, Hinata-sensei."

Naruto meant it sincerely. The woman got up and spoke before she left the room. "Tomorrow morning, the entire team is going to train. Chakra control is what we will be training for, considering the training we've been doing in the past two months. I think you will do well. I have faith in you, Naruto. See you tomorrow morning. I will hear no complaints."

Hinata gave him a smile before she left. Naruto wondered what a real smile on Hinata would look like. He could picture it in his mind. It would be so beautiful that it would melt the sun itself. If he had ever seen one, he'd generally want to know what she looked like when she smiled.

"Like mother, like son." Kyuubi said out loud. "What was that?" Naruto asked him. "Nothing. Get some sleep." He cut off their connection. Naruto went to sleep, thinking about what a smiling and laughing Hinata would look like.

The next day

Her team showed up on time she was never given the opportunity to teach Naruto how to climb trees using chakra, but considering all the other training she's been doing with him in the past two months, there shouldn't be much of a problem."As you all know, we will have to deal with Zabuza at some point during this mission. Since we're not going back to the village for now, training needs to get done to work on your skills."

Her team patiently waited for her to continue.

"Chakra control is the most essential skill for any Shinobi to have; without it, it would not be possible for us to do any of the things that we are usually known for. If you are going to ever get past the rank of Genin and to eventually take the Chunin exams, mastering this basic skill is essential. If you can do this, you could walk on water."

Hinata demonstrated what she was talking about by walking on the tree as if it were solid ground.

It was fortunate that she had tied her hair back, so it wouldn't get in the way during the exercise. "Wow, that's amazing! I can't wait to try that!"

Naruto said eagerly.

"Hold on before you rush into doing this; you have to be careful with the amount of chakra you use when you're climbing up this tree. If you use too much or too little, you will fall off the tree.

Hinata showed an example if she were an inexperienced Shinobi she would have severely injured herself for demonstration but due to years of training, Hinata landed safely on the ground next to her students."

"If you're not careful, you could severely injure yourself. That's why, until you can master the basics of tree-climbing, I forbid you from doing anything else. This will be your task for the remainder of our mission. When you're not on duty guarding Tazuna, you'll be doing this training."

They were listening intently during her lesson. Who should she have as her volunteer? Naruto is the worst at chakra control; Sasuke is better, but he wouldn't make a good motivator compared to Sakura, who has the best chakra control of anyone in the group.

"Sakura, would you mind demonstrating what I just showed everyone?"

Sakura, eager to please her, did exactly as Hinata demonstrated, and as Hinata had predicted, Sakura was able to climb on her first try.

She was a natural; she could be a great ninja one day if given the chance.

I'm afraid you two have a lot of work ahead of you; it seems like Sakura is closer to being Hokage than you are, Naruto."

Naruto didn't look happy that Sakura had completely left him in the dust like that, but what she was doing it out of necessity; Naruto needed to be motivated. even if it hurt his pride.

"It seems like the Uchiha clan isn't that great. The girl in the group seems to be more capable than you are."

It would definitely give Sasuke's humility, which is an important aspect in her mind of what it means to be a great shinobi. She couldn't help but look at Sakura, the future she could have ahead of her, a great shinobi she could become She could be one of the most talented shinobi of her generation."

"Sakura, you have done well, and because you have done so well, you don't need to be here for the training Tazuna could use your assistance tomorrow. I'll give you a different kind of training."

This excited Sakura; her eyes lit up. One-on-one instruction from Hinata. Yes, she would give her instruction. What she would teach her is proper defense, something that would be essential.

She would stay in the shadows with them to avoid being noticed. Naruto was struggling, but not as much as he would have without her help. She was amazed at the progress Naruto had made, watching him compete with Sasuke to see who could hang upside down from a tree the longest without having to jump back to the ground. She was proud of the amount of progress they were both making.

Two days later

"Impressive, Sakura! You're doing well"

Hinata praised her student as she demonstrated how to properly defend herself against enemy Shinobi. Like Naruto, she wasn't properly taught; it made her feel angry. This girl is the least prepared out of all of them, and she could be killed because she doesn't know how to properly defend herself. The academy staff are completely incompetent.

"I can't help but feel like Sensei that I am holding Naruto and Sasuke back. I know I'm not your favorite student but I do appreciate you taking the time to teach me. I can't help but feel like I don't really have any goals. Is that such a bad thing?"

Sakura asked."Absolutely not believe me, it took me time to figure out what I wanted for myself. Give it enough time and patience, you'll figure it out not all Shinobi know what they want."

This girl was starting to think seriously about her future, which was something that she did not expect to happen so quickly.

When she thinks about it, being on her team was a benefit to her. I want to be strong and cool like you, Hinata-sensei. I mean, you're one of the few Konichi in Konoha. There aren't many of us with any promising futures unless we are part of a clan or have strong financial connections. The main thing expected from us is to become wives and raise the next generation. But nothing else, no promising careers. There are some who do have higher positions in the Land of Fire, but those are mostly people who were born into great families. I'm not. I mean, it's not fair in a way. You made me reconsider what I want in my life." She can picture Sakura years into the future being a great ninja that could command entire divisions.

She also envisioned herself as a great medic that would help save the lives of fellow Shinobi. There are other futures she can picture with Sakura. "You can be whoever you want to be, Sakura. Nobody can decide that but you." The pink-haired girl smiles, "Then my goal is to be strong like you and become a great ninja who teaches my own students. That's what I want." A teacher she wants to be an admirable goal.

"Well that's a start, at least. But don't settle on that goal just yet. You still have time to consider others if you change your mind."

Time was almost up; it was almost time for her have to watch over Tazuna.

Thank you, sensei. It means a lot. With their training session done, Sakura went about her day.

"Your kindness is a strength, not a weakness. Our village needs ninja like you."

Why was she thinking about Itachi at a day like this? She shoved that memory to the deepest depths of her mind.

3 days later

The next day was grueling to say the least. Sakura already grasped tree-climbing on the first try due to her gift in chakra control; she was allowed to do other things while Naruto and Sasuke trained. Naruto and Sasuke took a break. Sasuke handed Naruto a bottle of water, which he drank. The teenager said nothing for a few moments before Sasuke broke the silence. "So you and Hinata-sensei, what do you do together when you two train and don't deny that she isn't giving you extra lessons. I already know." Sasuke said almost in a matter-of-fact tone that seemed to be amused. Was that what it was?

Naruto couldn't tell. "Me and Hinata Sensei train; we don't do anything else other than that."

Sasuke chuckled as if he didn't believe Naruto or anything that he said. "Really? You're really training, Naruto? You're really going to use that excuse? Either my imagination is running wild or I'm imagining things, which I doubt I am. I'm pretty sure I'm on the mark. You have a crush on our Sensei, don't you?"

Sasuke pointed out, and Naruto turned away, confirming everything he said. "I don't see why that's a problem. It's not like you two are doing anything inappropriate, and besides, I doubt she would be interested in a boy anyway."

Sasuke teased.

"No, it's nothing like that. Okay, you're right. I mean, she's amazing. I think she's beautiful. Alright? Is that what you want to hear?" Naruto said in embarrassment. "I doubt an idiot like you would have a chance because she's six years older than you and not to mention she already has a lot of admirers. I think she has better options for boyfriends than with a loudmouth boy." Sasuke tried to get a reaction from Naruto. "He got you there, kid. Not only is she stronger than you, but she also has better options." Kyubi agreed with Sasuke. "I doubt she's the kind of woman who would date anyone." Naruto tried to put on a brave face, but Sasuke saw right through it. "She's a member of the Hyuga clan. She's essentially a princess. What chance do you think you have with her, even if you were the same age? Her clan wouldn't allow it. Face it, idiot. You're better off giving up now. She's way out of your league." Kyubi advised.

"Can we not have this conversation? Let's just focus on training." Naruto said, ending the conversation. "I'm not going to lie; I would love to see the look on those Hyuga's faces if by some unlikely chance the class clown ends up marrying the princess of the Hyuga clan. That would be something I would love to see." Naruto's face turned even redder than it had ever been before. "Come on, Sasuke. Let's just focus on this. I'm not going to lose this time." "I don't intend to lose either," Sasuke replied.

They both got back up and looked at the tree he wasn't going to lose this time. He was going to beat his rival. Without saying anything, they knew what the other was thinking and they started their climb. The wind was rushing through Naruto's face. He was running faster than he ever did before, thanks to his training in the past two months, his chakra control was far better than it was previously. He wasn't going to lose to Sasuke. They had trained for hours and they still weren't any closer to getting on top. He wasn't going to lose; he would be the first one up.

By nightfall, Naruto could see the end of the tree-top; he was going to reach it. He jumped faster than he probably should have and almost fell, but not before grabbing onto the top. He looked at the site in front of him, as far as the eye can see, it was a beautiful sight. He had to admit that with the moonlight shining on them, Sasuke had won again.

He was tired and he was hungry for the day he just gave up his main priority was eating and resting.

Naruto and Sasuke are late. Hinata was worried she was about to get up to fetch them until she saw Sasuke carrying Naruto. They both looked exhausted. They were offered food and they gladly took it they ate like they never ate in their lives which annoyed Sakura who didn't like Naruto and Sasuke eating like pigs."Slow down you're going to choke"Sakura said scaldingly. Hinata wanted to know what had caused the Land of Waves to get to the state that it was in. How did it Goto take over what had caused boys like Inari to fall into deep despair?

"What has happened here that has caused the people to become so lifeless, to sink so deeply into despair, and I have another question ever since I came here: I can't help but want to know what happened to the man in that photo?" She was referring to the photo of the family. A part of it was ripped clearly because someone was important to the family. Everyone was tense. The man in the photo was Kaiza, Inari's father, and once a hero of this land. He was speaking in the past tense, meaning he was dead.

Tazuna Began his tale "Years ago before Goto took over Inari was bullied by kids who pushed him and his dog in the lake. Thank goodness that he was saved by what would be later known as the hero of the waves. After being saved by the man Kaiza who would be the father that Inari would look up to and see as a hero and a role model. He isn't originally from the Land of Waves, he was a traveler. A chance encounter with my grandson would change things not too long after that he would meet Tsunami who would become his wife. He became a hero time and time again when there ever was a crisis he was there to save us. That one time when there was a flood he bravely risked his life in order to stop the dam from collapsing. He inspired courage and valor everywhere he went. He was like the hero from stories that we all heard of when we were children. When he entered our lives my daughter smiled. My grandson had a positive role model to look up to things were looking up in this country." Hinata know where this was going.

"That changed a few years ago when Goto came here as a foreign gangster, monopolizing trade and stopping any competition from happening. Our land was being strangled. Kaiza, being who he is, couldn't stand by and do nothing; he took up arms and attempted to stop Goto and his thugs from taking over, but it was no use; he was captured, and I don't know what kind of torture they put him through, but when they were done, he was almost unrecognizable."

She had heard about these kinds of stories too many times not to know where this was going to end. The man was on the verge of tears. Someone like that, she looked at Naruto, the way he inspires people; she couldn't help but see that in Naruto, someone who inspires others, brings so much light, and to have it snuffed out.

"Goto, in his man-made example, showed to everyone what would happen if you opposed them. We were all there to watch, even though in the end he didn't give in to despair; he had a look on his face that didn't give up even when the odds were stacked against him. Those who resisted Goto first had lost the will to fight when they saw the state that Kaiza was in. The moment that he was killed is when this town's spirit died." She looked at Inari, who said nothing.

Naruto was about to get up when the boy Inari, looking at Naruto with anger and bitterness, said, "There's no point in training; you're all going to die. There are no heroes in this world; they're all fake."

Naruto got really angry and said, "You damn brat! You want to act like you have it bad? At least you have your mother and grandfather who care about you. I grew up with no parents whatsoever. Don't act like you're the only one that's had a hard life."

Naruto stormed out angrily.

The way the boy reacted to the tragic death of his father figure triggered something in Naruto. The boy went outside, but he wasn't too far; she wanted to go to Naruto's side, but she figured Inari needed it first. The boy was looking at the moonlit sky. He looked around to see who was there, but he said nothing."Don't take what he says personally. Naruto never had parents growing up or siblings, up until recently he didn't have any friends either." The boy didn't say anything."We will protect your grandfather and make sure the bridge is built so we can prove to you that heroes do exist in this world. I don't think your father would want you to give in to despair." She figured if she said anymore, it would be overstepping, so she turned her back, but not before she heard Inari ask her a question. "Why do you care? You have nothing to gain with this. We cannot give you anything. Why?" The boy asked her, looking for something that validated his outlook.

"Because I believe in doing what's right, leaving you to the mercy of Gato would be like killing you myself. I don't want that on my conscience."

She didn't wait to hear a response; therefore, she left. Now she had to go to Naruto, who was affected by Inari's words.

Hinata knew where Naruto would be. She didn't have to go far to see that he was where her team was training for the past week. He looked at her ashamed of his earlier conduct. "I'm sorry, Hinata sensei. I know I'm out of line. I'm sorry." She said nothing. She could tell without asking him what was bothering him by looking in his eyes. She sat next to him; they said nothing for a few minutes until Naruto asked her a question.

"What is it like to have parents who love you?" Naruto asked Hinata. Other than her mother, Hanabi, she wasn't really close to anyone; her relationship with her cousin was strained. "I don't know what it's like to have a father who loves me, but I do know what it's like for a mother and sister. It's the most wonderful thing you can have. I miss her even to this day." She tenses, thinking about it, remembering the things her father said to her on the day her mother died.

"It should have been you who died" Hinata remembered her father saying that even after over a decade, the pain of that memory still sticks with her. The death of her mother, the day she died, when Kumogakure tried to kidnap her in order to steal the Byakugan and breed her for them to have their own. Her mother died protecting her. Those words hurt Hinata more than any physical hit he ever inflicted on her during their sparring sessions.

No matter how hard she tries, she cannot cry even when remembering painful memories from that horrible day and her father's words. Itachi's betrayal, no matter what situation she's put in, she just cannot cry or smile or even laugh. The one consistent thing that makes her come close to crying is remembering her father's hurtful words.

Naruto noticed her sadness in her eyes and asked, "Are you okay, Hinata-sensei?" Concerned, he said, "It's all right. You were just thinking about something painful." She hasn't spoken about what happened to anyone except one person, but she doesn't mention his name because of the hatred she has deep in her heart for him.

"I'm sorry for reminding you of painful memories Hinata sensei. I didn't mean to"Hinata put her index finger on Naruto's mouth. "It's fine Naruto, it was never your intention truth be told. I haven't talked to anyone about my mother, not even my sensei. She let another tear fall the memories of that night and her father's hurtful words."you're strong and kind Hinata sensei. I know you hide it but the real you is the woman I admire. You don't have to be cold to be strong. You're fine as you are."Naruto said to her, smiling. Only one person had told her that she was but she disregards anything that has anything to do with him "You think I'm kind Naruto, what gives you that impression?"

"You know we're going beyond the mission parameters yet you chose to follow your heart instead you saw the people in this land you couldn't leave them to their fate it's just not who you are Hinata you care about others before you care about yourself there's nothing wrong with you being who you are. I wouldn't want anybody else but you as my Sensei and I really do mean that"

she did not agree with him.

"I'm not kind like Naruto, I'm anything but kind. Kindness has no place in a ninja, and neither does compassion." She said, colder than she intended.

She stood up."I'm sorry Naruto you should get some sleep."

"It's okay, Sensei." She didn't hear anymore as she left Naruto by himself. She rejected the idea of being kind; she wasn't kind nor was she gentle. Hinata is dead; she died the day Itachi betrayed her.

She wanted to get this mission over with, but she didn't like these feelings she was having when she was around Naruto. Maybe she shouldn't have taken him and his team as students. She lay down and looked at the ceiling. It felt like someone had sharp pain her on the right side of her neck.

Seeing Hinata walk away like that, Naruto didn't know how to react. What did she go through? Who hurt her so much that she doesn't have faith in anything it is so bitter?

The loneliness in her tone, the loneliness in her eyes; he could see it, he could feel it. What would he give to make her smile, to make her laugh?

What was this feeling? He wanted to ask somebody, but he didn't know who to go to.

"That woman has a lot of baggage in her past; whatever happened to her to turn her into the woman she is, it's none of your business, boy!" Kyuubi said to Naruto, advice that would be considered wise, but Naruto didn't want to hear it.

This woman was the closest thing he ever had to a true friend, not a teacher who was more like a brother or someone that was the closest thing you can think of to a sibling (like Iruka, old man,Teuchi, and Ayame). They are precious people to him, but it isn't the same as Hinata; it is different. He cannot explain his feelings.

"Get some sleep, brat!" The fox spirit said angrily.

Naruto ignored him; he would go out in the forest and train. It helped him think. One day, he promised, he would make his sensei smile and laugh. That was a promise he intended to keep. When the first opportunity presented itself, he intended to make Hinata smile and laugh.

Zabuza played out the encounter with Hinata over and over again.

Haku went into extraordinary detail about the Byakugan. It was called the "All-Seeing" eye and it was to those who didn't know how to counter the Byakugan. Considering Hinata had experience in over a decade of training, he would have to approach her differently. The gentle fist was a dangerous fighting style; in order to counter that, he would have to keep his distance as much as possible.

He listened for hours as Haku suggested multiple counters to her techniques. Tomorrow he would settle the score if he's ever to accomplish his goal Hinata Hyuga the lioness must die. He was sick of dealing with scum like Goto, that kind of scum who thinks he's better than him, oh he was looking forward to snapping his neck when he no longer had any use for him.

Haku was in the same room, watching him like a hawk, guarding him with his life. nobody was foolish enough or brave enough to even approach them; though he knew soon they would have to make their move. "How much longer do we have to deal with that scum, Zabuza san?" Haku said with clenched teeth.

"When we have everything we need from him, scum like him has their uses. Once I have the funds, my dream will be a reality. Tomorrow we will settle the score and will complete this long and tedious job that has been assigned to us"

Haku couldn't help but agree; he couldn't stand being in this place with all these people who tried to intimidate them yesterday only to be scared off.

"One way or another, Haku, this will end."

He didn't know why, but he had a feeling it's something that would happen tomorrow. Was this the sign of a bad omen? He didn't know.

He decided to rest for the night and head out to gather some herbs. He knew it was pointless, but there's something he wanted to do and someone he wanted to meet before their battle.

One of the students of Hinata Hyuga. It was the blonde-haired boy with a strange orange jumpsuit who stood out amongst his teammates. He was curious what kind of person he was and if he had someone important to him that he would die to protect.

He wanted to know these things before the inevitable clash.

He headed out to meet the boy and he knew where his spot was. He wasn't disappointed. He had been sleeping, probably training until the early hours of the morning. It would be so easy to kill him to end his life. He could do anything to this blonde-haired boy, but what would be the point? What would there be to gain?

Then she saw the boy's eyes open and he looked surprised to see him.

"I didn't think I'd find anyone out here."

The woman said the way she carried herself was with grace and beauty. She had a pink kimono and her long brown hair. Her beauty didn't compare to Hinata's though. "What brings you here?" Naruto asked the woman. "I'm just picking up some herbs to help someone important to me what about you?" The woman asked him. "To train to get stronger to protect the person most important to me," Naruto answered. "This person who is important to you, do you love this person?" The woman asked him. "I don't know what you're talking about. Yes, she's one of the first friends I ever had. She's a kind and beautiful woman, and I" Naruto felt like he said too much. "Sounds like you're in love with her," The woman said to him. "I don't know what you're talking about?" Naruto said to her. "What's your name?" The woman asked him

"Naruto Uzumaki" he answered, "Naruto, this woman is important to you, yes? I have someone important to me too; someone I would die for, because I want his dream to come true. Are you willing to do the same for Hinata, for her dream?" She asked him. Naruto considered what she was saying.

"There is too much I have to accomplish. I can't die yet; not until I gain the respect I desire. I have to grow stronger. I can't protect the people I care about as I am now; I am not worth anything." The woman smiled sadly. "You have someone important to you, and you don't know why. Here's something you should learn: Naruto, even your enemies have someone they want to protect. The world isn't black and white."

Naruto had no idea what she was talking about.

Naruto couldn't help but put up his guard. Something wasn't right; this woman in front of him wasn't who she seemed to be. What she was clearly doing was deception. Naruto got up, preparing to take a fighting stance to protect himself, but nothing happened. She did nothing, which confused him. He didn't want to believe it: why would she come all the way here if she wasn't here to fight or to kill him?"You are learning something; there's something wrong with this woman, assuming that's what she is. Deception is a weapon that ninja use in their arsenal." Kyubi said, advising Naruto to see through this woman's deception. The woman had a sad look on her face.

"It's quite a shame that we couldn't be friends. Had we met under different circumstances, we could have been friends."

Why was she sad if she was his enemy?"

My name is Haku. I figured it's only right that I reveal my name to you since I know your name. You and I aren't much different. We have people we want to protect who are important to us. Hinata, your sensei, she's your friend, isn't she?"

He kept his guard up.

"Telling by your face, you didn't tell me she's someone really important to you more than your friend or even a sensei. You haven't realized it yet, haven't you? You are in love with this woman; aren't you? That's why you want to be strong. That's why you want to be acknowledged. You don't want her to acknowledge you as a ninja; you want her to acknowledge you as a man because right now she only sees you as a boy."

Naruto understood how Haku understands what he feels and his goals. He never said anything.

"You have something worth fighting for, Naruto-san. Let's test each other's resolve in the upcoming battle. I'm sorry; I really do wish we would have met under different circumstances."

Before she left, she said one last thing: "By the way, I'm a man."

Naruto couldn't help but almost fall on his back in disbelief. "Deception is a key component of being a Shinobi. You would have known this if you were paying attention," Kyubi said scoldingly.

Naruto then realized something: his team were scheduled to watch over their client that day."Oh, shit! I'm late! I have to go now!" Naruto hurried to reach his destination, pushing Haku's thoughts to the back of his mind.

Zabuza was dressed for battle Haku got into his battle gear today would be the final day this assignment would be over and they wouldn't have to deal with Goto anymore. He wore a sleeveless black shirt and matching pants, complete with a waist-guard, and yet again, Kirigakure's striped wrist and leg-warmers.

Haku wasn't too far behind him on the bridge. The very thing that was a thorn in Gōto's side, he didn't care either way; he just wanted to get paid. The men were unaware of Zabuza and Haku as they cut them down. It wouldn't be long before his target—along with Hinata and her team—showed up. He eagerly waited for the rematch. He was going to make her pay for what she had done in the previous encounter and regret not ending his life when she had the chance.

"I don't know about you, but this place gives me the creeps."

Naruto cannot help but voice his thoughts aloud.

"For once, I agree with you." Said Kagome. "To think that Madara Uchiha once set foot here; it's surreal."

Sasuke couldn't help but say that even he was amazed by this place.

"I just want to be out of here." Naruto said, trying to hide his discomfort. "Soon the Chunin exams are coming. I don't know about you, but I want to be prepared."

"The Chunin exams I agree; it would definitely be helpful if I were promoted. It would make things a lot easier."

Naruto can't help but notice something beneath Kagome's exterior. Perhaps there's a lot more to her than he initially thought, but he didn't want to ask because he didn't want to intrude.

"You're starting to notice things that ordinary people wouldn't notice because they only look at what's on the surface." Said Kyuubi, impressed with Naruto's observation skills. "I don't know why I didn't notice it before?" Naruto said, kicking himself. "It's because of your experiences that you're able to have those skills. It's not something you can gain unless you have empathy and compassion for others." He answered. It made sense to Naruto before he couldn't indulge in his thoughts any further. He saw Hinata approach the group. Naruto couldn't put his finger on it, but he could tell she was distraught.

"Our mission is done, we're heading home," Hinata said without any emotion. Whatever was troubling Hinata made her want to leave the village as soon as possible. Before the party could leave, the man they escorted was looking at Naruto. "You're not like I expected, Naruto Uzumaki." Toneri said to him. "I don't know what that's supposed to mean," Naruto said to him, confused. "You'll learn in time; you should head home." He had no idea what that was about; he followed his team. They were coming back from where they had come. He couldn't help but feel like something was disturbing Hinata.

He would give anything to bring a smile to her face, for her to laugh the sadness in her eyes. The more he spends time with her, the more he notices these things.

"Are you okay, Sensei?"

Naruto asked Hinata with concern.

"We should head home," she said, not answering his question.

He felt so powerless he wanted to help her, why did he care so much? He couldn't do anything; he was just a boy, and that frustrated him the most. He wished he could grow up and become strong so he could bring a smile to her face instead of the forced, fake smile she uses to hide her pain.

Kagome couldn't stand the awkward silence; it had been four days since they started the journey home, traversing the landscape took even more time getting back than getting in. She wasn't complaining; the mission was easy, but she felt something was off. Her sensei was quiet, like she had a lot on her mind. She Made sure the coast was clear and opened the pendant that contains the image of her mother holding her as a baby alongside her father, who passed away six years ago on a mission. She misses her father; the rare instance where she shows emotion, she allows tears to fall. Her father was killed by a missing nin. The person who did it was a traitor to the village. She looked at her sword, the only thing she has left of her father. She vowed if she ever finds the man that murdered him, she would kill him.

"So you do have emotions" she was startled and saw that it was none other than Sasuke. "You will not tell anyone about this." She said with barely controlled anger. "I have no interest; I'm just curious. You are so mysterious compared to the rest of the students in our class. Next to nothing is known about you. Your last name is nothing special. I can't help but be curious." She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to have this discussion.

"Do you have a point, Uchiha, or are you trying to piss me off?" She said, dropping any pretense of respect. "I mean no disrespect; I mean things don't add up; you get dropped from the program only to be added back in because of your talent; don't you find that a little suspicious?" She didn't care if she told Sasuke she didn't care she tries to convince herself to hide the pain of loss of someone important to her that died recently. If someone had to die for her to have another chance, Her mother needed her no matter how awful the reality is that was the truth. "I really don't care," she said dismissively.

"You're not a good liar," Sasuke said, not buying what she was saying.

"Let's just say that I do have my reasons for wanting to be a ninja just like you do. What business is that of yours?" Sasuke answered immediately.

"You're right; it's none of my business anymore than what my reasoning is, but you're not going to get very far on our team if you're not at least willing to be a little honest with me and Naruto. I won't bother you for the rest of the night." Sasuke left Kagome alone with her thoughts.

The return journey was uneventful. Not much was said; Hinata bid her team farewell and went to the Hokage office, reporting the success of the mission. "I take it your mission went well?" Hiruzen asked her. "It did go well, but I do have a question if you don't mind me asking."

"If you were wondering if I knew the true purpose of the mission, yes I did know"Hinata felt furious. Why couldn't he be honest? "How many times do I have to tell people that the clan has nothing to do with me?"the man signed in disappointment."I won't ask why your relationship with your clan is like it is and I won't ask because that would be pushing boundaries I don't want to cross. You got to be careful Hinata, you're openly being disdainful towards your own clan, reminding people too much of Itachi"she flinched when she heard that name."I'm nothing like that scum,"Hinata said contemptuously.

"I know you're not you got to be careful. There are those that will use you for their own ends if you're not careful and you know who I'm talking about."Hinata knew exactly what he was talking about."I know I don't want to kill my clan you have to know that but, I prefer not to talk about my issues with my own clan because that is between me and my clan that has nothing to do with my duties to the village"Hinata said respectfully regardless of their disagreements she holds Hiruzen with high esteem due to him being one of the first people to believe in her and her dream.

"Your relationship with your clan does affect what you do for your village. The Hyuga clan are part of the village, and what you do with your clan affects your duties to the village as well; you cannot separate the two. Whatever issues you have with your clan, you will have to resolve them sooner or later. Your clan will make or break your chances of being the Hokage."

She couldn't stand that she had to depend on her damn clan to enact change.

"This is the reason why I want to be Hokage: those who want to be in leadership positions that support the Hokage should be able to do so on their own merit, not their connections to their clan, nor their connections to whatever family they're born into."

She felt like she was preaching to the choir when talking to the Hokage about her goal.

"I understand that, but I'm pointing out the reality: when you're the Hokage, everyone becomes your family, including your clan. Though we aren't here to discuss this, I'm actually assigning your team on another mission."

She was given a dossier on the next mission; it was a C-rank. What she also read was that there were other people coming on the mission from other teams. Why were there two teams besides hers on a C-rank mission? Before she could ask that question, two more of her colleagues entered the room. It was two of her colleagues who had just come back from their own missions.

Kurenai and Asuma said nothing and entered the room. They then formed a Jonin in formation along with Hinata, which is expected from those of their rank when they're being briefed on a mission. The Hokage spoke in a military-like manner.

"Kurenai, Asuma, and Hinata, your teams are assigned to go help the village of Sapphire in the Northeast on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning."

Hinata tensed; she wanted to be as far away from the Land of Lightning as possible and certainly nowhere near the country and people who murdered her mother. She didn't voice her opposition; she couldn't; she had to take the mission for the sake of her team.

"Hokage-sama, surely you don't need to send us on a mission like this unless there's another reason?" asked Kurenai, who was as perplexed as Hinata.

"Truth be told, we are short on manpower, and this mission is at least a B rank. You and your students are the best qualified for this mission." It made sense to Hinata, but it still made her feel uncomfortable going on a mission this dangerous so soon. She put her thoughts about her failure in the Land of Waves down to the deepest depths of her mind.

"To answer your question, why I'm sending three teams there was a disaster that recently struck at the Sapphire village. We don't know who's behind it or what's behind it. Whether it's a national disaster or some nefarious party involved, there will be two missions here: the Genin will help the people in the Sapphire village, in whatever ways they can. While you Asuma and Kurenai will investigate the cause. The reason I'm giving you three this mission in case the perpetrators attempt to finish whatever they started or they try to do other nefarious things, you will be given the A-rank mission, while your students will be given the C-rank that is agreeable, isn't it?" asked the Hokage. Hinata couldn't argue against it.

"When do you need us to depart?" asked Asuma, who didn't look like he was any more enthused about going on this mission than she was. The Hokage answered, "No later than tomorrow; sorry if it's under a short notice, but we're understaffed." He did a dismissive gesture to signal that this was the end of their briefing. They headed out of the Hokage office.

Nothing was said until Kurenai spoke, "I heard what happened in the Land of Waves. I'm sorry."

Hinata said nothing and allowed her friend to continue. "It never gets easier. Death and failure are always possibilities in this line of work. I've lost students too. Don't let what happened in the Land of Waves destroy you. Hinata, I know you're strong." She appreciated her words, but she couldn't find any comfort in them.

"Someone with a bright future ahead of her had her life cut short because I made a bad call." Asuma interjected. "If anyone's at fault, it's those damn instructors at the academy. They should have enforced discipline. They should have taught our students to properly learn survival skills and what to do in life-and-death situations. People like Sakura would still be alive, or at least have a higher chance of surviving. It's not your fault, Hinata. That could have happened to any of us." He said kindly. She knew they were both right, but it didn't make her feel better; it made her angrier at the incompetence of the civilian council, their control over any decision, them getting in the way of getting anything meaningful done, and that damn snake, Donzo, being one of the leading charges for every bad decision made by them.

"See you tomorrow Hinata, don't get into any trouble, okay." Kurenai And Asuma bid her farewell and left Hinata alone. She couldn't go back to her apartment. She went to the one place and always brought her comfort even as a child, the place that Kushina used to take her when she babysat her as a child. She sat down and looked at the sky. She remembered counting the stars the child with her idol she told her everything about the stars, what they were represented, and she treasured those memories.

When she thinks about those times, her second mother used to sing to her, play with her, and tell her stories. She loved her very much. Kushina was like a second mother; she misses her even to this day. When she was a child, she was a constant source of strength and reassurance.

She feels like a disappointment, and how she had fallen. She's completely short; she couldn't bear the thought of what Kushina would think of her, and how much of a disappointment she is.

She feels like she can do more for Naruto, who deserves better. She wants to do more for him, but she's scared of getting too close. That vision of Naruto becoming a monster for her.

"It's because I love you; I'll do everything and anything for you, even killing my own humanity - that's how precious you are to me."

In the vision, she was afraid of it becoming real. She feared that if he loved her too much, he would turn into a monster.

"Naruto is a boy, and I'm a 19-year-old woman. I won't fall in love with him he is a child." She said to herself, trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

Sasuke made sure to pay a visit to his parents' graves, he didn't visit as often as he used to; he felt compelled to after the mission to the Land of the Moon. The place that he was at was a memorial for the Uchiha clan; he felt his clan deserved more than a memorial; they deserved to be avenged for the deaths that were caused by a traitor. He didn't even want to mention his name. He associated his brother's name with everything that he had lost trust in people, family - nobody can possibly understand what it's like to look up to someone and love them greatly, only for them to betray you.

So many of the people that he remembered seeing every day prior to the massacre, he could still see them in his mind; he couldn't bear the thought of forgetting about them. So many people died, and for what; so his brother could test his capacity? He lit an incense at the memorial and did a prayer; once proud, the clan had been reduced to only one member left: Sasuke, as far as he was concerned, didn't see his brother as part of the clan he had forsaken that right when he killed everyone.

He wanted not only to restore the clan but also to avenge them so that their souls could finally rest. He remembers the night vividly, when he came home from school and heard screaming. He saw the dead bodies of men, women, and children—even infants were not spared. Blood was everywhere; he remembers the gore, the severed limbs, and the headless torso. He threw up and was worse of all, he saw his parents' dead bodies. His father had decapitated his mother in a pool of her own blood.

He can never forget the images, no matter how much the images give him nightmares, to forget about what happened would be dishonorable to the victims. He reads every single name of every person who died; he recites their names every night before going to sleep in order not to forget. Some might call it an obsession, but he doesn't care. The main thing he lives for is to avenge his clan and restore its honor by killing the traitor who dishonored the clan's name. Only he can do it; only he can kill Itachi.

"I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I wasn't strong enough, but I promise I will avenge you and everyone who died. I will bring justice. I will bring back honor to our clan. I miss you. I wish you were here."

Sasuke said in rare instances where he cried. He never did it unless he was alone. He renewed his vows every time he visited the memorial, however many missions he was assigned, no matter what training regimen was given to him, and from whomever he learned, he would take everything they gave him and destroy the murderer and butcher who he will not name.

Naruto couldn't sleep. He went to his usual spot when he had trouble sleeping. When he arrived, he noticed it was occupied. He saw Hinata, who was looking at the moon. She wasn't wearing her jacket. Before he could move or say anything, Hinata turned around and noticed he was there. "I'm sorry, sensei. I didn't know you would be here." Naruto apologized. "This place doesn't belong to anyone. I just come here when I need to be alone and can't sleep." She confessed. "I come here when I can't sleep too, and when I'm upset. I didn't think someone else would have gone here." Naruto admitted. "I've been here many times. This place has always brought me peace. I never told anyone that there were only two other people who knew about this place."

"I hope I'm not being intrusive, but do you know of anyone else who knows about this place?" Naruto asked her.

"She was my role model, and I guess you could say she was like a second mother to me. I miss her to this very day; there isn't one day I don't miss her. I miss her cooking; you remind me of her in a way."

Naruto didn't know what to think of that. "She must have been a really good person if you look up to her so much."

Naruto couldn't help but point out, "You would have loved her; and she would have loved you." He couldn't help but notice a tear in her eye.

"I wish I had known my parents, I really wish"Naruto didn't know why he felt comfortable telling Hinata this, but she was one of the first people other than Iruka not to treat him as a monster. Continuing, "I wouldn't know the first thing about what it's like to be loved by a mother or even a father. The closest thing I have is Iruka, who would be more like an older brother and old man who would probably be a grandfather. The people who work at Ichiraku are the closest thing I would have to a father and a sister, but I really don't know what it's like."Hinata looked at him in understanding.

"Family is more than blood to Naruto. There are people who can have even stronger family connections with those who are not blood relatives. The friends I have are the closest thing I have to family. I'm closer to them than I am with even my own family from my experience. Naruto, you don't need to have someone that's related to you to think of them as a mother or a father or a sister."

"I'm jealous of everyone who had parents and siblings. It would have been nice rather than growing up alone"Naruto rarely shows vulnerability to anyone, but for some reason Hinata is the one he feels comfortable enough to show his true self. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I was being insensitive. I didn't mean to."Naruto shakes his head, not wanting her to think she did anything wrong.

"It's not your fault, Sensei."

Hinata didn't let him elaborate.

"Naruto, I should know better. You've grown up in pretty bad conditions, living in the worst kind of place in Konoha. I've seen your apartment; you deserve better than being shunned by the village. And it makes me so angry."

Naruto didn't know what to think. Could he trust her with his secret? Iruka accepts him, but he doesn't treat Naruto with unconditional respect and compassion like Hinata does.

"Whatever you tell her or don't tell her is up to you, but sooner or later she'll find out." The fox advised. Naruto knew he was taking a huge risk. He didn't know if he could trust the rest of his team, but Hinata, he had to believe that she wouldn't be judgmental. "Hinata-sensei, there's something I want to tell you. Can you please not tell anyone if I tell you?" Naruto asked her.

"Of course, Naruto. I'm your teacher. I'm all ears; you don't have to hide anything from me. I won't judge you." Hinata said kindly to him. Naruto took a deep breath. "Are you familiar with what happened with the Kyūbi 13 years ago?" Naruto asked her. Hinata remembered that night like it was yesterday. She was at the compound, holding her newborn sister, when she saw the attack that claimed many lives, including the woman she looked up to and the man she respected. She remembered when she placed her hand on Kushina's stomach when she was pregnant with Naruto and felt a kick.

Her second mother figure joked that she would end up being his babysitter and probably have in a different life. "We were told the Kyūbi was destroyed because the Fourth Hokage and his wife had both perished. What did it have to do with him?" Hinata asked him. She saw a look of fear in his eyes. She knew without him saying anything, she could guess why he didn't have any friends. His treatment was harsh. "I'm so sorry" Hinata said, hugging Naruto. She knew this was not what she was supposed to do, but the pain of being hated for something that wasn't his fault made her cry.

"Why are you crying, Hinata-sensei?" Naruto asked, confused. "Because 13 years of being treated as a monster and you didn't do anything wrong. What kind of people would treat a child like that? You didn't deserve to go through what you went through; if anything, you're a damn hero. You could have given in to your hatred and become the very monster they saw you as. What you didn't tell me is that you're a hero. You have protected this village for 13 years. Do you have any idea what that means, Naruto? You have a strength of character and a determination to never give up. Those who judge you for something that isn't your fault don't deserve you. This village doesn't deserve you." Hinata said sincerely.

"Thank you, this is a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. You are kind Hinata-sensei. I don't care what anyone says; your kindness and gentle nature are your strengths, not your weaknesses. Anyone who thinks otherwise is foolish. I don't deserve to have someone as good as you as my sensei or a friend."

They were silent. Hinata knew it was running late. "Let me take you home now. It's getting late, and we have a mission the next day."

She picked him up as if she were picking up a child and quickly took him home. She normally wouldn't be able to do it because of his weight; he was sound asleep by the time she got to his apartment. She laid him on his bed. When she was about to leave, she felt him hanging onto her hand.

She didn't want to wake him up, so she gently removed her hand from his. She looked at his sleeping face and reminded herself that the vision she had in the village wasn't real.

The anger that she had she had over the revelations that she had learned. she will confront the Hokage first thing Tomorrow why she was not given the information that she was entitled to when she was promoted.

she would not fail Kushina Naruto would have better living accommodations even if she has to provide him with ever herself she will never let him live in an awful apartment if she has the power to make his life better.

She laid down in her bed, setting her alarm early in the morning. There, she would confront the Hokage about his negligence.

Kagome got the money from the mission and headed straight home. She opened the door and was greeted by her mother, a woman in her early fifties with black hair with gray on the side and brown eyes. Wearing a gray dress with an apron on, she could smell food, which she was obviously cooking. She was happy that she got home just in time to experience her mother's cooking.

She moved from her spot and hugged her."I'm glad you've come home safely,"her mother said worryingly."I'm okay Mom, I brought some money so we should be good for at least the next month or so"she handed over all the money her mother reluctantly took."When you were dropped from the program I was relieved because I didn't want you to go on those missions but, Then I heard you were put back on and put on a team. I'm worried I can't help but be worried."her mother worried a lot she was never cut out to be a ninja; she was dropped from the program during the second great ninja war due to her not being suited for combat.

"You worry too much, Mom," Kagome said, embarrassed.

"I worry because you're my daughter. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't worry?" Her mother asked her.

"I'm home now; I'll be going on another mission tomorrow." She said, feeling sad that she has to leave right when she just got home.

"Oh, so soon," her mother said, disappointed that she was leaving so soon, then quickly changed her demeanor to a smile.

"Come sit down. Dinner is almost ready, and I won't have my daughter go to sleep hungry. I'll make sure to make you something before you leave tomorrow." She sat down, and when her mother was done cooking, she gave her dinner. Most would consider what she was eating not much, but to her, she appreciated everything she had.

She had no least favorite food due to times being hard and forced to eat what they had. It's how things always were for her; it was at the small moments that she felt the most at peace. Most children of ninja don't appreciate their parents, especially those whose civilian parents are not ninja. She couldn't understand why ninja who have civilian parents don't have a relationship with their families; family is the most precious thing to her. "Did you at least make any friends on your new team?" her mother asked. "I'm not in it to make friends; my only goal is to provide for us." She answered harsher than she intended. "I'm sorry, mother. I didn't mean it." Her mother gently silenced her, knowing she didn't mean it. "I understand you remind me of my Sister. She was a lot like you when she was your age." Kagome rarely hears about her aunt who has been dead for 13 years. "What was she like?" Kagome asked her mother.

"She was a kind and gentle soul. She cared greatly for others, her friends and her family. There wasn't a single soul that didn't love her. When she died it hurt all of us. She was my younger sister yet there were times where she felt like she was the older sister. The way her mother talked about her aunt was sorrowful; she barely talked about her due to how much she missed her.

"I wish I had known her, what little you've told me, she sounds like an amazing person." The woman smiled sadly. "She would have loved you, Kagome. You're a lot like her; even though you hide it, you are kind and gentle like she was. I really wish you would open up and make friends. Please don't sacrifice your youth for me. You deserve to enjoy it."

They ate in silence, and she bid her mother good night before going to sleep, preparing for tomorrow's mission.

Hiruzen was sorting out paperwork approving and denying requests and was doing preparations for the upcoming Chunin exams. He was looking at other things as well such as complaints and requests before he could do anything else he heard a knock on the door and he knew who it was without even looking at him. "What are you doing here Donzo? I know you're not here to have a casual chat or to say hello"he said trying to hide his hostility."my contacts I've heard you're sending the Uchiha and that thing on another mission along with that inexperienced woman that got one of her students killed"he knew he was referring to Hinata without him saying her name. "Anyone could have made that mistake on that mission Hinata is no exception to this"he said defending her.

"Oh, yes, she's Hokage material! A woman and Hyuga who can't even complete one mission without losing one of her students, whose idea was it to make her Jonin?" Danzo said challengingly.

"Last time I checked, I'm the Hokage. I make the decisions. I make the rules that she went through the same process as everyone else to get promoted to Jonin. If anything, her record has proven time and time again that she is responsible and is far more qualified than most of your candidates." Hiruzen said rebuking his obvious prejudice.

"A Hyuga like her should never have been promoted. The stuck-up, arrogant members of that clan don't deserve anything. It has nothing to do with her being a woman; it's all about her ability. She'll be far more useful if she does what her clan tells her: get married and produce an heir. That's what her purpose is, not a foolish dream of being Hokage."

Danzo knows how to push his buttons. "Are you here to waste my time, Danzo, or do you have a point to this?" He was getting sick and tired of dealing with this conversation; he had a lot of work to do today, and having to deal with one of his political rivals wasn't how he wanted to spend his day.

"We have a chance to have a foothold in the Sapphire village, but instead, you're sending our valuable assets on a charity mission."

Danzo said this with disgust. "So your answer than is to annex a sovereign country? when they've been independent for centuries, just like the Luna village? you hardliners have been pushing to annex territories and make them part of the Land of Fire. I want no part in that, not even Lord's Second was an imperialist warhawk like you."

Hiruzen was enraged; he didn't want to deal with him anymore. He wished she could simply liquidate Danzo along with the civilian Council and the Council Elders.

Before they could argue any further, he heard a bang on the door, and when it opened, he saw Hinata, who looked extremely angry. Then, he looked at Donzo, who was smirking as if he knew Hinata was coming.

Hinata was angry, she saw two people, Donzo and Hiruzen. "Do you need something Hinata?" Asked Hiruzen, surprised to see her back so soon. "Yes I want to know why you never told me about what happened the night the Kyubi attacked our village. Why didn't you tell me that Kyubi was sealed inside Naruto? I had a right to know considering I'm a Jonin and he's my student,"Hinata said, trying her hardest not to lose control of her anger.

"We don't got time for this nonsense,"said Donzo, not happy that Hinata interrupted their talk."I'll make it quick,"she said, not showing Donzo any ounce of respect."This is not the time Hinata"she couldn't stand the way he was treating the situation with Naruto. "When is it time? Kushina San trusted you to take care of Naruto. Minato San wanted you to make sure he was treated as a hero and what did you do to honor their dying request? Nothing sure you may have helped pay Naruto's rent, but you have done the bare minimum. What about his well-being?"The lack of a response from him made her even angrier.

"We can talk about this at a later time, but we have more important things to discuss than the treatment of the Kyūbi." said Donzo with contempt.

"His name is Naruto. You son of a bitch! He's not some thing or some tool to be used. His name is Naruto, as his teacher and as his friend. And to honor Kushina-san, I'm going to make sure Naruto will never again experience what he has gone through for the past 13 years. That's what I'm here to tell you, and you can't stop me. I will do what you have failed to do." The old man had no way of defending himself.

"Are you just going to let this woman disrespect you? It's no wonder the elders look at you as weak and spineless."

Donzo said, enjoying what Hinata did in front of him. "Damn you, Donzo! You'll use anything to further your own ends. Get out of this office. The answer is no. I will not go by your recommendation. Not now, not ever." He looked at Hinata and smirked before leaving the office.

"I wish you wouldn't have done that now; you helped Danzo and he'll use what you did in order to justify positioning himself as the next Hokage. How can you be so impulsive and foolish, Hinata? You are better than this."

The way he was saying that rubbed Hinata the wrong way.

Oh, so we should just throw Naruto under the bus all for politics? I thought everyone was supposed to be family in this village.

Hinata said accusingly.

How dare you! Do you have any idea how hard it is to be the Hokage? The hard decisions that is required? You know you've been on missions where you had to make hard choices.

She wasn't going to allow him to weasel his way out of this one.

"You dishonor his parents; they've told you to take care of him to make sure he was okay when he grew up, but look what happened: the village treated him as a demon incarnate. We are lucky he didn't give in to his anger and rage and used the power of Kyubi to destroy us all. Naruto is a real hero, and his treatment dishonors Minato and Kushina's memory. Since I'm a Jonin, I will use whatever funds necessary to ensure Naruto no longer lives in that shit-hole of an apartment that he's been forced to live in for all these years. I'm taking responsibility. I will take my leave unless you have anything you would like to say before I go. I'm going to leave."

Hinata turned her back on the Hokage and headed straight to the gates.

Hiruzen put a pipe in his mouth, the stress of dealing with the affairs of the village and Hinata confronting him about his negligence; she wasn't wrong; he does wish she wouldn't have confronted him when Danzo was present. There was so much to deal with: sightings of Orochimaru, Danzo, and the civilian council wishing to keep Naruto confined like an animal in a cage. It took a lot not to leap across the room and strangle Danzo. He hated the man; he hated him for many years. The amount of support he was getting was disturbing to him; the dissatisfaction he was taking full advantage of it.

"You know that was going to happen sooner or later, Sensei, you should have told her sooner" said Jiraiya. He rarely sees his days and wonders what the reason is for being in Konoha. "Did you hear everything?" he asked his former student. "Pretty much. I'm not going to judge you for what you have done. I'm not here for that. I'm here for something that cannot be put off. Can we go somewhere where no one will be able to hear us?" asked Jiraiya.

"It must be something serious for you to be here without sending a message through a scroll"

Jiraiya had a grave look on his face. "There are spies everywhere. I cannot tell you this information without leaking to one of his loyal followers." Hiruzen knew exactly what he was referring to. "We shall discuss it at one of my secret homes with one of my toads. We can get there instantly by reverse summoning. It isn't too far."

He had a bad feeling. He didn't know why, but something about Donzo the way he smiled gave him a very bad feeling.

Sasuke made sure to get everything for the mission. He double-checked his pouch; it had everything he needed. All of his tools were there.

On his way to the gate, he ran into Naruto. "What's up, Sasuke?" Naruto shouted.

"Damn it, idiot! Can you not be so loud?" Sasuke said.

"Oh, sorry," Naruto apologized.

"Do you have any idea what this mission is about?" asked Naruto.

"I have no idea. I was told by our sensei that we have to be at the gates of Konoha first thing in the morning," Sasuke answered.

"I heard we're working with other teams. I hope they're not difficult to work with," Naruto said, not really looking forward to dealing with a certain someone.

When they were almost at the gate they met up with Kagome who was wearing a different set of attire. She had a gray tunic and she had her hair tied to a ponytail. Sasuke knew she was doing that to wear clothing that Drew less attention. She walked ahead of the group Sasuke didn't think too much of it. When they're at the gates their Sensei was there along with six others around their age. He recognized all of them from the boy that wore a gray jacket and had red markings on his cheek. He knew him as Kiba from the Inuzuka clan that had strong relationships with their dogs. They weren't pets for them but family friends companions.

The second was Shino who wore a gray jacket and hit his eyes with sunglasses he was of the Aburame clan which utilizes insects as Ninja tools Sasuke knew they weren't the kind of clan you would want to mess with and you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of any of their jitsus. They're one of the strongest clans in Konoha; they frequently get promoted in high positions because of their skills.

The last of their group was a girl, she was cold. She's the next in line to be the head of the Hyuga clan. She had long brown hair and the features of what is expected of the clan. In terms of grades, she was on the top 5. Her name was Hanabi; the younger sister of team 7's sensei. He looked at Hinata, who kept her distance. He was wondering why there was so much hostility? She wasn't even looking at her own sister. He couldn't help but notice that the girl was hurt that her sister was giving her the cold shoulder.

The other team he knew them quite well by reputation there family have been put on the same team for generations in the latest of them is their children.

The first among them was Shikimaru who was far more intelligent than he let on his grades weren't on the top 10 but Sasuke wasn't fooled he wasn't the kind of opponent you would want to underestimate and Sasuke knows he uses that to his advantage. Shikimaru was proof that grades don't mean anything substantial in the real world. The Nara clan has a jitsu that could freeze someone in place, usually members of their clan were usually the leaders of a respective team.

The second Choji he is from a clan where its members are mistakenly considered fat when they really are they have Pacific abilities that allow them to shed their weight in order to temporarily gain immense power but Sasuke had yet to see it the Akimichi clan were not very forthcoming about their secrets anymore than other clans He didn't know much personally about Choji except not to call him fat or bring attention to his weight.

The last of the trio was a blonde haired girl who had her hair tied to a ponytail who had green eyes he knew she was one of his fangirls or at least he thinks she is he doesn't know he doesn't pay attention the only thing he does know is her name and the clan that she's from. Ino Yamanaka was not someone to take lightly Sasuke heard of the mind transferred jitsu and wouldn't be surprised if she possessed it due do it being a signature technique from her clan their clan possessed other abilities and they were mostly used to support rather than to fight.

All the teams that were here specialized in something team 7 were mostly consisting of ninjutsu users. Team eight were more sensory types who were more useful during reconnaissance missions while team 10 are the most balance of the three the way they could do multiple types of missions at once at least that's what Sasuke gathered but what were they all doing here why were this many people here on a C-rank mission?

Kagome felt like she was being stared at by everyone she was used to; she was used to being disliked by her peers. What she saw though from Ino was outrage at her very presence. "Must be nice having Sakura's death pave the way for you to have a chance to be in the program once again". She knew this was being used to bait her. "I really don't care if you hate me or not. I have my own reasons for wanting to be a ninja. Unlike the person I replaced, I actually take my duties as a ninja seriously". This really angered Ino, but Kagome didn't care.

"You bitch, how can you be so insensitive? She was our friend!" She asked, outraged by the way she was acting. Truth be told, it was eating at her inside, but she couldn't show it to anyone. Nobody could possibly know.

"It's nothing personal. I have my own reasons for being a ninja. There's nothing noble or honorable about this life. You better get that through your thick skull if you don't want to end up like her." She was about to slap her when Hinata, who had gotten between them, said scoldingly, "You disgrace your sensei by acting in this manner."

Before she could do anything, Hinata looked straight at Kagome's eyes as if she were looking straight into her soul.

"Don't get all smug and arrogant Kagome. I was directing that comment at you."

She couldn't believe it. She was about to be assaulted, and she was taking that Ino side?"I didn't do anything wrong. I was simply pointing out." Hinata cut her off. "I will not have you make light of my student's death. She had a family; she had dreams of her own. I will not have you dishonor me or her by making light of it. You should be ashamed of yourself." Ino turned her back on her and went back to her team. Kagome was fuming with anger. "You will learn to work with your team and you will respect me. Or I will personally have you dropped from the program. Do I make myself clear, Kagome Takahashi?" She couldn't say anything. She couldn't afford to be dropped from the program. Her mother needed her.

She let her go and went to talk to her peers. Kagome couldn't help but feel awful; she was chastised in front of everyone. She felt so angry because Hinata was right, and Kagome, as much as she denies it, she does feel some form of guilt because if Sakura hadn't been killed, someone dear to her wouldn't have a chance to be a ninja. It would make matters worse. She couldn't dispute any of it. She hated this shinobi system. She hated that she even had to be a shinobi in the first place. Her dream she can't possibly even dream about anything or even pursue it because her mother needs her. She walked in formation with her team and Hinata briefed everyone about the mission.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but harbor a deep hatred in her heart for Hinata. If it hadn't been for Hinata, Sakura would still be alive. Her earlier reaction to Ino was her way of coping with Sakura's death. It was difficult for her to believe that her friend was gone. She buried this deep inside to the depths of her mind. Her focus was on completing the mission and returning home safely so her mother could be provided for.

"Before we head out for our mission, first, I'll give you a briefing." Hinata said to all the Genin present. She was given the okay by Kurenai and Asuma to continue. "We are all assigned to a mission to help the people of the Sapphire village. There, you will be on a separate mission. You will be helping the people of the village in any way that you can. We will be going on another mission to investigate the cause of the disaster. You are not to engage with anyone if they appear at any circumstances. Hide and do not draw unnecessary attention to yourselves." Everyone looked at Hinata and nodded.

"Since you will be on your own at some point in the mission, we will have to assign a leader to each team."

Hinata read the names of those who will lead. "For team 7, the leader will be Naruto Uzumaki."

Kagome didn't look pleased with Sasuke; it was difficult to read what his thoughts were. People would think she was making a mistake by not making Sasuke the leader, but because Naruto is able to think on his feet and plan to get the bells, he is the most qualified in her eyes, and she isn't going to back down if there are any objections. He is her student.

Next was Kurenai. "For my team, I choose Shino. Your calm and your ability to assess situations make you in my eyes the most qualified to lead." No one on the team objected; they all respected her. If only she could say the same about her team, only Naruto truly has her respect. She was almost the sensei of team 8, but she was placed on team 7 due to Kakashi turning down being a teacher to other students. He told her he prefers one-on-one over in groups. She was grateful she wasn't the teacher of team 8, having to deal with her sister was something she didn't want to deal with. She was not really on speaking terms with anyone from her clan. The way her sister was looking at her, Hinata couldn't do it. They were close once, and before their mother's death.

Asuma she knew immediately who he would choose it was obvious Shikamaru would be the one he would choose."Shikimaru you know the drill there's no need for me to say it"The lazy boy signed.

"I have a question: Hinata-sensei, who's the leader of your team?" asked Sasuke curiously, she couldn't answer the question and she felt stupid for not even thinking about that, but she didn't have time to indulge in her thoughts before. Asuma quickly interrupted. "Me and Kurenai have decided that Hinata will be our leader when it's time for our mission to start."

Asuma's interjection caught Hinata off guard; she couldn't show her surprise on her face because she had to appear strong in front of everyone.

Hinata changed her demeanor to a commanding one: "All right, everyone, move out!"

Hinata and all of her traveling companions started their journey to the Sapphire village.

Danzo was satisfied with how things turned out, riling up his rival and having Hinata show up at the most convenient time spying on Naruto had paid off. Everyone in the building heard Hinata's accusations. He learned in his life that in order to have true victory you have to be patient and take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. Hinata's protectiveness of Naruto and her care for him was useful. Making sure she didn't learn that Naruto had the Kyubi sealed inside of him also worked for his plans, everyone among her peers knowing about the Kyuubi but Hinata was useful to his plans the past 13 years Gambit had finally paid off.

He was staring down at one of his elite Abu. It was a woman her body was covered from head to toe. She wore black and wore a mask that resembled a demon Fox how ironic he thought to himself."do you know your mission?"Donzo asked, " The mask woman."make sure to do whatever is necessary to make sure Konoha benefits from relations with the Sapphire village and eliminate anyone that gets in the way of that mission."he nodded in approval."there is one other thing that I ordered you to do no matter what Naruto must survive and if Hinata must be eliminated make sure the enemy cannot recover the Byakugan."the woman got up and spoke emotionlessly."your will will be done"she left his hideout Donzo didn't care one way or the other if the mission failed as long as the land of lightning doesn't benefit.

He looks at the calendar and smiles evily "your days are numbered and this weakness that has plagued Konoha for too long will be destroyed soon our village will be reborn"he was anticipating the day where Hiruzen and his foolish ideology dies it would be soon very soon

A the Raikage of Kumogakure was enraged by the report that he was reading Konoha was sending their own Shinobi on their border the village of Sapphire which by rights belongs to the land of lightning the anger of Konoha infringing on their territory their hypocrisy regarding the third Hokage respecting Sapphire sovereignty would amuse him if he wasn't in a situation where the elders were demanding that he shows strength and not weakness. Ever since that debacle with the Hyuga clan 9 years earlier things were tense for the village. The Byakugan was something that was sought by his family for generations even before the five nations existed.

The best opportunity to acquire the Byakugan had long since passed; the girl they tried to kidnap was now a woman. Now he had another problem on his hands: not only did they sent their own Shinobi but they sent their own jinchūriki. Konoha is willing to use their own weapon in order to lay claim to what rightfully belongs to the land of lightning; he couldn't let this stand. Darui his right hand man, walked into his office with his own team that he gathered including Killer Bee.

The first of the men was Darui is a fairly tall, dark-skinned man in his early twenties with a slightly bulbous nose, black eyes that usually look bored, and shaggy, white hair which covers his left eye. He wears a high-collared, sleeveless uniform with loose fitting pants, bandages on his wrists and the one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket of a Kumogakure shinobi. He had a broad, foldable, cleaver-like sword, strapped to his back. Normally he doesn't have it on him unless he goes outside the village which he is doing on this mission that he's ordering him on.

The second was his adopted brother, Killer Bee, who he mainly calls "B" for short. He wears oval-shaped sunglasses and a white forehead protector. He also has his village's standard one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, and a long, red rope belt tied around his waist, the standard Kumo hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck. The trim on his flak jacket is white; he also carries six swords on his back. He thought it was overkill and unnecessary, but he wasn't going to voice his honest thoughts aloud to his adopted brother.

He couldn't take any chances even if the jinchūriki is a child whether he wants to admit it or not they are weapons he doesn't like to look at his brother that way but that's how it is in this world.

"Raikage-sama, what is it that you need us for?" asked Darui, who seemed not too interested in what he was assigning them to do. "You know why I summoned you here; those Konoha ninja think they can take what's rightfully ours and claim it as their own. I won't let this stand." He was on the verge of breaking the desk, his fist was leaning against it. "Maybe what the report says is true; maybe they're there to help. Would that be so bad?" asked Killer Bee.

"Konoha Shinobi cannot be trusted, they've been looking for an excuse to retaliate against us ever since the Hyuga incident. I want you to do what is necessary to make them leave" A dismissed everyone except Darui and killer Bee. "You are not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, do you two understand?"he looked specifically at killer bee his brother who had a really bad habit of not doing what he told him to.

"The individuals with Konoha are an Uchiha, not Itachi, the criminal with the Akatsuki but his little brother named Sasuke."

He didn't tell anyone how he got his information; he had informants in Konoha; that's how he kept tabs on what was happening in the village."

The second important person is Hinata Hyuga, who was recently promoted to Jonin."

Darui looked surprised; it wasn't common for women in Konoha to be promoted to Jonin in his village. He didn't care who was the most qualified; he felt it was foolish for Konoha to have such stupid traditions regarding women. Women, in his experience, can be just as capable of being deadly warriors deadlier even as men in some situations.

"What I've heard, Hinata is quite a beauty and rogue ninja fear when they hear her name; they call her the Lioness." said Darui; she was the last person he wanted to fight against; she wasn't a weak opponent; probably the strongest out of any of the ninja in their group; and she was only 19.

Who is the most important, and why do you need me, brother?" asked Killer B. He didn't want to send his brother out, not against a child, but he couldn't take any chances, especially if the child was capable of using his tailed beast. "The last person is Naruto Uzumaki, the son of Minato and Kushina." They both looked shocked; the Fourth Hokage's son, along with possibly the strongest woman Konoha has ever had, other than Tsunade. The Bloody Habanero was more feared in some villages than even the Yellow Flash. If their son is anything like them, he is a dangerous enemy that should be eliminated before he could become a danger.

"Why is the boy named Uzumaki, and not after his father?" His right-hand man asked him. "I don't know; it's probably a tradition among the Uzumaki clan, or maybe the simpler reason is that they did it to protect the boy because of the number of enemies his father made in his lifetime. It hasn't stopped me from obtaining information through my contacts; however, they've been less frequent lately because how many of them have been unwilling to feed us any more information due to how frequently they've been killed." Both men absorbed everything he said; he was glad he didn't have to repeat it.

"You will take your team and drive those Shinobi out of the Sapphire village by any means necessary."

It wasn't a request; it was a command, and they knew it. They left his office. It'd be so much easier if he could go out and take care of it himself. But those days are over. The days when he could go on the battlefield as the leader of an entire nation required more than brute strength. He believes in his Shinobi. He believes they will succeed somehow. He would not allow those Konoha upstarts to claim territory that rightly belongs to the Land of Lightning.

Darui walked alongside his peers, each leading a team of Genin. One of them was a man named C.

C is a man in his early twenties with dark eyes and short, blond hair which he wears parted in the front. He wears the standard attire of the Kumo-nin: a sleeveless, black shirt with a one-strap-over-one-shoulder white flak jacket, black forehead protector, characteristic black, elbow-length arm-guards, and the red and white Kumogakure shin-guards along with a pair of sandals

"So we're being sent to deal with some brats from Konoha and their Jonin. The nerve of these Konoha dogs!" C said contemptuously. C hated Konoha and its Shinobi with a passion. Darui didn't have any strong feelings one way or the other about them; he figured they're just like his people, following orders. "Those damn Konoha Shinobi have some nerve!" said Karui, angry that they were even near their borders.

"C if we're going to do anything about them we need to have a cool head" Samui, his older sister said scoldingly. She was the oldest of the group; a woman in her mid-20s, tall, fair-skinned with a curvaceous figure who generally wore a stoic, aloof expression on her face. She had blue eyes and straight, shoulder-length blonde hair cut in an asymmetrical bob style. She wore a very low-cut outfit that displayed her sizable cleavage, with mesh armor underneath, a short skirt, and red hand guards. Her boots were high, and she wore a modified Kumogakure flak jacket that covered her stomach only, similar to a girdle.

Karui is what most would call a hot-headed she is a dark-skinned kunoichi with long spiky red hair and amber eyes. She is flat-chested. She wears a long, short-sleeved dress with frilly edges, complete with a Kumogakure flak jacket, two simple yellow earrings, fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots with white soles, and a forehead protector which she wears like a bandana. She also carries a long sword on her back.

"We should seriously be cautious those konoha Ninja should not be underestimated," said Omoi cautiously. Unlike Karui he does not let things get to him easily.

Omoi is a young, dark-skinned Kumo-nin with short, spiky, white hair and dark eyes accentuated with eyelashes curving upwards from the corners. He wears a dark outfit consisting of an overlong shirt with a hood, with red bandage hand guards, Kumogakure shin guards, and a black forehead protector along with a Kumogakure flak jacket. He is always seen with a thoughtful expression, as though always in deep contemplation and sucking on a lollipop. He also carries a long sword on his back.

"Fuck that Konaha dog! Most of them are just a bunch of brats." Karui said, brushing off Omoi's words of caution. "This is the reason why you will never get a boyfriend." Omoi said, pushing her buttons. "What are you just saying?" She got in his face and grabbed him by the collar. "I said you will never get a boyfriend. Not only are you hot-tempered, but I don't think any guy would be interested in someone with your personality, especially since you're flat-chested." He felt her punch him in the jaw.

'You shouldn't be fighting amongst yourselves; we're friends, right?' said Killer Bee, and they both stopped turning away. "Yeah, Killer Bee is right; save your anger for the enemy." Darui added. It was Genin vs Genin. He thought it was a pain; he didn't really want to do it, but he had his orders. "As you all know, there are ninjas coming to our borders in the Land of Sapphire. We are to intercept them." Moments later, he paused and looked at the Genin before continuing. "Me, C, and Samui have a different mission; we will be intercepting the Jonin. You will do whatever is necessary to complete your mission; Killer Bee will lead you. All of them looked excited killer Bee was popular with the Genin.

"I can't believe I'll be fighting alongside B senpai" said a dark-skinned girl with short black hair, her eyes were blue. She was taller than the other girls for her age. She was around 15, some questioned why she wasn't promoted yet. Some say she's overdue for a promotion due to her skills.

"Emiko gave it a rest". She said, "I don't feel that way about him; you idiot! I think he's so cool, and I would love for him to acknowledge my swordsmanship skills." She had six swords on her back, and she was inspired by her mentor, Killer Bee. How did she manage to build six swords? No one knows, but her swordsmanship is unmatched by a girl of her age. She was stronger than many of the adults. He was still wondering why she still hadn't been promoted.

"Okay, that's enough B. You know what to do with your team. Let's head out, and whatever you do, don't engage with the Konoha Jonin under any circumstances. Now let's head out."

They are in the rocky region near the border of the land of fire and the land of lightning. The group had been traveling for days with little rest. Everyone looked exhausted, so she ordered them to rest for the night.

She had a lot to think about. There was a lot on her plate: being a leader of her own team and entrusting Naruto with hers. There was a lot at stake. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around and saw Kurenai. "You should get some sleep, Hinata." Her friend advised. "It's hard to go to sleep when I close my eyes. I hear her scream, her dying scream, and her head tumbling from her body. She blames me for her death. I can't sleep; it's so difficult to sleep since" Hinata couldn't elaborate anymore. Ever since her death, she's been having nightmares and some versions have her entire team dying in the Land of Waves, except her. Some versions also have her having dreams of all of her teammates dying, including those who will be under her command. She has barely slept.

"What happened was not your fault Hinata any one of us could have made that mistake"Hinata knew she meant well but she couldn't be convinced it wasn't her fault."you understand as well as I do every mistake we make even more responsibility is placed on us because we're women. Men that make the same mistake would not get this scrutiny. Every mistake I make is treated more harshly but, that's not the reason why I don't feel comfort by anything you say. It was my first mission and I failed her. What if I get my other students killed? What if I get some of yours killed or you or"before Hinata can finish what she was saying Kurenai interjected.

"I know exactly what you're going through Hinata. I've been through the same thing you will get through this. I know you can because you are stronger than you know your students can feel it that you're under distress. You can't appear weak in front of them. I know it's a difficult thing for you to hear Hinata. There will be other mistakes you will make in the future, other choices that will not make you friends with certain people. Difficult choices and impossible choices is what it is to be the Hokage everyday that we're on missions we have to make choices that are nearly impossible to make."

Kurenai told her the truth, even though it was a difficult truth for her to accept. It's not "her not being friends with certain people" that haunts her; it's her failure. She remembers something a friend told her, and she remembers a conversation she once had with a former friend of hers.

5 years ago one day before the Uchiha clan massacre

Hinata was training while she was waiting for a friend, someone important to her who she never told anyone about her relationship with Itachi Uchiha. They were really close in the academy. She was Itachi's first friend. The 14-year-old Hinata who had grown her hair out, she tied it into a ponytail. Every training regimen that she was using was taught to her by Itachi and his best friend Shisui. It was not encouraged for Uchiha's and Hyuga's to train together or be friends.

She was tired. She lay down, then she sent a presence and looked; it was none other than Itachi Uchiha. "Itachi-kun, I didn't think you would make it." The raven-haired boy smiled warmly at her. "I can never break my promise to you, Hinata. You're one of the few people that I can never lie to; he always looks sad every time he says that.

"It's sad I can't help but feel sad, you're a good person, you deserve more friends, you deserve someone better than me" She looked down at the ground, ashamed. "What's wrong?" he asked her. "I failed my team; they died because of me." She recalls the last mission she went on, where she was the leader and all of her teammates died. She hasn't been able to sleep since. "I've lost teammates too, Hinata. You can't let it destroy you. You wish to be the Hokage someday, the choices will only get even more difficult."

Itachi was speaking from experience. Itachi continued, "Hinata: Both of us want to be the Hokage; it's not the kind of job for everyone. Hard choices will have to be made, and you will inevitably lose friends and make enemies. It's not the kind of job everyone wants." Hinata: He was right, but she still couldn't help but feel like it was her fault.

"Maybe if I wasn't so weak, I'd just change who I am. I'm too soft-hearted. I keep being told this, I keep telling them I'm not fit to be a Shinobi; they should even bother with my dream. I have to change, I have to prove them wrong. I have to"

Itachi placed his hand on her shoulder. "What makes you who you are? Hinata is your greatest strength: your gentle and kind nature. That is what this village needs. You will be a better Hokage than I will ever be. You're the kindest person I've ever known." Itachi turned his back on her as he looked in the direction of the Uchiha clan compound.

"Don't ever change who you are. Kindness and gentleness are strengths, not weaknesses."

He looked at Hinata as if he wanted to tell her something, but couldn't.

"Don't give up on your dreams, no matter what."

She could help but see a sadness in his eyes.

"Hinata, can I ask you an honest question?" asked Itachi.

"Of course, Itachi Kun asked"It took a bit of time before Itachi gathered his thoughts and asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Can you imagine loving someone and knowing that you have to do something painful in order to protect them, and the choice wasn't a choice at all?"Hinata didn't understand what he was getting at.

"Can you imagine having two choices in front of you: one condemns you and your soul, while the other condemns another soul. No matter what choice you make, it's wrong, but there's a worse one. Do you think condemning your soul to protect someone you love is wrong?"Itachi asked her; it was scaring her what he was saying and what he was implying.

"I don't know what I would do to protect those I love, to protect you, Itachi-kun." She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"You're joining Root, you shouldn't; you will only destroy your soul." Itachi said to her.

"I do it because someone has to drench their soul in blood, better me than you." Hinata said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you, Itachi-kun. I would kill for you. I would become a weapon for you. That's why I plan to join Root. I could become stronger." She said with conviction.

"I love you too, Hinata. Please reconsider."Itachi bagged.

"I don't go back on my word it's my ninja way."said Hinata she couldn't tell what Itachi was thinking.

"Then I have no choice."Itachi said to himself.

"what do you mean Itachi Kun?"ask Hinata concerned.

"You said you'd do anything to protect the ones you love, right? I'll do the same. I'll protect you and Sasuke by any means necessary. No matter what happens, even if you hate me with all your heart, I will always love you, Hinata. Always." He said this with a sad smile. Hinata didn't understand what he meant by that.

He walked away, and this would be the last time she saw Itachi as someone she loved. The next time she saw him, he would be her enemy.

Hinata didn't know why she thought about Itachi; she hadn't thought about him in 5 years. The hate and betrayal she felt in her heart when he betrayed everyone and killed his clan. She didn't want to think about the confrontation she had with him the night of the massacre.

"Are you alright, Hinata? You were spacing out just now." asked Kurenai. "I'm fine. What you told me reminds me of something a former friend once told me." The woman understood exactly what she meant. It was no secret that she and Itachi were extremely close. She brushed those thoughts aside. Whatever feelings she may have had for him were gone. She had to focus on the present. "I'll keep watch. Go get some sleep. You're not going to do me or Asuma any good if you aren't fully rested." She didn't want to argue with her friend. She left and laid down. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The next day

Naruto was walking beside his team. He felt extremely nervous about being the team leader of team 7 Sasuke he could deal with but Kagome was another issue altogether. They barely could stand being in each other's presence but, he knew if he had any chance of ever becoming Hokage someday he'd have to learn to work with others even with people he doesn't like. Most of the people that he was around he barely recognized any of them. He kept his distance though one of them he couldn't help but notice a resemblance between her and his sensei. Hanabi Hyuga.

He disregarded the thought when they entered the village of sapphire, they weren't kidding; the name was literal. He had to almost cover his eyes due to the brightness of the sun shining on the village. This village should be rich considering the minerals, but why aren't the lightning village or the land of fire claiming this village? They could literally be wealthy. "It's called the Sapphire village mostly because in the ancient past all the infrastructure was built with literal Sapphire in order to mine for Sapphire, you would have to destroy what is considered a holy site, and neither the land of fire nor the land of lightning are dumb enough to start a war over minerals that can't be an abstracted." said Kyubi, annoyed that he had to explain what seemed obvious to him.

What Naruto saw was a statue that looked like Hinata. She looked exactly like her, except for the difference of having a tiara and a crown on her head. He saw villagers swarming around his sensei. Hinata looked confused. "Oh my God! Our goddess has returned! The prophecy foretold of the return of Kanna Hyuga, who will liberate us all from the tyranny of the Lightning Village!"

Naruto was confused. There was an elderly man who seemed to be in a trance.

"Hear me, our goddess has returned. Repent for your sins; otherwise, she will destroy you for all your sins you have committed. Repent now! Repent now!"

Naruto thought this old man was crazy.

"Our goddess has returned. Please, I will offer you anything here. You could come to my home."

A woman who looked like she was around the age of 20 said, "What is going on? Why are they treating Hinata-sensei like she's some sort of goddess?"

Naruto asked Kyubi, "You'll find out soon enough."

Naruto was irritated that he wasn't given an answer.

"You damn worshipers go away, this woman's obviously not Kanna" said a bald man on his 70s. His skin was brown and he looked like a man in his 70s. "Forgive me the resemblance to you and Kanna is almost impossible to ignore. You look like her twin. What is your name, young lady?" the man asked politely. "I'm Hinata Hyuga. I was sent here along with everyone else here to help with relief efforts." Hinata answered in a detached manner.

"I'm sure you can discuss the details of your mission with me. What about your students?"

He said, pointing to Naruto and his group, "They'll be helping your village with anything that's within their power. We have a different mission which we will discuss with you in private."

Naruto didn't like being left out of the loop, but there was nothing he could do about it. Hinata and her colleagues left Naruto and his group to themselves.

"So, what are your orders, leader?" asked Kagome. "Do whatever you can for the villagers; help them in any way you can. Sasuke, go with Kagome and help her. I'll be going to assist other villagers in any way I can using my Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Naruto did a hand sign and created 20 Shadow clones, dispersing throughout the village.

"What a convenient jutsu that is," said a brown-haired girl sarcastically. "With my shadow clones, it makes things a lot easier to scout around the village. I'll know everything that needs to be done before we know it." As if on cue, the clones dispersed, and Naruto learned everything about the village—what needs to be done. "Team 8, you'll be needed on the east side of the village." Then he looked at team 10. "You'll be needed on the south side of the village." Then he looked at himself. "Sasuke is with Kagome, which is at the north part of the village."

He created Shadow clones to help in the West. Everyone did as Naruto told them and headed out to do what they had been sent here to do.

Kagome thought this village was strange, everything was made of sapphire. How did a land like this exist? All the buildings were made of literal sapphire, even the statue of a woman that looked like her sensei. What was this place? She asked around for any information and how she could help. She was not given anything. Sasuke wasn't having much luck either. She walked to a nearby building which looked like it was abandoned. She went inside. It was dark; she couldn't see. She felt someone grab her and she screamed when she turned around. She saw it was Sasuke and it did it.

"You asshole you could have warned me," she said, punching him.

"It's not my fault you're scaredy-cat." Sasuke said teasingly. "Fuck you!" she replied back.

"Wow, touchy today, aren't we?" Sasuke said mockingly.

"Has anyone told you you're an ass?" Sasuke ignored her comment and replied.

"It's your own fault for not being prepared. Have you forgotten basic lessons in the Academy not to go inside a dark place unless you have something to light it up?" Sasuke asked, assuming she didn't know.

"Don't insult my intelligence; it's not my fault I'm too poor to have everything that's required." She then realized she had revealed too much.

"Oh"Sasuke realized he had made a mistake"I don't want your pity"Sasuke was taken aback."I didn't mean any offense"she wanted to punch him, that arrogant prick."Whatever, give me one of your torches and make yourself useful"she ordered; he handed one of his torches; she lit it and went inside the building. Sasuke wasn't too far behind her.

The building she was inside looked like it had been abandoned for years. She wondered why.

Sasuke ordered her to stop moving the torch.

She saw what looked like a story of the rise and fall of civilization.

"This must be the ancient homeland of the Hyuga Clan. But something strange I see: the Byakugan and the Sharingan. That can't be right."

Sasuke said this out loud in disbelief.

"Why does it matter?" she asked, but he ignored her. She couldn't help but be fascinated even though she didn't care about the history. She was told that a picture could speak a thousand words, but these ruins she was looking at were over a thousand years old.

"You two should get out of here; this is a sacred sight." She almost dropped the torch when she saw a woman who looked like she was around the age of 40. "We're not doing anything to desecrate it; I was just investigating." She was cut off.

"This sacred site is not to be trespassed by order of our goddess Kanna; especially by an ordinary human like you. Only her descendants are allowed here; you don't have that privilege." She was getting into a fighting stance; there was no way she would attack a bunch of kids, right?

"I'm an Uchiha; don't I have a right to know about the origin of my own clan?"

Sasuke asked the woman.

"Only a descendant of Kanna is allowed to walk in these grounds." She was determined to kick them both out.

Sasuke was pissed off that this was a holy site for his clan, the origin of the Uchiha clan. He never thought he would find it in this village and he was being denied what should be his by right. "How can I prove that I'm a descendant?" asked Sasuke. "You don't have any proof that you are a descendant and there is no proof that you carry her blood; you are a descendant of Madara, the traitor who stabbed our goddess in the back after she offered him friendship and love. Get out of this holy sight before I make you a 'Dark One.'" Sasuke was tempted to get into a fighting stance, but he couldn't afford to get into any unnecessary fights.

"Fine"

Sasuke and Kagome left together.

Sasuke took one last look at the woman, and for what he saw, he knew she was ready to kill both of them to make them get out.

When they both got out, when they were completely out of earshot, Sasuke spoke out loud.

"This has to be the first place of the Uchiha clan; there's no mistake. It's no wonder Konoha wants a claim to this land." He spoke out loud. Kagome chimed in.

"This would also be the birthplace of the Hyuga clan too; don't forget that." She reminded him. He didn't need to be reminded; everything he was told seemed like a lie. "There's no way the Hyuga clan doesn't know this." Sasuke said. He was angry just how much about his clan was lost thanks to his brothers betrayal?

"Your clan probably knew as well, but we can't ask any living Uchiha other than that butcher whether it's true or not." He twitched at the very mention of his brother, but he appreciated Kagome not mentioning his name. "Can that explain why our sensei was treated like a goddess? Who is this Kanna Hyuga?" Sasuke wanted to know as well. Just who is this mysterious woman, and what is the history between this village and Kanna Hyuga?

Perhaps his mother and father knew about this village and its history, but he can't ask them now because they're dead. If he ever has a chance, he would get answers, even if he would have to force them out of Itachi about the origin of the sapphire village and how it relates to the Uchiha and Hyuga clan.

The mysterious woman, who resembles his sensei Kanna, just whom was she? Why has he never heard of her before? More knowledge is lost. His father likely knew about her, and the only other people that would know are the elders of the Hyuga clan. And they're not going to give him any information about her anytime soon.

Hinata, Kurenai, and Asuma walked until the edge of the village. What Hinata saw shocked her as she looked around. She saw what looked like a landslide hit the Sapphire village. How many people had been killed? She got closer to the site and she inspected it when the man was with them. He waited patiently as she investigated it; she activated her Byakugan. She saw traces of a jutsu being used. Someone had purposely caused this landslide, but why? "About a week ago a landslide devastated our village and killed hundreds of our people. I'm hoping that you three can find out the cause?" The old man said to the group. Hinata got up and looked at the old man and asked him a question. "Do you know where someone might have used a technique to cause a landslide?" She asked him, wanting to know more information and hoping because of her eyes to know if the man was lying or not.

"There's only one place I can think of, but that would mean entering the land of lightning and that could cause us problems." The man cautioned. She knew it could potentially cause a problem, but she couldn't get to the bottom of it. She couldn't investigate. "We will have to investigate the place; it could have happened in that direction." Hinata pointed East, where the landslide came from. "That could be dangerous, Hinata." Asuma advised against an action of going to the east in the land of lightning. She knew he was giving her good advice, but there was no other way of investigating what truly happened. "We have to investigate it. We can't do it right now because the sun hasn't set yet. We are better off doing it at night when we have the cover of darkness." He looked at her teammates who didn't like the idea that she was suggesting one bit.

"If we're not careful, we can trigger a war. That's the last thing we need." Kurenai said, concerned.

"I don't like it either, but Hinata is right. We have to find out what happened, and we aren't going to find out unless we go to the scene of the crime." Asuma said, defending Hinata's decision. "Nothing I say will sway you. Come to my home tonight. There's much we need to discuss before nightfall." They followed the old man to the edge of the village, where his home resided. He opened the door to allow them to come in. It wasn't a big place; it was only big enough for a few people.

Everyone sat cross-legged. The man poured tea that he had brewed in all of their cups. Hinata made sure it wasn't poisoned. Before she took a sip, the man started speaking. "I'm pretty sure you have questions about what happened earlier. I will answer them the best I can." She really did want to know why they looked at her like she was a goddess and who was Kanna Hyuga? "I still can't get over how much you look like her, but you're not her. Your voice is different and your mannerisms are different, and you don't wear a tiara on your forehead." A member of her clan hasn't worn a tiara for centuries; why was that significant?

" Kanna Hyuga the queen of the Hyuga clan is the most powerful woman that has ever lived. No member of your clan even comes close to her power; there was only two people that can compare to her: Hashirama and Madara. The kind of power that she possessed was that of a god I was almost terrified when I first saw you because of the resemblance there is no mistake about it you are her descendant"Hinata didn't know how to react to that there was no way there is no historical records of Kanna ever having children her looking like her has to be a coincidence.

"no evidence of her having children I look like her it's nothing more than a coincidence because she never had any children, according to historical records of the Hyuga clan."

The old man laughed as if what she said was ridiculous.

"You actually believe that? I was alive at the time of Madara, Hashirama, and Kannabi when I was a little boy. I remember the look on her face when she obliterated all of her enemies and the people of my village looked up to her like she was the reincarnation of a goddess. There were statues built in her honor; the ones you saw when you entered this village. When I was alive, she was a woman who ruled this village for two centuries, and her appearance didn't change; she was far older than anyone who lived in the village. It was almost as if she was an immortal goddess, nobody knew her true age; she had not appeared for over seventy years, and nobody knows why when you came, they assumed you were her."

The man was shaken, looking at Hinata, she resembled someone who was a terror.

"There's no way she could have lived for over two centuries without aging. It's just not possible. I don't care how powerful she was. But there's no power within our clan that stops us from aging."

"She didn't age a day, she looked the same as she did when my great-grandfather was a boy. I can only trust what my eyes saw. Girl, the Byakugan Queen lived centuries. She looked around the same age as you do now. Surely your clan has records of her being alive for centuries. There hasn't been a queen of your clan since Kanna. has there?" The old man asked.

She had no time for this nonsense, she spoke calmly but sharply.

"My clan doesn't have a Byakugan Queen; it's a myth just like the Byakugan princess." The man looked at her; she couldn't read his expression. "You are wrong, girl. You may reject who you are, but you are the Byakugan princess." She didn't want to debate this; this was not her mission. "I'm not going to debate this. I'm not here to debate what I am, I'm on a mission and I'm going to complete it. Now, tell me, is there anything you would like to add that would assist us on our mission?" The man looked like he had nothing more to say. She finished drinking the tea, and her team got up to bid him farewell, but not before he said one last thing.

"When you have a chance, you should visit the holy site that tells about the history of your clan. Since you are her descendant by right, you have a right to enter. Don't throw away such an opportunity to learn about your heritage!"

She didn't care about her heritage; the only thing she cared about was the mission. She didn't acknowledge what he said and walked away. She's going to meet with her team along with all the others and inform them about their mission.

Hanabi looked at her sister. It was so difficult to be so close to her, but she felt so far. Hinata didn't even acknowledge her existence; she looked at everyone but her before she spoke. "Our mission has gotten more complicated. Me and your sensei's are going to investigate in the East outside the village where the landslide came from. We are entering the territory of the Land of Lightning. If you don't hear from us by tomorrow, you are to return to Konoha. Do you understand me?"

Hinata said looking at everyone in the group but then when she looked at her, she felt like Hinata was looking straight into her soul.

"We understand," said Naruto with hesitation. "Whatever you do, don't engage with the enemy unless you absolutely have to. Don't take unnecessary risks. This is an order from your senseis. Don't argue with me." "Do not engage the enemy unless you absolutely have to." This disgusted Hanabi. These did not sound like the words of a Hyuga; they sounded more like those of a coward. "So we're just going to run away like cowards? Whatever happened to your pride as a Hyuga?" Hinata looked at her coldly and spoke in the same manner that she looked.

"We're on a mission and dying for pride is for fools. Your so-called pride is meaningless. When you're dead, you will follow orders or I will make sure to report to the Hokage how your pride endangered your team. Do I make myself clear, Hanabi?"

This was the only thing that she had to say to her after all these years; she couldn't do what her father asked and stay calm and emotionless.

"Is that all you have to say to me after all these years?" Hanabi shouted at her sister.

"You can't say anything, can you? Because you know I'm right, I will never follow your orders; you're not my sensei."

Everyone was shocked: the normally calm and collected Hanabi was shouting at Hinata. Nobody knew they were sisters. Hinata walked slowly and slapped her hard across the face. "This isn't the Hyuga compound, girl. Nor is it the academy. This is the real world. These are life-and-death situations. You disgrace your sensei by acting the way you do."

Another lecture Hanabi continued.

"You act all high and mighty, you act like you're better than everyone else from our clan but you're no different from them, you're exactly like them. How dare you! You've barely spoken to me in 9 years. Everyone didn't want to get between the two of them. 'We're on a mission. Whatever grievances you have with me, we will handle it after the mission is over.' Hinata turned her back on her. No, she wasn't going to allow it.

"No, we'll discuss this now; you'll just ignore me again, just like you always do." She looked at her. "If I indulge in this, will you do as I tell you?" Hinata asked her coldly. "Yes," Hanabi answered. "Leave us now; all of you. This is between me and Hanabi." Everyone dispersed.

It was a few minutes before Hanabi spoke, "I shouldn't have to wait for a mission to speak to each other, sister." Hanabi said in a softer tone. "We have nothing to discuss; your father made it clear how he feels about me. You are his ideal daughter. What else do we have to discuss? Other than blood, we have nothing in common." That hurt Hanabi, hearing that. "All I want is my sister back. All I want is for us to be a family again. Is that so wrong?" She felt tears fall through her eyes. She didn't care if she appeared weak; she wanted her sister back. She missed being close to her. ever since she had left the compound 8 years ago and barely spoken.

"You want your sister back? The week and meek girl that your father hated? He always praised you and always said that's my daughter. Do you want me to go back to that sister? I Will never be that girl again, I will never be in your Shadow. I will never again be compared to you,"Hinata said with venom."do you hate me that much Hinata?"Hanabi asked her honestly.

"What has happened to your sister? When I look at you, you're the very thing that you hate. You remind me too much like father and elders of the clan. You're hateful and vindictive; do you hate me, sister? Can you at least be honest with me?" She asked Hinata.

"We have a mission; this is not the time or place for family matters." Hinata said coldly.

When is it the time, sister? Every time I try to talk to you, every time I try to get you to speak to me, you brush me off like I'm some sort of annoying pest. She didn't care about the mission; all she wanted was her sister to talk to her again.

"We are ninja, and personal feelings or grievances don't come before the mission." Hinata said, ignoring her question.

"You're just like him, you're just like your father, you care about nothing but duty, you care about nothing but the mission. How are you any different from him? How are you any different from those stuck-up good-for-nothing elders who are cold and detached just like them?" Hanabi said angrily.

Hinata had no response, so she turned her back on them.

"Focus on the mission; that's all that matters." She said in a detached tone. She walked away from her."

She wanted her sister again, the family when she looks at her sister now she's a stranger. Someone that is no different from her father, the cold and vindictive man Hanabi has grown to hate.

Naruto couldn't help but notice tension between Hanabi and Hinata when Hinata returned she looked upset."speak to her Naruto it's important what's going on between the two sisters she needs an outside perspective since you never grew up with siblings your perspective would be needed " Kyubi advised."should I really get involved in their business?"Naruto asked him." whether you do with my advice is completely up to you kit but I would advise you do not ignore this to do so would be a serious mistake" Kyubi had a point although how can he approach her without being angry with him?

He noticed Hinata was alone; he had to choose his words carefully. "Do you want to talk about it?" Naruto asked her.

"No", she answered sharply. "Why not? Isn't she your sister?" Naruto said on the verge of losing his patience.

"You wouldn't understand," she said dismissively. "Then make me understand, Hinata-sensei. I don't have siblings; I never have. I just can't fathom how someone can treat their own sibling in the way you treated your sister. Haven't you considered how she feels?"

"What do you know, Naruto?" Hinata said, raising her voice but immediately regretting it. "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting you never grew up with a family that was insensitive of me."

Hinata said apologetically.

"I want to understand Hinata sensei. I really do, I don't pretend to understand what goes on with your clan, but would it really hurt to simply talk to your sister and not as a Shinobi but as family?" Naruto asked her.

"It should have been you who died," her father told her right after her mother's death. Hinata cried at the memory it hurt more than any physical beating she ever received. It hurt more than anything she had ever heard. She ran away when she heard her father say that she never even bothered turning back.

"You don't know what it's like to have someone who's supposed to be your father wish you would have died. Those words hurt more than any physical hit he could have ever given me that would have been preferable than hearing that"

She couldn't anymore it the day her mother died and the aftermath was the most painful day of her life.

"I'm sorry for reminding you of such painful memories. I just don't think it's fair to blame Hanabi for that."

Naruto is right, and it was painful to admit it. Hanabi was right; she was becoming the very thing she hated. She was once told by Itachi that her greatest strength was her kind and gentle nature. She hated that part of herself and did everything in her power after the Uchiha clan tragedy to destroy every aspect of that part of herself. She couldn't do it because she was inconsistent; the only person she acted like her true self was Itachi and Naruto. She had almost forgotten what she wanted to do besides being the Hokage. She wanted to be like her mother, but she really had fallen that far that she became a lot like her father. Has she come that vindictive?

"You are weak and pathetic. You are a fool to trust me. You were a fool to love me. I can end your life if I wanted to, but you're not worth killing. You are weak and pathetic. You were never suited to be a ninja. You were never suited to be Hokage. You were never suited to be a member of the Root. You are a weak spoiled brat."

Itachi said to her 5 years ago.

Had she really changed that much since that night? She almost doesn't recognize the kind of person she has become. What was she? She had forgotten what she had truly desired outside of her dream of being the Hokage. She doesn't remember spending five years with a deep-seated hatred for Itachi, her inability to trust people, and an even longer hatred for her father.

"You are just like me. One day, you will see the truth. Hinata. On how weak and pathetic your clan truly is. Until you figure out that truth, I will spare your pathetic life. Live like the coward you are."Itachi said to her as he beat her to the inch of her life.

How far has she fallen? Then she thinks of the one person she wants to protect above all. At least she can fulfill a promise she made to Kushina. That's all that matters. Nothing else matters, not even her dreams.

"Make sure that everyone follows your orders, Naruto. I entrust everyone's safety to you."

She walked past him, ashamed of herself. She couldn't resolve anything about her sister. Not now! There was too much at stake. The mission had to come first.

Hanabi was alone; she didn't want to be in anyone's presence. She heard footsteps and saw it was none other than Kagome, who was considered the "bitch" of team 7. "Why are you here?" Hanabi asked, demandingly. "She has no idea what she's throwing away, and it pisses me off." The girl said to her sympathetically. "I didn't think you would be on my side." Hanabi said, surprised. "Just because she's my Sensei doesn't mean I'm going to lick her boots. I can't stand people that don't appreciate what they have." The brown-eyed girl, sympathizing with her, wasn't something she would expect.

"Family is what is most important to me. I cannot stand people who don't appreciate the family they have. I don't pretend to know what happened between you and your sister, but it makes me angry to see her treat you the way she did. You didn't deserve that." She said empathetically. "You know you're not as much of a bitch as you act. These eyes don't fool anyone; you're not as much of a bitch as you come across." The girl blushed at the compliment. "Please don't tell anyone; it would ruin my reputation." They both laughed.

"Thank you, Kagome-san. I hear what you said means a lot to me more than you know. Everyone thinks I'm just cold, just like the rest of my clan, but I'm not like that. I just want to make my father proud and I want my sister back. I have all this pressure just to succeed. My father doesn't think I'm capable of it." She didn't know why she was being so open with Kagome of all people. The girl listened. "I'm just doing what I can. I know that someone is on your side, regardless of how this turns out with you and your sister." It felt good for Hanabi to know someone was at least supporting her.

"We should get back to our teams. We don't want our team leaders getting upset because we were late, right?"

Kagome got up but not before Hanabi spoke the last word.

"If it's not too much to ask, I wouldn't mind. I mean, it's stupid, and I'm even asking her."

Kagome looked at her curiously.

"What is it?"

She had to say it now or never.

"You mind if we can do this again when there's no one else around?"

She wanted to say something else but she didn't have the courage to; she was discouraged for being friends with people who are considered of lower class status, but she didn't care—someone like her understands her more than anyone from her clan. It'd be nice to be able to talk to someone who isn't part of a clan for once.

"Sure, I'd love that," Kagome answered without saying anything more; they went their separate ways. She went back to her team; Shino looked at her curiously, wondering why it took her so long.

"We should stay focused on the mission, Hanabi. Whatever your feelings towards your sister, resolve it after the mission." Shino said matter-of-factly. "I know that I don't need a lecture," despite how she came off. She didn't hate her teammate; she just didn't want to hear another lecture. "Come on, man. You gotta understand how important family is." Kiba defended her. "Regardless if it interferes with our mission or endangers us all, our focus should always be on the mission first. Everything else is secondary."

"I know what we have to do for our damn mission. Do you think I don't know that stop treating me like I'm a child," Hanabi said angrily. "I'm only pointing this out because it could endanger our mission. Do not forget that every action we take could endanger everyone around us, including our teammates." She wanted to punch him; she already knew this. "Can you please just lay it off?" said Kiba, annoyed. "It's okay, Kiba. Let's just focus on the mission that's assigned to us." Hanabi said, wanting to drop it. They looked at each other and they both agreed.

Hanabi wasn't going to give up; she was going to try again and this time she would get her sister to listen to her and not dismiss her concerns. She didn't know if she'd ever have another chance like this again, and she couldn't waste it in the village. Her clan wouldn't let her talk to her outside the village; she was outside their jurisdiction, so they couldn't tell her what to do. She was going to make her talk, even if she had to force the issue. Resolved to do what she set out to do, she followed her teammates and, for now, focused on the mission. She put whatever issues she had with her sister on the back burner.

She couldn't get what her sister or Naruto said out of her mind. She wanted to prove them both wrong. She felt disappointed in herself, she felt like she failed somehow that she lost Naruto's respect. Her anger over her father's words and her resentment towards his favoritism towards Hanabi. Kurenai knew Hinata was troubled. "Are you all right?" Kurenai asked. "Am I a bad person, Kurenai?" Hinata asked the older woman thought for a second before she voiced her thoughts.

"No, I don't think you're a bad person,"her friend answered."I don't know how to talk to her for almost a decade. I wanted to avoid anything that has anything to do with my clan, especially my father,"she reluctantly said. "She talks about you a lot, Hinata. She's proud of you, proud that you have come so far but is sad that you're not really part of her life or her family."She did not know that Hanabi cared that much."Do I really deserve that admiration considering how I've been acting?"hearing that she was just like the people of her clan, the way she was acting the cold demeanor, the way she presented herself she wanted to be the ideal Shinobi.

"Hearing somebody tell you you are the very thing that you hate is not an easy thing to hear. I know from experience"

Asuma said, thinking of his father and their rocky relationship.

"I don't know how to even talk to her" Asuma cut straight to the point, knowing that Hinata would be hearing what she didn't want to hear.

"The first thing you could do when this mission is over is simply talking to her. You're lucky to have family Hinata. There's a lot of orphans in this village, Naruto being one of them"

hearing Naruto's name made her feel even worse.

"I feel like I've lost Naruto's respect by the way I acted. Both of her friends looked at her like she said something funny. I highly doubt that you're the first person to treat Naruto with any respect other than Iruka. You're the first person to treat Naruto as a human being. I doubt a few mess-ups will have him not respect you or even admire you. Kurenai said to reassure her.

"Well, it's no secret that the boy has a crush on you after all."

Asuma said, smiling as if it were common knowledge.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hinata said dismissively.

Before they could elaborate, they got to their destination. Hinata knew they had to cut the chatter; she signaled for them to stop.

"We have to keep our guard up," Asuma advised. He took his weapons from his pouch in order to get into a fighting position, expecting a fight. She activated her Byakugan; she knew there were three chakra signatures nearby. She didn't want to fight, but she was willing to do so in order to find out what happened regarding the national disaster.

Emiko walked alongside her peers. They were close to the Sapphire village where B's group was. She was eager to see action. Her other teammates looked bored out of their minds; Emiko paid them no attention. "I can't believe the first time we're going to see some real action is finding a bunch of fresh academy students, what a waste of my skills" Karui said boredly. "What's the problem? This gives us a chance to fight alongside Killer Bee. This doesn't seem so bad to me," Omoi said, not really caring about fighting a bunch of Konoha ninjas who are essentially fresh from the academy.

"Beating a bunch of fresh meat from the academy is not my idea of a fun time," said one of the other Genin, a boy who was around the age of 14. "Well I heard Sasuke Uchiha should be a challenge" said a girl who was around the age of 16. "It matters not whether or not it gives me praise from B-senpai; that's all that matters to me." Said Emiko excitedly.

"You will praise anything that B does even if his rap is horrible. You never change Emiko"

a red-haired boy said annoyed. "Shut up what the hell do you know? His rap is amazing, you're just not cultured enough to appreciate it"

she said as she hit him on the head. "Now you pissed me off" the boy got up about to fight Emiko until B got between them "our enemy is Konoha not each other"

B said firmly. He turned away in annoyance. "When will we fight these damn ninja? I'm losing my patience."

Karui got up and paced around.

"All good things come to those who wait," Omoi said as he was eating his dinner.

"We will teach those Konoha ninjas not to come here again, oh." B said as he wrote that lyric down, but wasn't satisfied with how it came out. The Konoha genin have no idea what awaits them. Emiko smiled; she would be able to show off her skills soon. Who would be a worthy swordman to fight against her was another question entirely. Who was worthy? She hoped there was someone at least in the Konoha genin who could put up a fight. She couldn't wait for the sun to set. That's when their team would strike.

Darui knelt on one knee and pointed with his index finger in the direction where the disaster had occurred. Whoever caused the disaster used an "earth style" jutsu. What kind of earth-style ninja did this? It was almost as if whoever did this did it to frame the Land of Lightning, making it look like it was their fault in order to make it seem like they were the aggressors. He didn't like this one bit. It was much worse than what was reported.

"Whoever the damn bastard was, they covered their tracks well" C said disgusted that someone did something so dishonorable and destructive to civilians. That's what most of the people in the Land of Sapphire are like; they're not warriors. "There is no definitive proof, but Konoha must have been involved somehow. There's no way the Land of Earth would do this, even though they have many Earth-elemental ninjas." Samui couldn't help but point out that there was no way to dismiss the possibility.

"So what do we do, Darui? What are your orders?" C asked him anxiously, knowing he'd be encountering a Jonin, but something told him not to jump to conclusions about the true enemy showing themselves. "I say we hide in the shadows for now and wait for the enemy to reveal themselves." C didn't like the idea at all; he wanted to confront the Konoha Jonin head-on, but he couldn't go against his orders.

"I trust your judgment; there's a good reason why the Raikage entrusted you with this mission." Samui said to him calmly.

"It's a pain in the ass that we'll do a wait-and-see approach and only act if the enemy makes their move." Darui said reluctantly. He didn't want to do this plan, but he didn't want to have unnecessary hostilities between his nation and the Land of Fire. Something told him in his gut there was something more going on, and he wasn't going to make any hasty moves. His caution had helped him in the past, and it would help him now. "We'll disappear into the shadows and wait for the right moment to strike." His team nodded, and they had in the nearby rocks. The sun would be down soon, so the sun wouldn't shine on their skin. One way or another, he knew he would get to the bottom of what happened.

Naruto was on top of the highest building in order to see if any approaching enemies Sasuke and Kagome were helping him search around them. Naruto had a shadow clone cover the south side while he and Sasuke went east and west. Naruto covered the north himself. He couldn't help but feel like his Byakugan would come in handy in this situation, even though he didn't know why. "You can trust your enhanced senses for that; you're not wrong. There are enemies approaching. Be on your guard!" Kyubi advised.

He heard a girl jump, and she landed next to him. It was Hinata's younger sister Hanabi; her Byakugan was activated. She looked at all the signs that Naruto had assigned to his team. He noticed immediately what she saw on the west side. "There are enemies approaching," Hanabi said calmly. "Thank you for informing everyone to get ready for battle." The girl couldn't help but make a comment.

"You're not my team leader, but I'll relay the message to everyone." She vanished Sasuke and Kagome approached him." Looks like we're going to fight an enemy at last. I was getting bored doing these tedious watches." Kagome couldn't help but comment. "Whatever, hopefully it won't be too boring." Sasuke added.

"One of the enemies you will want to avoid you're not ready to fight another person who has a tailed beast inside of them."

Kyubi said, leaving no room for argument, and didn't know what he was talking about.

"I will do what I can to protect my teammates. I won't let anyone die. Believe it."

Naruto's team went into formation and they were ready for battle.

The masked woman looked at the site where the disaster had happened. Her mission was specifically to ensure that the land of lightning did not benefit, and that the current Hokage would not either. It didn't matter if the team sent succeeded; it was more important that Danzo's rival looked bad with his bad judgment. She saw the three ninja hiding, and they were so easy to dispatch. However, that was not her mission; her mission was to finish what the previous agent had started. She would wait until nightfall to complete the jutsu that would completely annihilate the Sapphire village and all of its residents in order to guarantee the mission ended in failure.

When she saw Hinata approach, she took out a scroll Dunzo had given her. It would cast a powerful genjutsu that would bring out past traumas onto the surface and amplify them. The woman's hatred for the people of the Land of Lightning would be brought to the surface and amplified. This was an extremely powerful technique; it would keep both parties busy long enough for Root's plans to succeed, regardless of the outcome. Danzo would have his victory.

"I'm disappointed I have to fight a kid I want to get this over with so I could focus on my real passion,"B said as he searched for the blonde-haired jinchuuriki. She had her eyes on the team with the fat kid, and her team was waiting for her orders.

"Go now, damn it! Let's beat these guys and get this boring mission over with." Karui saw the other Genin scatter; her team ran towards their opponents. She was eager to get this over with.

Choji was anxious when he was anxious. He usually snacked on something it was a bad habit of his whenever he was scared. He wasn't a coward, he didn't knew how to cope in any other way. He felt like a disappointment compared to his father. He was not brave and strong. "This mission is such a drag" said Shikamaru, annoyed. "Yeah, I can't wait to get this over with. I can't stand being in that girl's presence" said Ino who was sad about Sakura's passing and to how insensitive Kagome was to her passing.

"Did you hear that?" Asked Ino Shikamaru signaled for everyone to be quiet."There are enemies approaching, we better get in formation now."they did not argue the point they got in formation Choji looked and saw a dark-skinned redhead girl who had a sword on her back. Her teammates were two other boys who looked around the same age as her. "Do you got a plan Shikamaru?"Choji asked nervously."Of course I got a plan you take on the red-haired girl I will take on the silver haired one that seems to be the smartest of the group and Ino you use your ability to take out the dumb one"Shikamaru was very good at analyzing his opponents. Out of all the opponents, why did he have to fight a girl?

"What getting cold feet fatty?" the girl said insultingly. This pissed off Choji; if there's one thing you don't mention, it's his weight. "I'm not fat, I'm big-boned." He yelled. He did his hand signs. "Human Boulder!" He turned into a ball, which caught the girl off guard; she was barely able to dodge in time. He did another jutsu. He did a strong punch which the girl barely blocked with her sword. The sword was about to crack; she was surprised by his immense strength. "Out of all the fat people, have to fight, it has to be one with a clan that specializes in jutsus that burn calories. Great." Choji didn't listen; he just heard the word "fat" and got pissed off. He stretched his arm again. The girl dodged out of the way.

He didn't let anything slow him down; he wasn't going to let the girl get away. The girl took a stance and unleashed a lightning-style sword attack. "Lightning-style, lightning-sword strike" He ducked, knowing that if he was hit, he'd be cut to pieces. Despite the sword being cracked, it could still do damage. He wasn't like Shikamaru when it came to brains or Ino. He had to come up with a strategy on the spot: how could he counter a style he wasn't equipped to deal with? He couldn't think for too long or else he'd be cut to pieces

He decided to use one of the techniques he was going to use in the Chunin Exams. The girl looked horrified; she couldn't have blocked it, it was too fast for her. She used her sword to protect herself, but the sword shattered by the time he was done. He undid the technique and looked at the girl; she didn't look as injured as she could have been. He looked around him for any buildings he may have damaged; luckily, he hadn't.

His friends looked defeated already. Apparently Choji fought the toughest among them. The girl looked at Choji confused on why he didn't kill her. "Why won't you kill Konoha ninja?" the girl asked him, confused. "I have no reason to kill you. You were only doing your duty; you didn't harm anyone in this village, and I don't like killing people." The girl laughed like he was telling a joke. "You're a ninja and you're showing mercy. That's funny?" They were silent. "Why are you here?" Choji asked her. "Because you're infringing on our territory. We don't believe for a second you are here to do anything to help this village that you had a hand in harming in the first place." The idea that his country would do such a thing angered Choji.

"That's outrageous! My team is here, along with everyone else, to help the people. We're not here to make things worse for them." The girl looked confused. "That's not what I've heard." Choji had no idea what to say. "If we're both here to help and one party is guilty, then who was truly behind what happened here?" Choji asked himself.

Before he can indulge in his thoughts further, Shikimaru approached him and the defeated girl he looked Disturbed."What is it Shikamaru ?"asked Choji."Our mission has gotten far more complicated. We got inform the others quickly before it's too late" Choji did not like the sound of this at all.

"What is it why do you have that look on your face like something has gone wrong?"asked Choji."I don't got time to explain. Ino will relay the message to everyone about what happened. He didn't know why but he had a bad feeling like this mission was not going to turn out the way he expected it would.

"Stop fighting everyone, danger is intimate"Choji looked in the direction he was horrified same thing with the girl that he fought earlier whatever grievances they had meant nothing compared to the disaster that is vastly approaching

Sasuke saw a white haired boy. There were others but he went towards him. Sasuke was curious about this person he carried his sword on his back. Sasuke went towards his pouch and took out a kanai and got in a fighting position. He wasn't going to waste any time he knew this was not the kind of opponent that would attack impulsively. He had to be cautious."so this is the Uchiha. I'm not going to lie, I'm disappointed said Omoi not impressed.

"I wouldn't underestimate myself if I were my clan's reputation, which is well-earned."

The man still didn't look impressed with Sasuke, but spoke.

"Your clan mustn't be that impressive if it was wiped out by one person."

Sasuke was going to lose control; this was bait he couldn't let anyone make him lose control of his emotions; he couldn't lose focus.

The two combatants stood there, Sasuke was waiting for him to make the first move. Omoi was doing the same.

"Lightning Style: Thunderbolt Slash"

Sasuke's opponent took his sword from his back and slashed lightning, headed right at him. Sasuke did a somersault and took another tool from his pouch and did hand signs.

"Fire Style: Demon Phoenix Jutsu"

A barrage of shuriken's he nearly dodged all of them. Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to hit him but that wasn't the plan; he ran towards him. And kicked him in the gut he knocked his opponent over who jumped to keep his distance. He did it another jitsu.

"Lightning Release: After Image"

Sasuke felt like he was seeing multiple Omoi. He was moving at lightning speed; he was hit once, not twice. Sasuke couldn't keep all of them; it was like fighting five of them at once.

This opponent was far stronger than anyone he'd ever fought up to this point, not even Haku in the Land of Waves was this fast with the ice mirrors. Sasuke had to figure out how to defeat him. He didn't want to use his Sharingan so soon; it took up a lot of chakra. He wanted to use it only in situations that were necessary because he hadn't mastered it yet. There was no choice but to use it if he did, he would lose. He activated it, and the after-image made more sense; it was easier to find the real target. He waited for the right opportunity and when he was about to hit Sasuke again, Sasuke did a somersault kick and hit him at his face.

The terrain that Sasuke was in gave him a disadvantage if he were fighting in a forest, his jutsu at his arsenal would be far easier to utilize. He was not trained to fight an open terrain that was mostly stone. His opponent he couldn't use his techniques again because the sharingan. He was going to be a lot more cautious, but Sasuke couldn't let him come up with a plan of counter-attack. He had to beat him and he had to beat him quickly. His Sharingan wasn't complete; he has difficulty activating it at will. He has to win now.

He charged as fast as he could. He took another kunai from his pouch, dual wielding two knives. Charging at him like the wind and the night sky were propelling him, he tried to counter Sasuke's weapons with his sword. Sasuke pressed his attack, jumping as his opponent tried to counter. He did a lightning-style jutsu that hit Sasuke. He screamed in pain.

"It's a shame that your sensei wasn't Kakashi of the Sharingan. He could have taught you how to properly utilize your gift, but you're stuck with that woman instead. Doesn't that anger you?" Said Omoi, disappointed that he wasn't the opponent he was hoping for. Sasuke thought about Hinata. She wasn't the kind of sensei he would have chosen, but she isn't a bad teacher; she helps her students. Sasuke has seen benefits since she started teaching him. She may not be able to teach him the Sharingan, but no teacher can. That's something he has to learn on his own.

"My Sensei killed Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, she is called the Lioness; she is one of the strongest Shinobi of Konoha. I will not allow anyone to disrespect her, especially you, considering your village almost started a war in a failed kidnapping attempt on her nine years ago. His opponent didn't take the bait; trying to dig up the past won't rattle me. Up. I can see that your Sensei's reputation precedes her, and I will not comment about what our village tried to do to her. This is not what this is about. You have trespassed on what is rightfully our territory. You are responsible for what happened. Konoha ninja were responsible for the national disaster. He pointed at Sasuke accusingly.

"Enough talking! I'd rather settle this right here, right now."

Sasuke resumed his fighting stance; he didn't think he'd be able to last much longer. He had one more gambit at his disposal; could he really afford to use this move yet? No, he had to. He couldn't afford to die yet; too much depended on it. Before Sasuke could make his move, he heard a voice from Ino.

"Stop fighting everyone, danger is imminent." Both Sasuke and Omoi looked in horror at whatever was happening. Sasuke jumped into action, whatever grievances he may have against his former teammate at that moment didn't matter; a disaster was about to engulf Konoha, and it didn't matter who was friend or foe; the only thing they had in common was saving the people of Konoha. If Sasuke were to deal with his former teammate after they saved the village, he assumed they wouldn't fail.

Kagome has never been involved in a real battle before, so she has to be careful; otherwise, it could easily lead to her death, and she can't afford to die. Her mother depends on her, so she will do whatever is necessary to win, even if it involves dishonorable or underhanded tactics. Nothing is off the table. She looks at a girl with black hair who has a sword on her back. This gives her a chance to find an opponent who uses the same kind of weapon as she does. She takes her father's sword out of its sheath.

"So you're a swordsman too. This should be interesting. I wonder if your swordsmanship skills compare to mine. I was trained by Killer B himself. I would be disappointed if you were to be defeated so quickly. After all, it's not every day I get to test my skills against a Konoha ninja." Emiko was clearly older than Kagome and likely had more experience. She had to be careful of this opponent, who couldn't be underestimated.

"I wouldn't underestimate myself if I were you. I don't care who your teacher is. Unlike my peers, I don't care about things like honor because there is no such thing in this line of work."

She got into a fighting stance. The girl looked at her disappointed as if she was expecting someone like her as an opponent.

"You have no soul; that stance." This confused Kagome. Why would she say something so ridiculous?

Her opponent withdrew her sword from its scabbard; his sword was longer in length than Kagome's. He had greater reach, and from what she had gathered, her opponent had probably more experience and more arm strength at his disposal. He had come a long way since the academy; she wasn't the same girl anymore. She was way stronger.

"You better not underestimate me, it would be a big mistake," Emiko advised. The two said nothing. was waiting for her opponent to make the first move. Kagome noticed that her opponent was impatient she was going to make the first move. She wasn't disappointed as she made her first move she blocked what would have been a lethal blow. The clash was intense. She knew she couldn't match her opponent in upper body strength. She had one advantage over her but what Kagome had that was different was the ambush of surprise. She did a hand sign. "Water style: Water Blade" Another sword appeared on her other hand and she hit her opponent with it who was knocked back. It was not sharp like her metal blade but a sword made of water was deadly nevertheless. She didn't possess the ability to turn it into ice yet she didn't have that kind of mastery over the jutsu but had she done the ice variation her opponent would have been dead on the spot.

She knew it wouldn't kill her opponent. She got up and looked at her almost as if she were amused.

"Interesting Jutsu! You've got a weird style, but it's a shame you didn't train with it for a few years; you could have won this battle instantly."

She did her own hand sign and a lightning sword appeared in her other hand. This was bad; she knew she couldn't counter her lightning with water. She undid the jutsu. She made a fatal mistake. She ran in order to keep distance from her opponent, but her opponent was faster than she was. She did a hand sign, "Wind Style: Wind Barrier." The lightning blade dispersed immediately. She was fortunate; she managed to undo the jutsu on time. The girl looked impressed with her quick thinking.

Then she noticed the girl as if she had five extra hands and withdrew all of her swords and held them all like she had claws as blades."you didn't think these were just for show did you? Big mistake you should have known better than to underestimate me"the girl charged at her it wasn't just the additional blades that was different her speed if she wasn't careful she could be cut to pieces. She was not equipped to deal with a person with this kind of fighting style now there's always situations in this kind of life to expect the unexpected. She had to come up with a strategy and quick if she didn't want to go to an early grave.

She had to think what her instructor in the Abu told her when it came to encountering a more experienced swordsman than herself."always look for an opening in their technique, don't strike prematurely, always look for openings if you have to run"said Kakashi. She ran knowing that's what her mentor in the two months prior to ending up on her team told her to do. She ran the girl was not too far behind her.

She wasn't as good at this technique as Naruto, but it was the only way to get her some distance. "Shadow clone jutsu"; she created three Shadow clones and dispersed. She hid in one of the buildings she had a technique she could use, but if it missed, she could die. She was told by Kakashi never to use this technique unless there was no other choice. She hasn't mastered it yet, but it was dangerous because her opponent had lightning and it could be countered, but what choice did she have? She did all the hand signs and jabbed her sword to the ground and did a nature release. Her sword had wind and water properties for a short time; she would have faster swinging speed, but if it missed, it would be over.

The girl charged at her shadow clones, which served their purpose. This was it; she charged, cutting off her opponent's guard. She was about to defend herself, but then she heard a voice that caused both of them to stop. "Stop fighting! Danger is imminent!" said Ino.

Kagome looked and realized what was happening. Her opponent didn't need to say anything to know that there were bigger priorities than their battle. They put their swords away and, without thinking, jumped. She couldn't help but think that, if it hadn't been for Ino, she would have been killed. She lost, and the only reason she's alive is because of luck.

Hanabi was staring down at her opponent who is a redhead boy. There was nothing special about him in terms of his appearance; he was light skinned. He didn't waste any time in attacking her one thing she was taught during her training with her father, always end a fight as fast as possible. The gentle fist was the greatest taijutsu style in Konoha. She had to end this fight fast; she couldn't delay her teammates need her. Her opponent didn't give her any chance to come up with any counter-attacks he pressed on he attacked her left and right it took everything she had not to get hit by a killing blow.

Despite being talented despite being chosen over her sister as the Heir of the clan she was nowhere near Neji's level her cousin. would have made child's Play of the opponent that she's fighting all she is doing is dodging. Her father would be disgusted with her. She knew why she felt fear this opponent was after her for her Byakugan. "Is this all you're going to do, you freak is this Dodge? Apparently you Hyuga's are not what you are made out to be."the boy said mockingly Hanabi wasn't going to take the bait. That was one rule in combat you do not engage in with the gentle fist never lose control of your emotions.

"18 trigrams 64 palms"she struck with lightning speed the boy couldn't Dodge any of it. She hit him at all of his chakra points which completely knocked him over. The fight was as good as over. If there's one thing she agreed with with Shino, always end a fight quickly and never underestimate your opponents, always go all out. She agreed with that philosophy. But she noticed something off the boy smiled then she realized why she looked behind her and barely defended herself when he was about to strike her in the eye he was aiming for her eye he was aiming to steal the precious Byakugan.

"You think I wouldn't know anything about your precious Byakugan? Even if the corpse that was given to my family turn out to be useless because we couldn't use the Byakugan because it was sealed doesn't mean we didn't learn something about its limitations. That's the thing with you Hyuga's you think you're so Superior because of your precious eyes."the boy smiled thinking that he had one she couldn't waste her time worrying about how he found out how to find weaknesses in the Byakugan she had to find a way to defeat him.

This technique she was going to use she was playing on saving it for later but she has no choice if she doesn't use it now she could potentially die and the Byakugan falling into the hands of the enemy she couldn't let that happen it was her responsibility as the next Heir to secure at all cost even at her own life. She got in her own stance and activated her nature release something that was discouraged in her clan but she wasn't going to take any chances."lightning style 1.8 trigrams 64 palms"she charged that lightning speed even faster he couldn't keep up he fooled her once but he wasn't going to fool her a second time he tried to protect himself but to no avail she hit him in every possible place possible the boy screamed in pain and then when she did the final blow he tumbled over.

The fight was brief but it took a lot out of her she was breathing heavily she looked at her teammates who already finished their fights. Their opponents were knocked out. When she looked at her opponent she was horrified by what she saw. Her opponent was dead, his corpse was mutilated, it was barely recognizable, it was hard to tell he was even human at all. She didn't hear the voice that told her of the danger that was coming; she screamed and screamed and screamed.

"What have I done, what have I done?"she cried, this is not what she is supposed to do, she's supposed to be stronger than this supposed to be better but she killed someone. Did she really have to go that far she could have simply knocked him out she didn't have to kill him her teammates tried to get her to move but she didn't hear anything they were saying. She was a killer now nothing anybody told her would change that she looked at her hands she was shaking. She didn't want this, she didn't want to go on missions like this, she didn't want to kill anyone, she just wanted to be a normal girl. She continued to scream before she could do anything she felt someone hit her at the neck and everything went black.

He was advised not to fight, but what choice did he have? This person standing before him is a threat to his team. He had to protect them. Just think that there was someone else like him out there."I think you should run, you're not ready for this." Kyubi advised. Naruto knew he couldn't run away.

"You should run away kid, I'll look the other way, I'm not interested in killing boys" the man advised him. Naruto. He didn't know why, but for the way he said it, he was sincere. He didn't want to fight him anymore than Naruto did.

"You're just like me, aren't you? You have something inside of you. Is there any way we can resolve this without fighting each other? Don't we both have the same goal?" Naruto asked him.

"We're here to help the people in this village, but I have orders to make you leave by whatever means necessary. This is nothing personal, kid."

He didn't want to fight him. Naruto knew that."Then what is it that we're doing wrong? Can you at least tell me?"

The man looked at him like he was baffled that he was asking what seemed obvious to him.

"My brother doesn't trust Konoha because he believes your village was responsible for what happened. We are here to help the people in this village."

Naruto was conflicted. Something was off. He was telling the truth.

"Kit, I have a bad feeling that there are other forces at work here trying to make your mission a failure." Kyubi said to him, concerned about what was happening. Naruto turned around, then saw the source of his concern, and he was horrified.

"The disasters happening to Hinata-sensei and everyone!" Naruto jumped, not going to bother with this person who he had no grievances with the village, had to be saved, but how? His power was limited; he was nothing.

"I need all the power you can give me. I'll save this village by whatever means necessary."

Naruto did hand signs.

"If I do this, your secret will be out. Are you sure you want to do that? You owe these people nothing."

Naruto looked at the people of the village and his friends. He couldn't call Sasuke a friend, much less Kagome. But Hinata was there, and she was in danger. If he didn't stop this, she could die along with everyone else.

"I don't care. I can't let any of my friends die. I can't let Hinata-sensei die. Give me all the power you can give me. I beg of you."

Kyubi was surprised at Naruto's resolve and was impressed.

"As your body stands now, you cannot handle more than one tail. I will give you this much power; it gives you a chance to prove that I was right to trust you and do a leap of faith. Naruto, no other host before me, not even your predecessor, has ever done what you have done. I will believe in you, show me your resolve kit."

Naruto felt his body engulfed in chakra; he never felt this much power. Even the power he had when he fought Haku seemed insignificant by comparison. It felt like drinking from a fountain of water. This was the equivalent of an ocean.

He ran as fast as his legs could take him to the landslide. Could he really stop it with just one tail? No, Naruto couldn't think that way; he had to try. He couldn't let these people die; so much was at stake. If he didn't stop it, all his friends would die.

Killer Bee was seeing a stranger without hesitation, risking his life for the village even if he was accused of being responsible. Even if his village was accused, he was still risking his life.

He doesn't disagree with his brother often, but he knew the boy had no malicious intent. He didn't fight him; he abandoned the fight and went straight to saving the village. Instead, he was the first to see it.

He knew the boy would fail without help, unlike him. He doesn't have the ability to use the full capabilities of his tail beast yet."As it stands, he's going to die. "We should be helping him. Whatever light that boy has, it cannot go out so soon. He is way too young. He could be something that could help change the world one day. I sense it in him. He is different from the other jinchūriki. His and Kyūbi have a connection. It's not as strong as ours yet, but it could be one day. Shouldn't we help him?" Hachibi asked him.

Killer B couldn't help but admire the boy's resolve; he had no desire to fight him. No, he was going to help the boy. There was no reason not to. He was going to do what was right. He was going to save the people in the village, even if he had to do it with an enemy. He would figure that out later. The landslide needed to be stopped.

Naruto was trying everything to stop the landslide. It was too much even with the power of one tail; it was impossible to stop a landslide that was too big. "Damn if only I was stronger."

Naruto said he couldn't stop even if his hands were melting; he couldn't stop, he had to stop it. "What are you waiting for, kid? Get behind me and let's stop this landslide together." Killer B said

"Long time no see," Hachibi said to Kyubi. "Don't get all familiar with me; we're only doing this because our host has a common goal—nothing more."

Naruto didn't understand what was going on. "Oh, you've become soft. Have you taken a liking to this kid? I know I have." Said Hachibi

Kyubi was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, but can we not do this in a life-and-death situation? We're trying to stop this damn landslide; remember?"

Naruto screamed.

"We haven't forgotten that," Kyubi said to him with annoyance.

"Let's focus on saving the people. We'll talk later after this is over." The man from earlier said.

Naruto focused all his energy. He couldn't explain a beam shot out from his mouth along with the person assisting him, which blew a hole in the ground, causing the entire landslide to collapse inside of it. It was slowed down to the point where barely any of it got past them. They stopped it.

Naruto collapsed in exhaustion. It took everything, but with help he stopped the landslide. Then he heard footsteps and saw his peers along with others shocked that Naruto and Killer Bee had stopped the landslide.

"You stopped it, how is that even possible?" asked Sasuke.

"I couldn't have done it without him" said Naruto pointing at B.

"I couldn't have done it without you either" said Naruto seeing him with a closed fist.

Naruto didn't know if it was a cultural norm or if he was offering him a congratulations, so he put his fist against B in acknowledgment.

"What the hell are we doing? These are our enemies." said one of the Genin. Naruto looked and saw a dead boy who was being held. The situation was tense.

"No one's going to kill anyone, I will not allow any further hostilities and neither will you, is that agreeable, Naruto?" asked Killer Bee. Naruto was tired from all the fighting. "I agree" Not everyone was satisfied, but before anything could be they heard a loud explosion. Naruto looked at the direction where Hinata was. What was going on over there?

Hinata knew there were three potential enemies nearby, but she couldn't help feeling like there was someone watching them. She could have pinpointed it. She couldn't understand why she was feeling that way, but someone was watching them, and it wasn't any of the three chakra signatures she saw with her Byakugan.

The place where the first disaster happened, she put her hand on the ground, feeling it. Some say the Byakugan is the all-seeing eye, but that's just an exaggeration. She has the ability to glimpse into the past and the future; however, she can't control it, and she can't explain it to anyone.

As if time itself had stopped, Hinata looked at her ability. It happened again that she was able to take a brief glimpse into the past. Was this the day of the disaster? She couldn't explain how she had this ability; it frightened her. She saw four figures: one of them was a masked woman with a fox mask.

"Things are going to according to plan no matter how this mission ends. Don't worry, Danzo-sama will benefit."

The woman's voice sounded distorted.

"We will let you take it from here. We will go to the other side, while those fools investigate this side. They will be oblivious to our true plan."

Before they dispersed, the woman made sure to give orders.

"Danzo-sama specifically gave an order for the boy to be alive. Make sure he lives at all costs, or we will all face the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

Her colleagues nodded in agreement and dispersed.

Hinata was horrified. It was a trap. She looked across the landslide and saw that it had already collapsed on Naruto and her students. She took off without hesitation. She was not going to fail again; she couldn't fail again; she hadn't gotten very far. A brown-skinned man with white hair stopped her in her tracks.

"You, Konoha ninja, have been caught red-handed; you deliberately caused the first disaster and you have caused the second one. Even at the cost of your own soldiers, you would do this to the people of the land of Sapphire. You make me sick. You, Konoha dog's."

She looked around her and saw Kurenai and Asuma. Also being approached by enemies, so she had to fight her way through them. She didn't have time for this. Her students could die. Her friend Naruto could die. Her sister could die.

The enemies in front of her had no time to waste. She got into her fighting stance. She couldn't fail, not again. Despite the pain on her neck, she wasn't going to lose. She couldn't fail them. She couldn't repeat the failure in the Land of Waves.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Hinata shouted, she wasted no time. She instantly activated her Lion Fist, it was not a technique she used lightly, but this was an emergency. Her opponent took out his sword; he calmly took her attack head-on. This opponent was nothing like Zabuza. He was many times stronger; she pushed him back. "Lightning Style: Lightning Palm" she shot a bolt of lightning out of her hand; her opponent countered with a black lightning bolt. It bounced, almost incinerating her colleagues along with his. This wasn't an ordinary battle.

She struck with fury, not only was her student in danger, but also her sister. She was fighting a ninja from the land of Lightning. She hated everyone from there. It didn't matter who they were to her; they were murderers. Barbarians that killed her mother and tried to kidnap her. Everything that went wrong nine years ago was because of filth like him. This man she was fighting.

"Out of my way, you cloud Ninja scum!"

Hinata screamed.

The man barely was able to defend himself, thanks to her quick and fast reflexes, making it difficult for him to deflect any of her blows. He was barely able to keep up with her speed; she was faster than any he'd faced before. Hinata didn't care if she'd killed every single one of those Cloud ninja to protect Naruto; she would do it.

He calmly deflected her blows, she didn't have time to toy with him; there was no time to play around.

"What is a Konoha ninja doing here?" Darui asked Hinata calmly.

"I owe you no explanations, Cloud ninja scum." Hinata said with hatred. She pushed him back; she was determined to kill him and everyone of his comrades. The only good cloud ninja is a dead cloud Ninja.

The masked woman saw a perfect opportunity to use the jitsu, a powerful genjutsu that would trigger something in Hinata's memory and cause her to go berserk. She opened the scroll. She placed her index fingers in her nose region on her mask and cast the berserk genjutsu. She would observe the results as she tested the jitsu, not thinking her first guinea pig would be Hinata.

she wondered what kind of horse the woman would experience her nightmares and PTSD regarding what happened the day her mother died was no secret to the root organization what kind of things would she see she does not know.

It was a nasty Genjutsu that could potentially drive the person mad. Barely anyone understands the dangers of Genjutsu, it's often underestimated and considered an inferior form of combat compared to its counterparts Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. That's why it was potentially the most dangerous kind of jitsu. most can't deal with it.

She waited for the jutsu's effects to take effect on Hinata Hyuga. Regardless of the results, she would report to her master about it, whether its success or failure of a potential weapon that could be used against Konoha's enemies in the future.

Hinata wasn't fighting rationally; the man blocked everything. The lion Fist, which were Blue, it was turning black. The color of the Lion Fist represented the mental state Hinata was not fighting with a calm and pure heart. She was fighting with hatred in her heart. Hatred for the enemy. Hatred for the country that try to kidnap her as a child and murdered her mother.

Her opponent did another jutsu to try to counter, but it didn't work. Hinata effortlessly destroyed everything he threw at her.

It didn't matter anything, she didn't hear anyone's voice except for the voices of the people who died the night her mother died. Her father's hateful words, her mother's dying scream as her life was ending, she heard nothing, nothing mattered at that moment. Her opponent, who was no longer fighting, he was just trying to survive. Anger and rage were the only things she had. She didn't care about anything. Nothing else mattered but the death of every ninja from the Land of Lightning. If she killed every single one of them to avenge her mother, she would do it.

"Avenge me Hinata."her mother said to her.

Kurenai couldn't believe what she was seeing. Hinata was consumed with rage; her opponent didn't understand why she was stopping. "We both know if we don't do something, your comrade is going to die. Are you okay with that?" She asked her opponent, who seemed to be the more rational member of the group. "We're enemies, yet you're trying to help my colleague. Why should I believe you?" The blonde-haired woman asked calmly, "Because my friend is going to make the biggest mistake of her life. I can't stop her alone, but you can help me get your comrade. Also, help me. The four of us together can stop her. I'm begging you: don't do this for her, do this for your comrade." She didn't know if this would work. She couldn't bear the thought of Hinata killing someone in a fit of rage. She had not completely gotten over her trauma just seeing the forehead symbol of the Land of Lightning was enough to set her off.

"C stand down"her comrade looked confused, same with Asuma "you better give a damn good reason we should help these Konoha dogs?"C yelled at his comrade in disbelief not believing she was talking him into standing down."if we don't stop her Darui will die all of us together can stop her"he looked at everyone and reluctantly stopped.

"What do we do?" asked Samui, wanting to know what Kurenai had in mind.

"She's under the influence of a genjutsu. Someone used a Genjutsu on her to trigger a PTSD episode. We have to undo that jitsu or we're all dead. None of you have any idea how powerful she is." Everyone looked at her and understood completely her reputation; it was well-earned.

"I will be the one that will dispel the jitsu cuz I am an expert on genjutsu and its applications but you must help your friend in order to make that happen all of us are risking our lives here if we don't do anything she will kill us all make no mistake I'm not doing this for any of you I'm doing this for her. I don't think you're doing it for my friend either"she knew this was the most reasonable thing that could happen they all got in their fighting positions and went straight to their friends aid.

To Hinata nothing mattered, only the enemy everyone that wore that forehead protector form the land of lightning was her enemy, every citizen every person was an enemy. They would all pay for what they did to her mother; they'd all pay for what happened the man was on the verge of collapsing."what's wrong cloud Ninja is this all you got or you used to butchering civilians?"she said with righteous indignation.

Before she can deliver a killing blow, she was blocked by C and Samui, along with Asuma. She felt an even greater sense of rage."THE ENEMY! WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING THE ENEMY?"Hinata screamed, her sense of reasoning gone.

Asuma had never seen Hinata consumed by rage; they couldn't couldn't' believe what he he was was seeing seeing...

That's not the only thing he saw: the markings started appearing on her face. Her eyes went from lavender to a yellowish color, which more resembled a snake than a human.

"Hinata, I'm your friend, don't you remember?" Asuma asked, trying to reason with her.

"You betrayed me for them. They are the enemy. They are the enemy."

Hinata attacked him, but he was barely able to defend himself. She was way stronger than he was, especially with the curse mark, which covered more of her face.

Hinata, snap out of it! This isn't you; you're under the influence.

Kurenai pleaded.

"You betrayed me, too, for the sake of my mother's killers. You're even willing to side with them." Hinata said, filled with sadness and betrayal.

"We have to defend ourselves; she can't be reasoned with." Asuma said to Kurenai.

"She cannot be reasoned with; she's too dangerous. We will have to do what we have to do; it's unfortunate, but we do what we must." Asuma said with a melancholic tone, knowing that he had no choice.

Hinata couldn't be reasoned with. This genjutsu was powerful, indeed. He didn't want to hurt her, but she was way too strong for him. Not to use whatever abilities he had in his arsenal. He activated his windblade on his weapons. The blades were like too-short swords.

He was hoping he wouldn't have to cut Hinata with them, or hurt her. But he had no choice if he didn't; everyone would die. She charged at him; he tried to cut, but the blade wouldn't go through. The Lion's Fist was way too powerful. He was knocked back, along with the people who supported him. What the hell was this? He saw purple chakra. She stared down at her fallen foe—the one that she was about to kill before him and Darui. Where was Kurenai?

Naruto did not know why but he ran as fast as his legs can take him he ignored but everyone was saying the one-tailed state gave him lightning speed he was running as fast as his legs would take him he smelled Hinata's sent but he felt emotions he never felt from her anger rage hatred. She was going to kill someone and she was going to do it in Cold blood he couldn't let her become a killer he couldn't let her become the very thing that she despises he had to stop her. "I need more power is there any way you can give me two tails or three?"Naruto asked Kyubi "your body can barely take one tail I will not suffer fools Naruto"he warned."Hinata needs me if I can't protect her. What good, is this power?"Naruto asked him.

"Tell me, Kit, what are your honest feelings towards this woman?" Kyubi asked him seriously.

"She's important to me, the most important person to me I would die for her. Why do you ask?" The fox was thinking deeply.

"Show me your resolve then, if you're determined to protect her with the power that I'm giving you right now. If you show me that your resolve is strong, I will give you permission to use more than one tail. But know this: if your resolve is weak, I will not give you more than one. Do I make myself clear, Kit? This is my life I'm risking; it's not just yours. We are partners. You and I. What one of us does affects the other. Remember that."

Naruto knew without him, he would be nothing.

He ran as fast as his legs could take him. He finally got to his destination and when he saw Disturbed him Hinata everyone looked beaten. Was she really going to kill everyone?"Hinata sensei stop"all was silent.

She heard a voice. It was Naruto, one of her students. She looked at everyone then she felt someone put her arm around her. It was her friend. "Genjutsu release!" she shouted, but nothing happened. She threw her onto the ground. She looked at her with hatred, she looked at everyone else, they were all traitors, all of them, they were all working with the people who had killed her mother.

"Hinata-sensei, stop! This is not who you are. You are not a killer." She heard the same voice. "Don't listen to him. Avenge Mama! Those Cloud ninjas deserve it, and so do those who get in your way of vengeance. They took away everything from me. My dear Hinata, every single Cloud ninja must die. All of them deserve it. Your uncle died too because of that bastard who murdered me." She heard her mother. That's sweet voice she hadn't heard in so long.

"Mother"Hinata said like a child who was lost.

"Hinata sensei stop you are not a cold blooded murderer this is not who you are" she heard that same voice it sounded so distant."don't listen to it he's lying just like the others"she heard him again louder this time."Hinata you are not a murderer you're one of the first people that ever truly value me as a human and accept me despite having Kyubi inside of me you are the first true friend I've ever had please I'm begging you stop"she turned around and saw the boy.

She saw two people behind him his parents Kushina Uzumaki, her parental figure and Minato, the closest think she ever had to a father. This boy was their child."Please look after my boy Hinata. He's not likely going to be good with girls, he's going to probably be really bad at eating his vegetables and please make sure he goes down the right path. If there's anybody I trust with my son it's you."she cried at that memory she was 6 years old then her mother was right next to her when she said that."My daughter will be a good friend to Naruto. I know she will, she's a good girl Kushina'"she heard the two women laugh. It was a happy memory. It was the last memory of them together before the night of the attack before everything changed.

"Don't ever change who You are, kindness and gentleness is a strength not a weakness"said Itachi."How is it my strength? I don't understand Itachi Kun. How is it my strength it has given me nothing my clan looks at me with contempt my father hates me what good is my kind and gentle nature when it doesn't give me the respect that I need to be the Hokage."she shouted at him

Itachi got up he looked at her with the saddest look."those people don't deserve your time you will have people someday that will appreciate you for who you are you will have someone who will even love you for who you are that is the Hinata I would want to be the Hokage with this village needs is a kind and gentle Hokage the kind that Minato was. These fossils they think true strength is being ruthless and punching down it those who are weaker than them but they are wrong those who are kind and those who are gentle those who choose to do kindness to others and to show Mercy to others they are the strong ones"Hinata didn't want to believe what Itachi said but she wanted to believe him.

"No matter what happens Hinata you will always be the most important person to me and even if you someday hate me that will never change"he turned his back on her. That was the last time she would ever speak to him someone she loved.

"Ignore those memories, they're just trying to confuse you, my daughter, your enemies are in front of you, kill them now only then will I rest in peace and only then will I forgive you because you failed me, my dear daughter, my pathetic daughter"Hinata cried.

"Hinata sensei I know you're strong I believe in you stop"looked and saw Sasuke who caught up to Naruto. The boy her friend Itachi, no former friend. Both Naruto and Sasuke we're watching her she was horrified when she was seeing no this is not what she wanted to become she's not a murderer then she heard her voice of her mother again.

"avenge me my daughter if it weren't for your weakness I would still be alive."she said with that kind voice that had a coldness to it.

"Hinata sensei this isn't you please stop fight it."she heard Naruto say.

"don't listen to him he's with the enemy kill him."the woman said to her.

"no I won't I made a promise to Kushina San"she said resisting her voice.

"YOU STUPID WORTHLESS GIRL, YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS avenge me,"her mother screamed at her with hatred.

"You should have died instead of your mother, you worthless wretch." said her father.

"I had a bright future, but you're the reason I died. You worthless wretch! Mother was right: If only you had abandoned that mission and not played hero, I would be alive. You worthless piece of garbage." Sakura said spitefully.

"a worthless coward." said one of the elders.

"Please stop." Hinata said, tears falling. The voices got louder and louder, and louder they wouldn't stop. She wanted to silence them; anything to get them to stop.

Hinata screamed. "NOOOOOOO!" She took a Kanai, she wanted to silence the voices; anything to keep them silent. They got louder and louder. She stabbed herself again and again in the abdomen. She stabbed in other parts of herself as well. She cut her wrist anything to get the pain to stop; to get the voices to stop. She was about to cut herself in the eyes and jab her Kanai in her brain until she was knocked out and all went black.

Naruto didn't want to do that but she would have killed herself it took him everything he had to do. He used two tails in order to make it happen. She fell to the ground in a heap. Naruto looked at Sasuke. He was shocked that he caught up to him then he saw his other teammate Kagome and the others. Kurenai approached Hinata and checked if the jitsu was still in effect. It wasn't whatever Naruto did, it ended the jitsu.

"What happened to the village?" Asked Kurenai Naruto answered. "It's been saved but I can't take credit neither of us can I'm afraid without"he looked at Killer Bee." "I'm sorry I don't know your name"the man answered for him."the name is Killer Bee, but you can call me B"Naruto, in spite of the situation, smiled boyishly."thank you if I had to be honest I would not have been able to save Sapphire village without you we make a good team. It's a shame we could not have met under different circumstances"the man couldn't help but agree.

"I was almost killed by your Sensei and we're all friendly whatever"Darui said not really caring."regardless we are as invested in finding out who caused a disaster as you are" Asuma said to the other ninja around them."what if it was a Konoha Ninja what are you going to do then?"asked C."then we will do what's right and leave,"Naruto answered, which shocked everyone.

"That's not your call to make Naruto" Asuma reminded him."no, that's Hinata sensei's call and speaking of which, what the hell happened?"Naruto asked everyone of the Jonin."I don't know she was under the influence of a powerful Genjutsu nothing I've ever experienced before every one of you are not to tell anyone understood this is a S-ranked class secret"all of the Genin nodded in agreement.

Naruto despite the day being won he it didn't really feel like much of a victory. He couldn't properly protect Hinata. He had to hurt her; he felt powerless and weak. Why couldn't he protect her? Why can't he protect his teammates? He wants to be stronger. He feels weak; he was sick of being a pathetic boy. He wishes to be a man so he never is hopeless again without Kyubi Hinata would have killed herself because she couldn't defeat the genjitsu.

The masked woman was pleased the jitsu worked it was a powerful weapon a little flawed but powerful indeed turning allies against each other. She would report to Danzo the success of her mission. When she looked at the boy she couldn't help it no that was impossible she disregarded the thought as soon as it entered but she couldn't help but feel something familiar about him. She disregarded the thought the only thing that mattered was the mission and Root she was going to bring the success of her mission the next phase of her Masters plan would begin soon.

"What do we do? Our mission was to ensure the destruction of the inhabitants that mission has failed"asked her colleague who wore the mask of a oni"the mission has succeeded no matter what happens our masters agenda has been going according to plan there's no need to be concerned what happened those Genin whatever they succeeded or failed is of no consequence the missions objective has been fulfilled Hiruzen will look even worse which will only justify his replacement in the near future this mission was a disaster with Konoha's fingers attached to it he will pull out in good faith which will only make his position weaker everything works beautifully that's the beauty about long-term plans is it not?"asked a boy who wore a fox mask.

"It matters not Danzo Sama will get rid of the weeds in due time we will finally have destroyed anything in our way to bring prosperity to Konoha" said a men by the name of Tanuki Shigaraki."The group headed back to their destination the masked woman did not care one way or the other but something about Naruto Uzumaki. Why was he familiar to her why did she feel something towards him? She put that thought aside emotions was not the Way of the Ninja ninjas are tools they were weapons and nothing else. She had to be the perfect weapon for Konoha.

"I'm sorry," Hinata said, crying.

"Your apologies mean nothing," she heard Sakura say; she saw the girl pick her head up and reattach it back on, and she spoke with an inhuman voice.

"I had a future, I had dreams and ambitions, I admired you, I respected you because of you. I died."

Sakura said with hatred. Hinata didn't want to see this.

"The future I could have had" she saw Sakura in multiple different possible futures, one where she was a member of the medic-nin division, one where she was an instructor at the academy, or one where she was a taijutsu specialist. In every future she was doing something and she was dead, the anger and the hatred in the voice continued.

"You should have died instead of me,"the nightmare Sakura said. The same words her father said to her."She is right you are a failure and she's dead because of you"she looked and saw her father."it's your fault your mother's dead have you not been weak and useless she would still be alive had you not been so arrogant to underestimate your enemy Sakura would still be alive." Her father pointed at her accusingly that look that he always gave her when he gave his disapproval.

"My dear daughter, my useless pathetic daughter"her mother the same look she had in her face as every one of them."I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry" tears were falling through her eyes they're accusing looks.

"You didn't take care of Naruto like I asked you to" She looked around and it was none other than Kushina. She wanted to curl up in a ball. "I'm sorry" She had no idea what to say. "Failure" She heard one of her teammates, who she had forgotten her name, "A pathetic wretch to think that you were foolish enough to fall in love with me." She looked and saw Itachi, how he appeared on the night he killed his clan. Bodies right behind them, cursing her name. "Stop! Hinata begged; she heard voices laughing as if they thought what she said was funny."

"YOU DESERVE TO SUFFER SENSEI" Sakura's voice sounded like a demon; her appearance was distorted.

"Your failure could have led to the death of my son, my only son. made a promise you a 'promised to take care of Naruto and you failed at that." Kushina slapped Hinata hard across the face. "She is right; you have failed in everything Hinata. In everything that mattered, Itachi Uchiha betrayed you. He murdered everyone from his clan. You are at fault for why Sasuke is an orphan." said her mother.

"Failure" she heard thousands of voices. It was driving her mad just hearing everything they were saying. She crawled her face to try to make it stop. She screamed but it wouldn't stop. Her face was covered in her blood. Then she saw her other teammates who were alive or so she didn't know. Sasuke was lying on the ground dead, Kagome was lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood, she saw everyone else who was on the mission.

Naruto, who was in a pool of his own blood, she ran to him as fast as her legs could carry her. She lifted him up, hoping to see if he was alive. "Hinata-sensei," Naruto whispered weakly. "My son is dying, and it's all your fault," Kushina spat angrily. "Naruto, stay with me, please. Not you too," Naruto smiled sadly at her. "This is it, Sensei. I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough." Time stopped in the last moments of Naruto's life.

"He's dead, and it's your fault" Kushina said to her "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Hinata Screamed on the top of her lungs; she had failed completely and utterly. She heard the voices screaming "failure" over and over again. She screamed and she didn't stop.

Hinata woke up in a sweat. She looked around and saw that she was on the hard floor. Where were her teammates, and where was everyone else? Before she could get up, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was none other than her friend Kurenai.

"You should be resting. That genjutsu that was cast on you had some pretty nasty effects. Whatever nightmares you've been having will be amplified, and any feelings that you feel inside will make the jutsu even more powerful."

Hinata had no idea what Kurenai was talking about.

Then she looked at her wrist, and a pain in her abdomen and wrist it made her hesitate. Did she really stab herself? She wanted to ask, but she couldn't force the words out.

She tried to sound neutral as much as possible she asked her friend a question.

"What happened to the mission? Is everyone okay, Naruto?" Hinata was gently silenced by her friend."They're fine; they're helping the villagers clean up along with the Cloud ninja, although there are tensions due to your sister killing one of their friends, so she is being kept as far away from them as possible." Kurenai looked like she had more to say."Hanabi could use you right now; she's shaken up about killing someone she has no one to talk to. You're her sister, Hinata. I know you haven't been really on speaking terms for years, but she needs her big sister. I'm begging you, not only as your friend but also as her student, please talk to her." She didn't know how to talk to her sister these days. They haven't spoken that much in nine years, barely a word. What could she possibly say? What can they possibly talk about?

"I don't know how to talk to her." Hinata confessed, "just simply listening to her would be a start; it isn't going to be easy, I already know that but nobody will talk to her. Neji treats her with disdain; her father expects her to be the perfect Hyuga, she has no one to really talk to. Hinata; she has difficulty making friends, there's only so much I can do as her sensei; she needs her family; she needs her sister. I can't force you to talk to her, but please." Her friend's request was reasonable. There's no denying that, but how could she talk to her? The resentment that she feels towards her was still there.

It wasn't fair, she knew, holding that against her; she didn't choose to be favored by her father. It's not her fault, but her childhood was hell as soon as she was able to leave the compound. She left without looking back, due to how hellish it was living there. And Hanabi was a reminder of that hellish childhood she had.

"I'll try," Hinata said, not really wanting to argue over the issue. She remembers everything that happened, how she almost killed her friend, which terrified her the most. What she couldn't help but feel responsible for was the genjutsu that had been cast on her. Even though it wasn't her fault, she still felt partly responsible.

"I know what you're thinking," Hinata said. "It's not my fault that could have happened to anyone of us if that jutsu had been cast on us. None of us are familiar with the jutsu, so we can't do it. You are strongly resistant to Genjutsu, so there's no way you could be at fault here. Some unknown enemy casted it on you. I don't know why."

She didn't get a chance to finish.

"It doesn't matter, I almost killed you. I could have killed everyone who was in my way. This is another failure on my part."

Before she could say anything more, Kurenai gently placed her right hand on her cheek.

"Enough of that, Hinata. Whatever happened, happened. There's nothing that can change that. The only thing we can do is move forward and learn the truth so it doesn't happen again."

She wouldn't let it happen again. She had to get stronger. She had to train to be even stronger. If she had been stronger, she would not have been under the influence of that Genjutsu.

"Rest Hinata, I will inform your students that you have recovered and your sister they will be relieved."

Hinata laid back down as her friend left. She closed her eyes and still remembered the hurtful words her father had said to her, the words she heard every time she went to sleep. She felt a tear fall down her cheek; no matter how many years had passed, those hurtful words still wouldn't leave her.

Hanabi couldn't get the image out of her mind, the person she killed wasn't something new to ninja; they were expected to inflict death at some point, but it wasn't anything like she imagined. Part of her felt like she had changed; part of her felt like she was different. She didn't like it at all. Was she a bad person? Every single one of the Cloud Ninjas looked at her with hatred in their eyes. The person they killed was their friend. They were very close. A girl with black hair ran towards him and cried, then looked at her in anger and rage. "That was my boyfriend. I should kill you." She said with grief and rage. The image wouldn't leave her mind. What made her any different from the Cloud Ninja who she killed?

No matter how much she justified it, she couldn't get the image out of her mind. The look of the girl who looked at her with hatred. This was not the life she wanted; this glorious way of life that was often portrayed in the academy was nothing of the sort; it was the opposite: there was no glory in what she did, no honor. She heard footsteps behind her. It was Naruto. She didn't really want to talk to him right now; she didn't want to talk to anyone. "I know what it's like to kill. I've done it too. When I killed that boy in the Land of Waves, I felt part of me changed. I didn't like it" she didn't want to hear it, but he continued anyway.

"It's okay to feel what you're feeling, so don't hide it. I don't like the feeling any more than you do." She looked at Naruto. She always used to be told he was the class clown, the class idiot, but he was far more mature than anyone would ever give him credit for. "I doubt my sister taught you that." Hanabi said bitterly. "No, but your sister has taught me many things. She's a very important friend to me, and I don't like her cutting you out of her life. She's in pain, and she doesn't say it, but she is. I can't help her. I feel like you can in ways I can't." She was picking up on something Naruto; the way he spoke about her sister. His feelings were strong.

She could tell even though he wasn't aware of it, this wasn't just a crush or infatuation; his feelings toward her were deep. It was always said that one couldn't fool the eyes of a Hyuga. She would disregard that feeling for now; it didn't matter what his emotions were toward her sister."Why haven't you told my sister?" she asked him, wanting him to leave her alone."I've talked to her about it. But I kind of feel like if you two were just to talk, it would help both of you. I just want Hinata to smile and not be sad all the time." Something about the way he said that made her think that maybe what she believed to be true wasn't actually true. She should keep her thoughts to herself for now and wait and see if what she thinks is correct.

"Thank you Naruto-san. I will take your advice under consideration. Now, if you leave me alone for now, I would appreciate it."

Naruto did as she asked and left her alone. Talking to her sister, what if she just rejects her again? No, she couldn't think like that. She had to do it now. If she didn't try, she wouldn't have a chance when they returned home. She got up and went to the building where Hinata was. Somehow, she was going to talk to her sister and make peace, regardless of the outcome. At least, if she failed this time, she at least tried.

Naruto saw Hanabi go; he heard something from Kagome.

"I think I'm starting to respect you, Naruto." The way she said it wasn't condescending. Naruto never thought Kagome was someone he would ever be able to get along with; he always viewed her as a bitch over his time being a ninja for a short while. He had realized, especially with his first enemy, that not everything is as it seems. "I just want our sensei to resolve things with her sister. It just doesn't seem right; you know?" Kagome looked like she knew something Naruto didn't.

"You don't understand what it's like to have siblings, yet you want Hinata-sensei to make amends with hers. You are interesting."

Naruto looked at the girl. She didn't disrespect him or insult them throughout the whole time. What was going on?

"You and I both know what it's like to grow up in poverty. Don't think I don't understand you, Naruto. I do at least to some extent."

He didn't know that about her. It would also explain why her clothes were always cheap and torn. She was often teased because of her parents being poor.

"So you finally talked to the idiot, it seems like the world has frozen over."

Naruto heard Sasuke joke.

"We all have something in common to some extent."

Naruto was wondering what she meant by that.

"And what is that?"

Naruto asked her.

"Everyone judges me based on what I show on the surface, based on the way I dress and the way I look. All the girls judge Sasuke on superficial things but don't even see that he's an orphan; they won't see it because he has no family to return to. You are hated for things that aren't your fault; people judge you based on things you haven't done. All of us have that in common."

Naruto didn't think about that before Kagome, who looked like she might be in pain for having to say these things out loud."If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to be a ninja?"

Naruto asked her. "Because I just want my mom to live comfortably." She said, embarrassed for her reason. Sasuke looked surprised; Naruto couldn't help but feel jealous that she had a mother to come back to."So that's why you acted the way you did toward Ino and how you reacted towards Sakura's death." The girl turned away, ashamed.

"I know I'm a terrible person, but this damn village doesn't give us any other option. If you're not a Shinobi, how else are you going to make a living? You have no idea how hard it is in this village for those who can't be a Shinobi. Crippling poverty and humiliation; my mother had to resort to prostitution at times in order to put food on the table. That's how bad things are."

Naruto felt sick. Sasuke wasn't shocked. "Do you have any idea what would have to change in order for this village to be a better place to live if you were the Hokage? You don't know anything about the conditions of our village. You don't know how difficult it is for women with no connections to get promoted past the rank of Chunin, but you don't know how difficult it is for civilians or the crippled to survive. It's why I don't see anything honorable about this line of work. There is no honor; it's elitism. Nothing more. I hate the very idea of being a Shinobi in the first place, but what choice do I have? How am I going to feed myself or my mother?"

Kagome asked Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto couldn't think of an answer because it all rang true. He saw this firsthand; he was one of the lucky ones. When he thinks about how bad his life was, it could have been a lot worse.

"You are learning kit; this girl has a lot more to her than there is on the surface. She is right about the village, but it is not unique to Konoha. If you think that, you're naive; the entire Shinobi system is flawed. I won't tell you why; you'll have to figure that one out for yourself and come up with your own answer."

Kyubi was right; Naruto questioned: did he ever want to be Hokage, or was it because he simply just wants people to acknowledge that he exists, but he isn't just something?

"Let me ask you something else, Naruto. What do you want more than being the Hokage?" Kagome asked him seriously. This was the longest conversation they had ever had. It was a chance for them to have a clean slate and be friends. Honesty would be best.

"I wish to have a family more than anything. I wish to have a wife to come home to every day and if I ever have kids, I want my own children as well."

Naruto turned away, blushing. Sasuke shrugged as if it were obvious, but Kagome wasn't surprised.

"Would you like that to be a certain someone?" Sasuke teased.

Kagome laughed, "Oh, you don't mean 'oh, you can't be serious, Sasuke?'"

Naruto said, annoyed, "You aren't mocking my dream!"

Kagome asked him, not mockingly, "Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?"

"Whatever I have to work on, I'll talk to you later"

Naruto took off. He couldn't help but wonder what he just discussed if he could choose not to be a shinobi. Would he? That disturbed him more than he wanted to admit. He didn't want to think about it. He just focused on the mission to help the villagers. He created shadow clones to help continue the effort, which were also being assisted by the Cloud ninja, who are the other side of the village. Naruto didn't think about the feelings inside him. They were getting stronger lately whenever he thought about her. He didn't understand this feeling. He had to focus on the task at hand; he couldn't afford to be distracted right now; he would think about it further after the mission was over and everyone was safe in Konoha.

Sasuke saw Naruto go; Kagome was helping Sasuke clean up the debris. He wondered what was on her mind.

"Why did you ask him about his feelings towards our Sensei?"

Sasuke asked him, curious more than anything else.

"It's obvious: Sasuke, the whole damn squad knows that he has a massive crush on Hinata Sensei, but I'm not fooled. I see it as much more than a crush."

Sasuke didn't understand what she was talking about. He knew Naruto had a thing for her and a huge crush on her, but there's no way it could be more than that.

"Have you ever heard of the red threads of fate?" Asks Kagome. "Everyone has heard of it; it's when two lovers, who are fated to be together, meet and fall in love. It also says they are lovers from previous lives. Why do you bring this up?"

Sasuke didn't know how this was relevant. "You can't see the signs, Sasuke? He is in love with our Sensei, and he doesn't know it."

That was something Sasuke did not expect; he had a crush on Sakura. Everyone knew that, but to be in love with one's own sensei was ridiculous. That was absurd.

"That's absurd! She's at least 6 years older than he is. There's just no way in hell I could ever see Jonin and a Genin being anything more than teacher and student."

He heard Kagome sign in irritation. "Have you seriously forgotten that Minato Namikaze, our previous Hokage, and his wife, were his sensei? Do you really forget about Kushina Uzumaki?"

That name sounded familiar to Sasuke; his mother often mentioned her best friend Kushina.

"Okay so you're saying Naruto is going to be just like his parents and is going to marry Hinata sensei?"Sasuke laughed at the absurdity of it."It's not out of the realm of possibility you got to remember Kushina didn't realize she was in love with him until after she met him again when he was a man. I'm pretty sure there's early signs of it being there for Hinata Sensei as well."Sasuke thought it was ridiculous he didn't want to hear about this anymore.

"Can we just drop this damn subject and focus on our mission?" Sasuke said irritated with the conversation. "I'll be right there, and you know it. I won't tell you I told you so when they officially become a couple one day." They stopped the conversation and just focused on the mission. The only thing on Sasuke's mind at the moment was to get stronger to avenge his family and clan. That's what mattered. He had no time for things like love, which would just get in the way.

Hinata was alone; she did her stretching exercises and everything she was taught when she was in the Hyuga clan compound. As much as she hated her clan, she couldn't abandon everything. The gentle Fist is part of who she is. She had saved many people's lives with what she was taught. She couldn't think about that without turning around. She heard footsteps; she didn't need to turn around to know who was behind her.

"Hanabi, why are you here?"Hinata asked her calmly."To talk, can we do that, sister?"She turned around and saw a desperate look on her face. They hadn't spoken in 9 years, barely any words. The bitterness Hinata felt over her preferred treatment of Hanabi over her was understandable, but it wasn't really fair to judge her for her past actions. She didn't know what to say about the bitterness she felt for all these years.

"What do we talk about Hanabi? You know my feelings about our clan and why I want nothing to do with it or anyone in it. You know that so why do you still want to talk to me?" she truly did want to know why Hanabi wants to talk to her. She wanted to wash her hands clean from the clan. "I don't care about the clan Hinata. I just want my sister back. I don't like how you treat me like I'm a stranger. I just want us to be a family again. It's so lonely in the compound." her sister was on the verge of crying, which made Hinata feel awful for her earlier actions.

"I'm sorry," Hinata said, not knowing how to say anything else.

"Can you at least tell me the truth? Why do you hate the clan so much? Why do you hate Father so much? Can I at least have that?"

Reliving the day that her mother died and those hurtful words was not something she wanted to talk about right now.

"I can't, Hanabi. It's too painful. I don't want to relive that day. Please don't ask me this right now. I'll tell you another day, just not today. Please."

Her sister looked at her in understanding.

"Thank you Hinata for at least being willing to talk to me". There was silence. Hinata had no idea how to talk to her sister. This was the longest conversation she'd had in almost a decade. "The clan will not approve; you know." Hinata warned. "I don't give a damn about them. I want my sister, and I won't let them get in the way of that." Hanabi said defiantly.

Hinata felt a sense of relief, even though it would take time to rebuild whatever relationship she had with her sister. At least, she has a chance to do so. She feels like a fool, not considering what she has.

"Can we at least start talking about something?" Hanabi asked her, hoping to not end the conversation they were just having prematurely.

"Sure," it wasn't much, but they started talking about what they've been doing in the past few months. It was the start; she knew it would take time for her to feel open enough to talk about her past, what happened with the clan, with her sister. But for now, she can at least talk to her sister. Because unlike Naruto or Sasuke, she still has a family of her own - even if it's only her sister that she considers family at this point.

It would be a few more days before the village was completely cleaned up. The cloud ninja planned to meant that Konoha's shinobi should leave by the time a decision was made.

Hinata made sure she had everything. She inspected her wounds, checking if they were healed. She was fortunate that her self-inflicted wounds weren't lethal. Though she was advised to visit the holy site by an old man a few days ago, she felt apprehensive.

She didn't want to embrace her role as the Byakugan princess, but she was given a divine right to visit the holy site because she was a descendant of Kanna Hyuga.

"You don't need to bring anything, but yourself. This site is safe. You are of her blood. Welcome, child of Kanna. May your mother protect you from your enemies who would do you harm."

A woman who escorted her inside the tomb said,

Hinata did not want to leave the village yet. There was unfinished business. She was told about the holy site and the possible birthplace of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. Her students were with their other peers when she left; they were conversing with each other. She had to go there alone, she was escorted, she had a torch, she looked all around her at the story of a civilization that once thrived here. The rise and fall. She saw on the writings was that of a language that was no longer extant; it was extinct. She couldn't read it even with her Byakugan. She was escorted into a dark room and what she saw was a tomb. She walked towards it and she saw the name that she didn't expect to ever see. This couldn't be Kanna Hyuga. Her final resting place was here. What the hell is this place?

She read everything in the grave, everything that was ingrained.

If you are reading this then you are the Byakugan princess of your generation.

You are my blood, you are my child, my daughter.

You are the next mother of our clan

I Kanna Hyuga Byakugan Queen mother of all your fate is tied to my own.

You cannot run away we are fated to meet.

By reading this you have broken the first seal.

Hinata felt horrified when he heard loud noises. He looked around. The people who had escorted him were excited. What did he just do?

The tomb opened; she saw a woman whose eyes were closed, whose face was covered in a mask, the only thing that was exposed was her mouth. She was covered head to toe; her hair was long, just like Hinata's was. She removed the mask and broke it. Hinata couldn't believe her eyes; it couldn't be: she's dead, yet she looks as young as she did. How is that possible?

She saw everyone who had escorted her, they bowed; they were overjoyed. "Our goddess has returned; our mother is with us once again."

Hinata was confused. She was told nothing about Kanna except that she was extremely powerful and she was a rogue member of her clan. The woman spoke softly. "It has been some time. My children. Since I've been wrongfully imprisoned, but I am free now. Free to guide my children once again to protect you from the wicked ones who would dare harm you." The way she spoke didn't seem malicious. She was told when she was raised in the clan, she was wicked and evil, yet she felt nothing that was evil from her.

It messed with her mind. How could someone with her reputation be not evil? What messed her up even more was her voice; it sounded a lot like her own; it was almost like looking at her own reflection in the mirror. Unlike Hinata, who looked more regal, she looked like a queen from a different age. The robe she wore was pure white, which was the opposite of what she had been described as a child; she had been described as wearing black. Almost as if she could see deeper into her soul, Kanna, despite her eyes being closed, felt like she was able to look deep into her soul. It was unnerving to her. She walked towards her slowly, the closer she got to her, the harder it was to not recognize her as her ancestor.

"So you're the one that freed me, my child" The woman slowly approached her. Looking at her was like looking at a mirror of herself; they looked like twins. "My poor child! My clan has treated you so poorly; your father disregarded you like trash, but you're much more than those fools say you are. My dear daughter!" The way she spoke it was so mother-like.

"I've seen everything, the hurtful words by your own father, the clan disregarding you as trash and tossing you aside like you are nothing. You don't have to be in pain anymore my dear daughter. I offer you a chance to have a real family, a real mother I can give you a purpose. I can give you everything that those fools in the clan and in Konoha will not."

She looked deeply into her soul, her insecurities, her anguish. She was offering her a place to belong. The temptation would be so easy to accept; however, before she could even consider it, one way or the other, a man interrupted them.

"What have you done? You unleashed the monster," said an elderly man to the same man from earlier. The woman approached him.

"Oh, you're that boy from all those years ago. You helped put me in this cursed prison for all these years. My children suffered; those poor Uchiha children suffered at the hands of their own because of the wickedness of this world. There is no punishment that is worse for you than a painful death. You are the reason my children from the Uchiha clan are dead, and for that, you will die. You and everyone who betrayed me will die."

The kind voice was gone.

The woman struck at the man's chakra points; he collapsed in pain, he was screaming in agony. She walked, tortured him.

"How nice it must have been to enjoy decades of your so-called freedom as my children suffered; you and your wicked, ungrateful rubble killed in pillaging around you." She stepped on his chest and he screamed.

"I heard the dying screams of every Uchiha man, woman, and child and I was powerless to save them because I was sealed in this prison." She continued to torture him; she wanted to make him suffer. Hinata couldn't believe what she was seeing being done with the gentle fist.

This act of cruelty unnerved her. The woman continued to rip his chest open; she tore it like claws. He screamed in pain, blood was dripping everywhere. It would have been one thing if she just killed him quickly but she was prolonging his suffering."You are as wicked as I remember you, demon"

The old man spat at her feet, blood, his blood, and spit on her feet.

"How dare you defile our mother with your tainted blood." A brown-haired girl said she was ready to finish him, but she was stopped."There's no need to dirty yourself with the likes of him, child. His life is at an end." As if on cue, she crushed his head with her bare hands. Hinata was horrified; this was not what the gentle Fist was used for: torture, cruelty, this is not what the gentle Fist was used for—it was an honorable fighting style and an honorable technique, not for torture.

"How can you use the gentle fist for torture, which is not what our style is all about. That is not our way; you're as wicked as the stories say. I was almost fooled." Hinata got into a fighting stance. The woman looked at her as if she were a child. She spoke calmly as if she were teaching a lesson to a naughty child who didn't behave.

"You know nothing, girl. Everything you know about our clan is a lie. Even the name of our fighting style is false. Revisionist history to erase what our style truly represented in time. Girl, you will know the truth." She did not want to believe anything she was told could not have been a lie. She replied back angrily.

"I am not a child, damn you; I'm an adult." The woman laughed as if she had said something amusing."Are you Hinata? From what I could tell, you're 19; you're barely an adult, but I'm forgiving towards you after all; it's not your fault that you're ignorant about your upbringing; after all, my clan erased every ounce that there ever was a Queen of the Hyuga clan." Everything she was being told shattered everything she once believed; it couldn't be true.

"In time you will know the truth, come my children we shall leave this place. I need a place to rest"

Her followers went ahead of her. Hinata wanted to stop her. She couldn't move; was this fear she felt? Nobody had she ever encountered so powerful that she undid the first seal.

You are terrified of me, girl. I could see that you are wise. Those who don't feel fear in my presence are fools. You undid the first seal; the second is on my eyes. In time, I will regain my full strength. I have followers even in the Hyuga clan. I hope one day Hinata, you will join me. My daughter, until that day comes, we will depart. Thank you for freeing me from that prison.

The woman left; she couldn't believe what she had just done. She had unleashed one of the most powerful Shinobi that has ever lived back into the world.

No, she couldn't just let her go. She had to fight. She charged at her. If she could just land one blow, if she could just hit her at the heart, it would be over. She could undo her mistake.

"Foolish child. I guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson." The woman turned around and blocked her blow. Hinata couldn't let her fear consume her. She had to win. She used every single technique that she could muster. Her Byakugan activated, and she blocked every blow. Blow for blow, she was being countered. How could she do this? She had no Byakugan; she was virtually blind. She was countering everything, almost as if she was able to read her mind.

1.8 trigrams lightning Palm"the bolt of lightning hit her, but it did no damage." impossible"she couldn't be distracted; she did another technique." water style ice Palm"her hands turned into ice on any other opponent; it would have turned into a lot of damage, but it did nothing. " A water and lightning user is rare even among our clan" the way she said it wasn't condescending nor was it praise." You are my descendant, Hinata" she did her own lightning Palm; she barely dodged it. She was breathing heavily yet her opponent had not broken a sweat. Her followers stood there as if they had absolute faith that their goddess would obtain victory.

Hinata, the more this fight dragged on, the less likely she would win; she had to win; she couldn't lose. Should she use her most powerful technique? She got into her stance and activated her Lion Fist. Two lions appeared on her hands. She only used the technique when she was fighting against enemies that were extremely powerful. The woman looked at her almost as if she could predict what she could do. "So they're still blue; they haven't matured yet. You haven't awakened his chakra. This won't do. You cannot touch me, not as you are."

To prove her point, Kanna raised one of her arms and formed a Lion Fist. It was gold, the symbol of the Queen of the Hyuga Clan.

"My dear child, you can't win. Your Lion Fist is blue; you haven't fully accepted yourself as a princess who hasn't accepted herself isn't someone who could obtain the higher stage of power in Lion Fist. You can't beat me; you know this. Cease this foolishness at once!" She commanded.

Hinata had lost the will to fight. The vast difference in power was night and day. She fell to her knees and screamed, "The failure, the powerlessness, everything she was, and more."

"My poor child unfortunate soul I know in your heart you are not ready to accept the truth. You will in time you must those important to you will die if you do not accept your role in our clan you are the Byakugan princess. In time you will come to me for answers about your true heritage, the heritage that your clan has hid from you hid from the mother that birthed you. Until you are ready I will leave you my child"she walked away Hinata was powerless to do anything the fear the despair everything. In every way she was stronger than she was and she didn't even have the ability to use her Byakugan, the Legends she thought they were exaggerations.

There were only two stories that could compare to hers: one about Hashirama and Manda, and another about herself. The vast difference between her and Kanna was like night and day. How was she going to tell the Hokage what she had just done?

Naruto wondered where Hinata was; it was almost time to leave, so the Cloud ninjas would also be heading home. Naruto noticed Choji talking to a red-haired girl who was blushing. He didn't know what that was about, but then he saw the man who had helped him save the village. They didn't speak much; he took his hand out.

"I hope we can be friends someday, Naruto," Killer Bee said sincerely, hoping that Naruto would take his hand in return.

"One day I hope we can be friends; we gotta stick together after all, we are Jinchūriki." Everyone else in the group didn't know what he was talking about." Kyūbi is someone you should treat as your friend; I'm just giving you this piece of advice if you do so, he will reveal his true name to you sooner; I sense that you too have a bond, but it could get stronger. Know this, my friend: if you ever need any help with any training with your partner, just let me know." He wanted to take him up on his offer."I find this host insufferable." Kyūbi said with annoyance.

"Well, your host is the first ever to treat you like a person; it's a start, Kyuubi." He didn't want to hear it from the Eight Tails, Naruto figured he was too prideful to admit that he was blushing in embarrassment. "I hope one day our villages can be on friendly terms, but until that day comes, unfortunately, it'd be better for all parties involved if you were to leave." Darui said respectfully to everyone in his group. The Cloud Nin turned their backs on them and headed home. There's so much Naruto has learned on this journey to this village and he realizes how little he knew about the world, how small he felt.

Hinata approached everyone. Naruto could tell she looked horrified by something, but he didn't know what it was. Nothing was said, and the Konoha ninja went in the opposite direction. They headed home, but Naruto couldn't help but wonder if something sinister was at work.

"Excellent impressive most impressive you have done well"Danzo said praisingly the woman took off her mask one of the rare time she did her hair was long red features of the Uzumaki clan she was a woman that was in her 40s though by her appearance because of her genetics she looked like she was in her early twenties. Her face cannot be seen by anyone but Danzo."so what is the next phase of our plan Danzo Sama?"the redhead woman." The Chunin exams are a perfect opportunity for us to enact the plan I have had planned for decades it's perfect with the failure in the Sapphire village and Hinata Hyuga openly accusing the Hokage of negligence. I say that we have the final pieces to replacing that fool and putting his foolish ideology in the dustbin of History"he heard a chuckle he was from none other than Orochimaru himself.

"I'll finally be able to kill that foolish sense of mine. Just remember Donzo, this alliance only exists to further our goals; there is nothing else. As soon as you betray me, our alliance, you know the consequences. Don't you? That genjutsu was my invention, and do not forget I am the reason why you have gotten as far as you did. You are nothing without me."

Danzo was angry just hearing those words, but he wasn't wrong.

"It's quite a shame you didn't get Hinata to join you when you had the chance; she would have been perfect to do something about the Hyuuga. They've been a little too ambitious lately, for their own good."

He heard another one of his followers say: "He would deal with them in time after he was the Hokage."

He would make it law: "Those below Chunin would have the curse seal placed on them. They would exist to serve those who are worthy."

He would use the birdcage seal from the Hyuuga clan on everyone in Konoha that did not conform. That was his goal.

"I must prepare for our plan to come to fruition. The exams will start in a few weeks, so see you then."

Orochimaru disappeared. He was alone with the red-haired woman; it was times like these that he was grateful for the foolishness of the Uchihas. Had it not been for that, he would not have acquired such a powerful asset who was loyal to him and him alone.

"What is your bidding, Danzo-sama?" asked the woman. "Keep an eye on Naruto and Hinata; make sure they don't do anything that endangers the village. Use whatever means necessary; you know your orders." She disappeared from his sight. Decades of patience; decades of planning; decades of setbacks; it would all come to pass; it had to.

There is nothing that can get in his way; not even a fool can stop him from getting what is his by right: what he should have had for the very start, the Hokage seat it had been denied from him for too long; he would get what should have been his. Patience is what got him as far as it did, and patience is what would ultimately lead him to victory.

Kanna was far away from the Sapphire village; her most loyal followers were by her side. The konoha Ninja coming was fate. The descendant of Madara was with them. As she stood now she was not strong enough there was much she did not know 70 years had passed even if a lot of her power she still possessed there was a lot of it she still didn't due to the seals in her eyes. She had to bind her time and find out the current affairs of the world as it stood now. She was powerful but there was others that were still stronger as long as her eyes were sealed.

"What do we do now mother?"asked a girl from earlier who looked around the age of 16."right now we wait my dear there's a lot I do not know about this era and I cannot take any action unless I know the changes that have been made to this world. The only thing I do know is my children in the Uchiha clan are dead and I will find out who killed them so I can punish those responsible that is my goal for the time being"the others were taken aback. They were surprised at her hatred. The Legends have said that she was a kind and benevolent woman.

"Your will will be done mother"she walked with her followers for now she will wait the people she wants the most on her side is her descendant and Madara's but that was for the future the present was about fighting a safe place where she could recover her strength after being asleep for 70 years and learning about the current tides of the world.

She was walking alongside Asuma and Kurenai the debriefing had started. They reported everything that had happened on the mission as it happened. The evidence pointing that it was Konoha that was responsible the Hokage looked like it he had aged; he sat there and silence as they explained everything. When they stopped he spoke "then it is as I feared the sapphire village will ask for protection from the land of lightning and there's nothing we can do about it without starting a war this is bad"yes it was having part of the land of fire territory annexed by its neighbor this was going to look really bad on the Hokage someone was going to use that against him and she knew who it was.

"So what do we do, Hokage-sama?" asked Kurenai.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for now. You should all prepare your students for the upcoming Chunin Exams. Soon, they will be asked if they would like to enter. It'll be up to you all to recommend them to the Chunin Exams. That's why I would recommend you stay as close to the village as possible. You're all dismissed." Kurenai and Asuma left, leaving Hinata and the Hokage alone.

"I heard what happened on the mission Hinata"she did not want to be told it wasn't her fault again she was sick of hearing about that."I'm not going to tell you it wasn't your fault that's not why I want to talk to you alone that jitsu I want to hear a report what did it do to you what did it bring out what I was told it brought out emotions in you a part of yourself that you had suppressed genjutsu can do various things to people's minds but never what it did to you can you explain what happened?"Hinata didn't want to think about the jitsu it was horrible she heard voices she was experiencing memories all at once that she was consumed with rage.

That's not all: the curse mark on her neck almost consumed her, and if it hadn't been for the seal, the second curse mark would have engulfed her and killed everyone if she entered her second curse mark state. The seal was weakened; she knew this, and she knew the Hokage would bring it up.

"The jitsu brought repressed memories to the surface. I heard voices telling me I was a failure. I was worthless among other things. I'd rather not discuss"

The old man looked at her understandingly."I understand, but this jitsu is dangerous. You have a strong resistance against genjutsu; it should not have done what it did to you. Someone must have trained you very well, as you are. You were trained by genjutsu masters; you should not have been reduced to the state that you were reported to be in. It has to be some sort of new weapon that an enemy developed, like a ninja tool or something."

Hinata thought about that, but she couldn't see what kind of weapon it was that was used on her.

"I can't tell you anything more than I've told you. I don't know if I did, I would have told you everything in the reports. I don't know any countermeasures against this Jitsu, assuming it's a jutsu at all. Not some sort of toxin than enemy injected in my bloodstream. I just don't know."

The truth is no one knew, and that's what terrified her the most about this Jitsu. " You must stay in the village with your team and focus on training them for the time being. We've taken your blood, we will see if there was anything in your bloodstream. In the meantime, stay in the village and I will have to take a look at the seal on your neck see if it's compromised what I've heard in the reports it almost engulfed you."

He approached her and examined the mark on her neck."I will have Kakashi reseal the curse mark later; it's too dangerous for you to leave the village. Until I know it's safe, you are forbidden to leave the village."

This was not a request, it was an order.

"I will do as you ask, Hokage-sama"Hinata bowed respectfully and left.

Hiruzen thought when things were getting worse, they got even worse. He looked at all the reports that the council would use against him, as well as the civilian council. He couldn't help but feel like someone was conspiring to remove him from power; he would have gladly stepped down if he had someone else he could trust to take on the mantle of Hokage. But there was no one in the village he trusted. Everyone else was either inexperienced or not someone he would trust with the job. There was only one person he would choose, but he knew he would never want to be the Hokage in the first place.

"I know you're there, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya made little effort to hide his amusement.

"Oh, Sensei. You take things a little too seriously; you have to live a little. Relax."

He knew he was only lightening up the mood; he was hiding what he was truly feeling from out in the open. There were eyes and ears everywhere; damn those counselors.

"Make it quick Jiraiya, why are you back here?"he handed him a piece of paper he knew it was written in code so whatever he was truly saying was something he would have to decode himself."I'll make sure to keep an eye on him and make sure he hasn't do anything foolish"Hiruzen was concerned Hinata could look after Naruto herself she was certainly doing better than he was much to his shame.

"You know I wouldn't be shocked if those two end up together one day"Jiraiya said as a joke."don't joke about something like that" Hiruzen said annoyed."I know the early signs sensei history will repeat itself. I just know it if they're anything like Minato and Kushina it will happen. I'm not a betting man but I believe it will." The idea of Naruto and Hinata getting together was ridiculous but that's what everyone said about Minato and Kushina when the early signs of Minato being in love with his sensei was open.

"Will you take care of Naruto?" he asked his former student. "Of course. After all, he's the closest thing I have to a grandson." When he heard that, he felt terrible, but then disregarded it quickly. He couldn't focus on how the past could have been different; he could only focus on the present. "You need to be careful. Root is going to make its move soon." He knew exactly what Orochimaru and Danzo were up to. He had no proof that they were collaborating. Absolutely no proof, and that's what frustrated him the most. He should have killed them when he had the chance. He should have completely dismantled Root, but he felt powerless.

"Damn those elders if they didn't constantly block everything I did, we could have done something about him a long time ago."

Hiruzen said contemptuously; he hated them.

"Watch your back, Sensei, and I will make sure to keep an eye on Naruto." Jiraiya left; he couldn't help but feel that no matter what happened in the next few months, he would step down as Hokage. He would have to; one way or another, there was only one person he could trust - maybe another one, but she has no faith in the will of fire anymore. But those are his only options.

"Tsunade! I wish you were here!" He pushed his thoughts aside for now; he couldn't think about the future. He had to think about the present and prepare for what's to come.

"We can't leave this village until further notice, this sucks," Naruto said irritated. "Whatever," Sasuke said not caring one way or the other. "How am I going to earn money in the meantime?" Kagome asked Hinata. "It's out of my hands; I'm sorry." They were all disappointed that they were stuck but nothing could be done. "Here; it isn't much, but it should help." Hinata gave some of her money Kagome, which shocked her as it was more than she could ever make in three months with her current rank. "I don't want your charity, Sensei." She said respectfully.

"I have to look after my students, you're not as financially fluent as my other students here. I'm just trying to help in whatever way I can."

It was difficult for her to accept all of her life; she had to work hard for everything. This felt like a lot of money to her.

"Thank you," she said genuinely.

"Let's go somewhere nice for once,"Naruto suggested."I'd rather eat at home,"Kagome said," not wanting to spend money that was just given to her on a restaurant."I can make you all home food, it's not a problem,"said Hinata. She wasn't going to deny homemade food especially if someone was offering."of course first I'm going to drop this money off at home and I'll be right there."she left her team along with her sensei.

She headed home. Her mother was happy to see her, so she hugged her.

"Oh, my dear daughter! I'm so glad you're home and safe. What is it that you have in your hand?"

She showed her all the money that was given to her by her sensei.

"I'd like to meet her one of these days." Kagome here, have some of this. You deserve it."

She couldn't deny anything her mother said, so she took the money reluctantly.

Her mother couldn't deny anything her mother said, didn't want to, she wanted to make her mother happy so she took the money reluctantly.

She headed back to where her team was. They were waiting for her.

"So, where are we going, Hinata-sensei?" Naruto asked her.

"I have to go home and make you lunch. I'll return to the training grounds in an hour. Please don't be late. Hinata took off from the group and left them alone."

"Hinata-sensei is making us lunch; I wonder what it tastes like."

Naruto thought dreamily, of course, he had to show that he had an obvious crush on their sensei. It would be endearing if it weren't annoying. "Whatever, I'm not complaining about food that I'm not paying for."

Sasuke said, hiding that he was looking forward to eating what their Sensei was cooking.

"So what are we going to do in the meantime?" asked Sasuke to Kagome.

"What we should have done from the very start is simply talking." They both looked at her as if she had said something strange.

"What?" She said, annoyed. "You can be pretty cute when you act nice." The girl blushed a deep shade of red; she wanted to punch Naruto for saying something so stupid.

"What the hell does that mean?" Sasuke was laughing.

"You're laughing too, moron?"

"Relax, it's just a compliment" Naruto said, trying to cool the tension.

"Whatever", she said, embarrassed, doing her best not to admit this out loud, but she was starting to enjoy Naruto's presence. However, she would never tell that, especially in front of Sasuke or Hinata.

It had been a while since Hinata made lunch for anyone. She went to her cabinet and looked in her fridge. Then she started cooking. It wasn't anything fancy. She was making enough for four people and a little extra for seconds. One of the things she enjoyed doing was cooking. She was good at it, and anyone who has ever had her cooking always compliments how great she is. It's her way of trying to bond with her students and let them bond just by having a simple activity like eating together. She wishes she would have done this from the start; perhaps Kagome would have respected her sooner.

She didn't like the fact that she was forced to stay in Konoha but there was nothing that could be done about that due to the potential danger that the jutsu that she was exposed to had. She wasn't sure if there was anything in her bloodstream.

After an hour of careful preparation, she finished the lunch she was preparing for her students. It was a simple lunch: rice rolls with teriyaki sauce on the side. She put a few other things on the side as well, such as a few cinnamon rolls. After she was done, she put all of her students' lunches along with her own in a few containers and left her apartment.

While she was walking, she saw a couple who looked around the same age (of 12-13). They were laughing.

She remembers a different time in a different life; it feels like a lifetime ago before she lost her faith in people before she had lost the ability to smile and laugh.

5 years 6 months before the Uchiha clan massacre

Hinata was waiting for Itachi, who had returned from a mission. She was excited to reveal that she had been promoted to Chunin. It was on her first try, in the Chunin exams. She wore the vest she wanted to tell him. She waited for him at their usual spot. When she saw him approaching, the one person who could bring a smile to her face, it was him. She felt her heart beating just being near him; he was one of the few people she felt completely open with. They had known each other for a long time.

"I'm happy for you you're closer to your dream"Itachi said with a genuine smile."yes but I hope I don't get in the way. I know how much being the Hokage means to you"the older boy looked up in the sky."I think you would be a better Hokage than I would ever be, you're kind and gentle, it's something our village can use. I'm nothing like you Hina."when he called her by her childhood nickname, and nowadays she felt butterflies in her stomach. Something about the way he said it he was her best friend her he was something much more she was afraid of telling him.

"With you by my side, I believe I can accomplish anything, Itachi-kun."

Hinata said with emotion she was afraid to bring out openly.

"What is it that you're saying?" he asked her.

"Well, if I become the Hokage, you could become my 'shadow' Hokage."

That's not what she wanted to say, but she couldn't tell him her feelings.

"Are you sure that's your real feelings? Hinata, it's not like you to lie."

She looked away; he was able to see through her.

"Maybe I want something else. Maybe I want you to be my 'side' always."

She was afraid of telling him her feelings, afraid of his rejection.

My family would never approve and neither would yours"Hinata she knew they wouldn't but she didn't care."I don't care they cannot control who I hold in my heart Itachi Kun"he looked surprised by what she was saying."Do you know what you're saying? Do you have any idea?"he asked her the last time they spoke about each other's feelings. He didn't believe her when she confessed to him."My answer is the same: I love you, Itachi." Itachi wrapped his arms around her their face was inches from each other.

He kissed her, and she returned his kiss with the same passion he started to remove her vest. "Are you sure you want this?" Itachi asked her. "More than anything," she said to him without hesitation. He kissed her again with more passion and then, before he started to remove more of her clothing, it was all a flash to her. She was on top of him. The look of love in his eyes was almost as if the world stopped just for them. "Are you sure you want this, Hinata?" Itachi asked her. "I've taken birth control; we're fine." She knew they were young, and many people would condemn them, but to her, it didn't matter.

Later

She looked up at the sky with her lover. The act of lovemaking was nothing like she could imagine. She thought he was so kind to her; he was her ideal man, someone she would love to spend the rest of her life with.

"This has been a wonderful night, Hinata. I will forever ingrain this in my soul."

The way he said it was with a tone of sadness.

"What's wrong, Itachi-kun? You're scaring me."

He smiled sadly at her; she wondered what he was hiding.

"No matter what happens do not change who you are you're kind and gentle nature that is your strength it's not a weakness it's your kindness and gentleness is why I fell in love with you."she leaned on his chest she didn't know why he was saying this."I would burn the world for you Hinata you and Sasuke are the most precious people to me and I would burn this village too if it meant keeping you safe"she was touched by this but something Disturbed her.

"I don't want you to become a monster, Itachi-kun, I love you the way you are." There was nothing but silence between them. "I gotta go; don't forget my words." Itachi left her there as he went on his mission.

She felt a tear fall through her eye. Why did she have to think about Itachi as much as she hates him Her feelings have never gone away. She had never told anyone other than her friends that were closest to her. that she loved Itachi Uchiha it was a secret she buried it deep down she never wanted to tell anyone her love blinded her had she not been in love with him she could have stopped him she could have saved everyone in the Uchiha clan that was killed. She feels partially responsible for Sasuke's suffering if only she had taken action sooner if only. She wondered deep down did he truly loved her or was that a lie?

Why did she think about Itachi all of a sudden? Why has she been thinking about him a lot lately? Ever since that mission in the sapphire village, she's been thinking about the boy she loved once. The one she would have married, but all of that is in her heart now is hatred for the one who betrayed her, the one who betrayed the village, the one who betrayed everything that he stood for, what she stood for.

No matter how many years had passed she thought she had moved on from Itachi she thought that she could put the past behind her no matter how hard she tries no matter how much she hates him the love she feels towards him has not gone away. She was once told that love and hate are the same side of the same coin that you can love and hate someone at the same time. It made no sense to her until she fell in love and grew to hate the man that she loved.

She had to clear her thoughts so she couldn't let her students see her like this. She had to appear strong to project an image of strength. She buried deep inside of her the love that she once held for Itachi. She would never let her self fall in love again; she made that promise when he killed his own family and clan. It doesn't matter who the person is, she cannot allow another in her heart. She hasn't told a single soul about her love affair with Itachi and she never will if she has anything to say about it.

"Man, what's taking so long? This is boring."

Naruto said as they played Truth or Dare for the second time.

"Be patient; she'll be here when she gets here."

Said Sasuke, irritated at Naruto not being quiet.

"It's not that bad; she'll be here any minute."

Said Kagome, as if he could summon her. Hinata walked towards them; she had four containers.

"Wow, whatever you have there, it smells good." said Naruto, who was eager to eat what she made.

Kagome didn't see the big deal; food is just food to her, but she couldn't help but agree with Naruto that it did smell good. She imagined what it would taste like; it wasn't often she got a chance to taste high-quality food.

They all sat across from each other, in a circle, they all sat cross-legged.

"Thank you, Sensei," said Naruto, who was eager to eat what she made.

Kagome took a bite. It was difficult for her to imagine tasting food that's good. She was a good cook as good as her mother, if not better. Though she would never say that out loud, "thank you sensei," Kagome said sincerely. "It's not a problem; I love cooking." This is one thing she didn't think she would expect to learn about her sensei, someone from a prestigious clan who could literally hire a cook who loves cooking themselves? This woman kept amazing her. She couldn't help but feel like she misjudged her.

"I'm sorry Sensei for how I've been acting"she apologized Hinata dismissed it."it's okay my failure to understand where you're coming from is my own failing respect is something that is earned not given just because someone is of higher rank doesn't mean they deserve respect they have to earn that respect by their deeds. I didn't do that when I took you under my wing at first I hope to rectify that failure."Hinata was sincere, she understood why Naruto liked her so much. She was not like the others, very humble and respectful. Why wasn't she like that openly? Why is her personality so inconsistent?

"How come you don't act like this more? Why do you hide who you truly are?"Kagome asked her both Sasuke and Naruto were surprised that she would ask her such a question."old habits die hard I suppose my training from my clan"she said with hesitation she did not have a good relationship with her clan that's what she gathered with her relationship with Hanabi. She was not going to ask because of how personal it was of her relationship with her clan.

"You know better than anyone here Kagome that a lot is expected from us. Failure is less tolerated if you're a woman. So being cold is almost always expected of women. Men are more free to be who they are." This made sense to Kagome. She had no interest in ever being a top ninja. "That's bullshit. You should be whoever you want to be. It's not like it's getting in your way of your job." Naruto was not happy to learn just what he learned.

"It's the way things are when you're a woman with no connections whether it's through a wealthy family or a clan. I hope to change that when I become Hokage. People will get their positions because they earned it, not because of family connections. Women will be able to get promoted because they are qualified or have earned it; they won't be passed over for their less qualified male counterparts because of their sex. There's other things I would change but it would take too much time to explain."She couldn't help but look at her differently, being the Hokage is quite an ambitious goal.

"I would support you the whole way Hinata sensei. I would definitely love to serve under you if you were ever the Hokage,"

Naruto said to her.

"but you have dreams of being Hokage too, would you really be willing to give that up?"

Hinata asked him.

"I would just be the seventh Hokage or the eighth. I would be able to wait my turn."

Naruto said with a confidence that she couldn't help but admire.

"isn't it premature to even talk about a seventh Hokage? We haven't even gotten a fifth Hokage yet."

Sasuke pointed out.

"come on, we all know sooner or later the current Hokage is going to step down. A fifth Hokage is inevitable."

What Naruto said was true: it was inevitable, in fact, a fifth Hokage not being chosen by now was unusual. What was holding back the current Hokage from retiring? He was pushing 70; it would only be a matter of time.

"Even if a fifth Hokage is chosen, I doubt our Sensei would be the fifth. She needs more experience she is likely be the Sixth Hokage if anything."

Sasuke pointed out to Naruto.

"Yeah, that's what I mean. I mean, I'm patient. I'll be Hokage eventually."

Hinata smiled.

"Stepping down as Hokage to give the title to you. What a day that would be! Everyone laughed at the idea of their sensei giving Naruto the mantle of Hokage."

"Well, first, I would like to be a dad for at least 10 or 15 years. That comes first before becoming Hokage."

This surprised everyone.

"What?"

Naruto looked at everyone who was giving him a strange look.

"Of all the things Parenthood is what you would do before becoming Hokage, you are a strange one, Naruto."

Kagome couldn't help but point that out."More than being Hokage, I wish to have a family. Is there anything wrong with that?"Everyone was silent at Naruto's question."No, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that."

Hinata said to him. This felt awkward. She felt like she was in a conversation she shouldn't be engaged in, so she decided to change the topic quickly. Sasuke noticed as well.

"So what are we planning on doing? Since we can't go on missions right now," asked Sasuke as he finished the meal that she made for him. Hinata took a bite out of her cinnamon roll and answered, "Training. Not today; we're going to relax and bond as a team and as friends." Kagome has never made friends with anyone in many years. It is difficult. Would it be so bad to have someone to talk to and connect to? It feels so lonely.

"I wouldn't mind that sensei," she admitted out loud. "I would love to get to know you all better. Until this point, I've kept you at arm's length out of fear. I failed Sakura; she died because of me. Because of my poor choices and because I didn't connect with her, it will haunt me to the end of my days." She was way too kind. Kagome thought someone like this couldn't possibly be Hokage.

"It wasn't your fault," Kagome told her.

"but how can you say you weren't there?" Hinata said her voice on the verge of breaking.

"because anything can happen on a mission; there are decisions we all have to make sometimes impossible ones that won't always turn out the way we want them to. Honestly, up until this point, I felt guilty. I asked if someone else hadn't died to give me this chance, where would I be, where would my mother be? I feel guilty. If she wasn't dead, I wouldn't be here with you. I lied to myself saying I don't care that she died, good riddance, it gives me a chance to be something to help my mother, but this feeling, the tears were falling through her eyes; she had been suppressing it for the whole time. The burden."

"I'm a terrible person, awful." She covered her face with her hands.

Before she could say anything, she felt arms wrap around her. It was Hinata, her sensei, who did it. She felt tears she couldn't control them due to the guilt that she was feeling over Sakura's death.

"It's okay. You're not a bad person, Kagome. You're doing what you can for your mother. You've sacrificed your own happiness and dreams just to take care of your mother. You're not a bad person."

Hearing it from someone else is different.

"You don't have to hide it anymore, Kagome. We're friends, aren't we?" asked Naruto.

"The dope says some stupid things a lot of the time, but he's right on this one. Let it go."

Her friends; it feels good to say that word out loud. Her sensei; she was so kind.

"Thank you". There was silence, breaking down barriers at this lunch gathering, changing everything about Team 7. They were no longer disgruntled kids; they were friends. Kagome finally had a place to belong. The coldness that had engulfed her heart for so long, the cold heart that she tried to build, the facade was broken.

Even though she was able to be open to Naruto and Sasuke, part of her still can't look at Hinata without feeling hatred towards her for what happened to Sakura. She feels guilty for feeling this way. It wasn't her fault but part of her can't help it think at the back of her mind that had it not been for Hinata Sakura would still be alive.

A week had passed since Kagome showed her vulnerable side to everyone. She was far more open with her team she smiled more. Instead of being argumentative she bantered with her teammates Naruto and Sasuke even though they couldn't go on a mission it was beneficial that they didn't they train together along with Hinata who helped them train in areas they struggled with.

Hinata helps Naruto with his chakra control and how to use his techniques that he learned from the scrolls almost 3 months ago. Sasuke trained mostly on his own when he was done with his own training he often sparred with Naruto and Kagome. While they were training by themselves Hinata reconnected with her sister Hanabi what she was doing now.

It was hard for them to speak at first due to them barely talking for almost a decade. Finding something to talk about was a challenge they started simply by talking about what they were doing. They were at a tea shop, sitting in the back, hoping not to draw attention from anyone. It was not a fancy place; she went there from time to time with her friends. It was also a place for her to relax when she wasn't on missions, but she didn't go there lately because of her training with her team.

"How's your team?" Hinata asked her sister.

"They're doing fine." She picked up that's something was eating at her and it had to do with the mission that she was on in the sapphire village. "What's wrong ?" Hinata asked she knew what was bothering her, but she had to ask in order to voice what was truly eating at her.

"Does it ever get easier?" Hanabi asked. Hinata remembered the first time she took a life. That was when she was 12. It was so many years ago; she can't even remember who she was back then. A different person, with little confidence, a burden on her teammates.

"No, it doesn't." Hinata answered.

"I don't understand. We're supposed to be Shinobi. How can it not get easier with time? We're supposed to have hearts of steel. Emotions have no place for a ninja."

She didn't like where this was going.

"Propaganda bullshit by the root"

Hinata said with contempt.

"But it's true. You've been going on missions since you were 12 and you're now a Jōnin. How can you say that isn't true?"

She's been wrestling with that for 7 years.

"There's been plenty of people who have kept their humanity and still are Shinobi. We're not machines."

Hinata said in disagreement.

"You say that, but you've killed hundreds since the age of 12. You say it doesn't get easier, yet what I hear from your reputation is that you're ruthless and desensitized to the deaths you've caused. How can it not get easier?" Her sister asked, generally wanting to know.

"I've killed hundreds, yes, that's true, but I don't enjoy it; it doesn't get easier for me. I kill because if I don't, I will die, or those that I'm supposed to protect will die, or my comrades will die. I do what is necessary. We all have different ways of dealing with it. I deal with it by training others; they deal with it in different ways. Not everyone is suited for this kind of life."

Hinata told her sister, giving her the cold-hearted reality of what it truly means to be a ninja.

"I don't understand why we're supposed to be tools, but how can we be tools if we have feelings? Emotions have no place for a ninja, but the only way we could be is if we shed our humanity. You cannot say that roots don't have merit."

Hanabi said in disagreement.

"Root is where sociopaths are made. The kind of horrific things that organization does, in order to be part of it, you have to strip everything that makes you human. I almost joined that organization. If I did, I don't know where I would be. People that I once knew changed into different people after they joined the organization. It is not something I can endorse."Hinata shivers when she thinks about the people that had changed in the kind of person she could have become.

It created a monster like Itachi, a sociopath and psychopath who were attracted to that organization. That was the main reason she wanted nothing to do with it after the Uchiha clan massacre.

She didn't want to have this debate. She wanted to reconnect with her sister. Not having a discussion about the political landscape of the village was what she had in mind.

"I'm sorry, but everyone in the clan tells me to get over it. It's all part of being a Shinobi. I can't help but feel like I'm becoming something I don't want to become."

Hinata understands Hanabi very well.

"Well, the clan views everything as a weakness if it doesn't conform to their doctrine." Hinata said bitterly.

"Sis, I know you and the clan don't have good relations, but it's always been our way." She didn't care; she hated her clan and everything it represented.

"That's the problem with the clan. Everything about it is about preserving the Byakugan. It doesn't value our humanity if we're not born into the main branch. We might as well be cannon fodder sent to the slaughter." She had never talked about her bitterness towards the clan with anyone except her sister.

"You could help change the clan," she didn't want to hear it."What so they can control my life, so they can force me who I can and can't marry? So the clan can dictate what my dreams should be? I don't care about the clan; let it rot for all I care." She didn't care if she showed her contempt for the clan; Hanabi was her sister, and she wasn't going to sugarcoat how she felt.

"You don't sound much different from Neji. It's frightening in a way. She didn't really want to hear about what happened; hearing about Neji reminds her of the day her mother died. "It should have been you that died." The only thing she remembers is her father's hateful words after her mother's death. The only thing that comforted her during those years was her childhood friend Itachi and her love. But he ended up betraying her and the village in the end. "You should still try to reconcile with our clan. You can help change it. I can't do it alone. You are our father's." She didn't want to hear that. She wanted nothing to do with her father's legacy or his clan. It could all burn.

"The only reason we are speaking Hanabi is because you are my sister, and my students want me to have a connection with you, but that's as far as I will go. I will not connect with the clan. It is your clan, not mine."

"There was an awkward silence before Hanabi spoke." Then, "Why do you use our clan's name? Why do you use the gentle fist then? You can't deny who you are. You are a Hyuga." This is where this conversation was inevitably going to lead to; she had to make her point clear.

"I don't have a choice in the matter. Without the name, I have no chance of becoming the Hokage. I only use the name for name recognition and as for the Gentle Fist, it's just a weapon."

Hinata's words angered Hanabi.

"Don't you have any pride in our clan?"

Hinata took a deep breath; she wasn't going to snap. She was trying to build her relationship with her estranged sister, but it was hard.

"You would not understand, you didn't hear those words your father told me, if you did you would understand why I want nothing to do with the clan. I was looked upon as nothing more than a failure. Why would I want anything to do with a clan that looks at me as a failure? All my success up until this point has been due to my own merit; I worked hard for everything and those fuckers still can't see me as anything more than a failure. Then you came along; they chose you to be your father's successor. I have to work hard for everything. I have Hanabi and I have to depend on others to give a good word just to get a promotion; you don't know how harsh this world is to women; you don't know if. I was a man; I wouldn't have to use the Hyuga name, but I have to because it's the only way I'll be taken seriously; because nobody's going to take me seriously who aims to be the Hokage if I was just some nobody with no connections."

The normally soft-spoken woman doesn't normally raise her voice, then she realized she was causing a scene.

"I'm sorry for causing a disturbance."

She paid her tab and left, along with her sister who followed her to her apartment. Her sister noticed someone else was living with her.

"Is Naruto living with you?" she asked.

"He moved in a few days ago. I wasn't going to let him live in that shit hole he'd been living in for most of his life." She sat down on the couch, while Hanabi looked at her in the eye.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier," Hanabi apologized apologetically. "I'm sorry I keep forgetting that you're not like the others in the clan; you're my sister. I'm sorry this isn't easy for me. These feelings of bitterness I can't get rid of overnight; I'm trying. I really am. It's just…"

Her sister looked at her with understanding.

"I'm the one who should apologize for not even trying to understand where you're coming from. You don't have to tell me anything that happened that day. I don't want you to cut me off because we just started connecting again. I'm a screw-up; I feel like we haven't made any progress since the mission."

Hinata didn't agree."I don't agree the fact that we are talking is progress; it's going to take us time. We should just talk about something else, something that won't upset us both." She waited for her sister's response.

"Why not just watch a movie or something?" she suggested.

"I don't know what movie to watch." she took the remote and turned on the television.

"We'll just watch whatever is on, hoping it isn't some boring-ass drama." Hinata laughed. It was so much like her sister; she would likely want to watch an action movie. She didn't care for those; she preferred horror movies, but this was her sister's time.

What surprised Hinata was that her sister didn't choose an action movie like she thought; she chose a comedy horror film. Hinata didn't think her sister was into horror movies, but then again, she hadn't spoken to her in almost a decade. There were so many things about her sister that Hinata didn't know; she felt such aching in her heart that she had lost so much time with her sister. What else did she miss out on? Hinata wanted so badly to try to be a good sister, but it was so hard; it was a struggle.

She saw Naruto come home. He waved to Hanabi, "What are you watching?" Naruto asked them. "Oh, we're watching a horror movie. I think it's a little scary for a kid like you," Hanabi teased. "I'm not scared of some damn horror movie." Naruto said defensively. Hearing her sister and her student banter, it felt good. It kept her mind off of what she was thinking about. "How was your day, Naruto?" Hinata asked him.

"I was fine, a little boring though we barely did anything today except train."

Hinata of course left her students to themselves for the day. It was a decision on her part due to her wanting to spend time with her sister before the Chunin exams.

"I'll make some dinner for both of you," Hinata said as she looked at Naruto and her sister. She went to the kitchen and started to get to work. It would take a bit for her to cook, but it was something that she wanted to do at the moment to keep her mind off of what her and Hanabi talked about earlier.

As Hinata left for the kitchen, Hanabi couldn't help but observe Naruto. She had heard rumors of Naruto having a crush on her sister. It was becoming obvious that it wasn't just a shallow crush like it was on Sakura. It was something else entirely. The very fact that her sister took Naruto in and put him in her apartment so he would have a better place to live showed how much she cared about him. He was only an infant when Kushina and Minato died. She was close to them; they were like family to her. Had things been different, she would have been Naruto's babysitter.

"Dinner's ready for both of you, Hanabi. Eat your food before it gets cold."

Hanabi didn't need to be told twice. She sat at the table, Hinata sat across from Naruto. Hanabi sat on the other side of the table. There were no words between them. She ate the food her sister made, but she couldn't help but notice the look Naruto gave her sister. He savored the food that she made, for what she had heard about him, he just ate fast and ate like a pig. But what she saw from Naruto, he didn't do that regarding her sister. In fact, when it came to her sister, Naruto went out of his way not to do the things that he was once guilty of. They talked about what they did for the day; she paid close attention. Her sister wasn't aware of it, but she was.

Naruto, who talked about his teammates and what they did for the day, but what surprised her most of all was the way he talked to her sister. Naruto, for what she could see in his eyes, this was not a crush; he felt towards her sister. It was something deeper than that, and Hinata didn't notice she was oblivious to the boy possibly being in love with her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Thanks for the food, Hinata-sensei. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Naruto asked her.

"Of course. Make sure to get some rest, Naruto."

He got up from his chair and washed his dishes and went into his room.

When he was out of earshot, Hanabi had to make a comment. "Wow! Under a short amount of time, he is definitely changed; you have a good influence on him, sister." Hanabi praised her. "I just do what I can; all his life, he has never experienced love or friendship. I just wanted to make up for my failure to live up to my promise I made to his parents." This was more than a promise; it was not Hanabi's business.

Naruto played a big role in her sister and her talking again she'll forever be grateful to him for doing that. One day she couldn't help but smile. He may end up being her brother-in-law though the likelihood of having another Minato and Kushina would be considered unlikely but nobody could fool the eyes of a Hyuga.

"I'll see you later, Hinata. I have to go."

Hanabi said as she walked toward the door before closing it. She placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry about earlier today."

Hinata said. Hanabi shrugged. "Don't worry about it, sis. It's difficult for both of us, and it will take time. Thank you for not cutting me completely from your life."

They said nothing for a moment. "Come by anytime."

Hinata said, offering her a chance to spend more time with her. "Of course I'll do just that. See you around."

She opened the door and closed it. She knew her father wouldn't be pleased that she was out so late, but she didn't care. She wouldn't waste any opportunity she had with her sister.

The elders can go to hell; she won't cut her sister out of her life, especially when her sister is willing to let her in. She'll forever be grateful to Naruto for giving them a second chance at being a family. She hopes one day she can have that with Neji; she doesn't know if the likelihood of that happening is very high.

"Good you have improved, Naruto" Hinata said proudly. Her private lessons with Naruto have started to pay off. His chakra control was a lot better than it was prior to her instruction. "It's all because I have a great teacher, Hinata-sensei." He wasn't wearing his usual yellow and orange jumpsuit; he was wearing black training gear that she provided for him. Since living with her, she had given him many things he never had before, such as more clothes, healthier meals. Some were thinking she was overstepping, but she didn't agree. She was fulfilling a promise she had made to Naruto's mother.

"Things have only gotten better since you became my Sensei Hinata. I live in a better apartment. I have friends and I eat healthier even though I still love ramen. It's nice to know when I come home that I have someone who cares about me."

His smile is infectious, she had to admit.

There are many things I want to tell you Naruto that you deserve to know. I just don't know how to approach it.

Naruto looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked her. She knows she could get in trouble for this, but Naruto she felt deserved to know. She had waited to tell him so that he could build his trust. However, she knew it was now or never; if she didn't tell him, it would only make things worse for them later, when he finds out the truth on his own.

"There are things I know Naruto about your parents, even though I was a little girl when they passed away." She couldn't tell what was In Naruto's eyes, she couldn't tell what his expression was. She was scared.

"You knew them?" Naruto asked softly.

"Your mother was like a second mother to me, and your father was the closest thing I ever had to a father. I modeled myself after them." She waited for Naruto's response; the next few seconds would determine everything about their relationship.

"How come you haven't told me sooner?"

Naruto asked, trying to remain calm.

"I wanted to gain your trust first. I mean, there's the law in Konoha about not telling you until you come of age, but I don't think it's right. Those who don't follow the rules are scum, but I think those who hide things from their friends are worse than scum. It was never my intention to hide anything from you, Naruto. Please believe me."

She was scared; she hoped she didn't permanently lose his respect.

"I understand that I don't like it, but I understand." Naruto said as he walked away. Hinata decided to give him some space for now before pressing the issue further.

Naruto was alone in the place that he usually went when he was upset Hinata kept a secret from him she knew his parents she actually talked to them she actually was around them even if they died when she was young it was not fair. "How can she keep something like that from me?"he said to no one in particular then he heard Kyubi speak.

"You know you are an idiot, I can feel negative energy, whatever anyone is hostile to you. I never felt anything from Hinata that is negative or hostile to you. She never lied to you; she just didn't tell you about your parents because she well, you'll have to talk to her about that; cuz I don't know what her thought process was. Think about it, kit! She gave you a better place to live, she's giving you better clothes. You have better and more healthy foods to eat now. I think her actions speak for themselves. I don't think she was malicious; fear is what prevented her from telling you." Kyuubi allowed Naruto to absorb everything he said.

"She didn't lie to me like the other adults; she never treated me with any hostility, but she always treated me with kindness. I don't know why, but I'm just jealous in a way. I wish I would have had a chance to know my parents. It feels like everyone's hiding something from me," Naruto said, thinking deeply about his life in the past three months.

"I can say this much: she cares deeply for you. She wouldn't be doing the things that she did if she didn't care about you. If you ask me, she is one of the few humans I like. Hinata Hyuga is quite a woman. She would definitely be a fine mate one day or wife whatever you humans call that thing regarding committing yourselves to each other." Kyubi said in a form of respect.

"I don't know why you insist of calling her my potential. Whatever "you mean you don't even understand your own feelings about your own woman? You're lucky she has no interest in men because you would have no chance otherwise you're just a boy"said teasingly."what the hell is that supposed to mean?"Naruto asked annoyed.

"Do you really not understand your own feelings? I'll explain them another time because she's coming."

He cut off the connection and Hinata sat next to him. She gave him a tray of food, which he took, and they started to eat. They looked at the sunset.

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized apologetically. "You have nothing to apologize for, Naruto. You did nothing wrong." He didn't agree; he felt like he wasn't being more understanding towards her.

"It's just that I'm jealous. I'm sorry you actually had a chance to be around my parents to talk to them. I never knew them."

Naruto said honestly.

"what were they like my mother and my father?"Naruto Asked Hinata.

"They were good people. Kushina-san was everything I admired in a woman. She was beautiful, and she was strong. She was also kind to those she loved and those she taught. This village's biggest crime was denying her chance to be the Hokage."

Naruto was shocked; his mother almost became the Hokage?

"What happened?" Naruto asked her.

"The civilian council, along with the elders, voted against her and placed your father in her place. I remember. I was angry as a child when that happened. That injustice is what made me want to be the Hokage. Your mother deserved it, and I have never forgiven the council for denying what should have been hers."

This was a lot for him to take in.

"My father Minato Namikaze was the fourth Hokage? It's hard to believe. But how come I don't have his last name?" Naruto asked his sensei.

"Your father had a lot of enemies. You were given your mother's maiden name to protect you." That made sense; he always wondered what Uzumaki was.

"What was my father like?" Naruto asked Hinata.

"He was kind and gentle. He was proof that you didn't need to be cold to be a Hokage. Many of the village's tragedies would have been prevented if he was still alive."

Naruto couldn't help but think about his father so much. He didn't know.

"What else do you know?" Naruto asked his sensei.

"Well, your mother was your father's sensei." This made Naruto blink. He heard Kyūbi laughing as if he found it funny.

"That's so ridiculous?" Naruto blurted out.

"How did my mother fall in love with her student? That just doesn't make sense to me. It just sounds like something straight out of a novel." Hinata laughed as if she agreed.

"I didn't understand it myself at the time, but I do know one thing: when I think about when your mother was pregnant with you, I made a promise to make sure you would be okay and wouldn't go down the wrong path. I made that promise to your mother when she asked me to take care of you in case something happened to her. I feel like I've neglected that promise until now."

Naruto understood why she had been acting the way she had since taking him under her wing.

"Thank you for telling me this. I'm not going to lie; I'm a little mad at you for not telling me this sooner, but I understand that you're a good friend, Hinata."

Naruto forgot to correct himself, and she didn't reprimand him.

"When it's just us, you don't have to call me 'sensei' Naruto.'"

Hinata said with a smile.

"If it's not a problem, can I call you 'Hinata-chan'?"

He wondered if he overstepped, but she showed no indication that he did.

"Sure, Naruto-kun."

There was a silence between them.

Naruto couldn't help but feel like their relationship had deepened.

They looked up at the sky in awe.

It would be the start of the Chunin Exams.

He hadn't heard a word if she would approve yet, but he'd know by next week.

There was one thing, however, that he wanted to do before the exam started: he was going to make her laugh and smile for real. He formed a plan starting from tomorrow; he would do Operation Make Hinata-sensei Smile. That was his goal.

Kanna Hyuga had learned a lot in the past few weeks that she had awakened the current state of the Shinobi world she was disgusted the dream that Hashirama Senju her friend his entire world's dream the will of fire was nothing more than a a flawed world that has not ended wars like it promised but made wars more likely. The amount of power of the five Great Nations them stepping on the weaker Nations this disgusted her. her children were crying out in pain. Needed her guidance they needed everything. She was in one of the ancient hideouts of the Uchiha clan it was dark she was sitting on a throne she knows it would be considered blasphemy by an Uchiha for her to sit but their clan was on the verge of Extinction thanks to Konoha

She heard footsteps of one of her children. The brown haired girl had her hair down her eyes were Blue." Momo, I have a task for you."she looked at her questioningly.""What do you wish for, mother?"She asked her"in Konoha the Chunin exams are going to begin, I want you to keep an eye on Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha."The girl looked at her confused."mother is this really what you want me to do? What about the seals on your eyes shouldn't we find a way to remo-"she cut her off gently."in time I will find it I'm not strong enough to track down the seals and I would not endanger you unnecessarily to find it my task is to keep an eye on my descendant and one of the last surviving Uchiha's Sasuke keep him safe by any means necessary. I have trained you well my daughter I've instructed you on everything that you know." Momo Got up and before she left Kanna to say one last thing."do not take unnecessarily risk avoid Orochimaru at all cost"the girl turned around and nodded in an acknowledgment and left.

She wishes she can go out with her children whose task she set to do Pacific things but she is not strong enough alone in the ancient hideout of the Uchiha clan awaiting her children's return. Rumors of her return were spreading. It's only a matter of time before they won't be able to ignore her, not even the so-called Akatsuki would be able to ignore her.

"Madara,Hashirama you are both naive fools the world is far cruel and you helped build this Shinobi system that has created more suffering. I will do what you could not and free my children from the suffering you have inflicted on them without flawed and childish ideas"she vows she will free this world from such cruelty that her misguided former friends created.

He was frustrated that it was five days before the Chunin exams, and he had nothing. He needed some help. He needed advice. He was wondering if Hanabi would be helpful.

As if his prayers could be answered, he saw her, along with her other teammates and her sensei.

"Naruto, what are you up to? Shouldn't you be with her team?" asked Kurenai, curious as to why Naruto wasn't with his team.

"Can I borrow Hanabi for a second?" Naruto asked her.

"How important is this?" Kurenai, curious about what Naruto was asking, asked.

"I can't tell you this secret only between me and Hanabi." She looks confused.

"whatever Naruto wants to talk to you about it can't take too long meet us at the training grounds when you're done talking to him."Kurenai said to her.

After her teammates left, Naruto felt confident he could talk to her.

"I was wondering if you could help me."

Naruto asked her in a pleading tone, just what was his reasoning for wanting to talk to her one-on-one? She wanted to ask him; she was a little annoyed.

"This be better important I have to train with my team Naruto." She crossed her arms and waited for his answer.

"I want to know if you would be willing to help me make Hinata laugh and smile."

Naruto turned away in embarrassment.

"Wait, what?" Hanabi asked surprised.

"You heard me. I want to know if you will help make your sister laugh and smile." She couldn't comprehend what he said; it had to be a joke. There's no way.

"You dragged me out here, just to ask me to make my sister laugh? This is ridiculous! The Chunin exams are coming soon; shouldn't you be focusing on training?" She asked, scolding him.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not backing down. I want to make her laugh and smile. I want to see what a real smile looks like on her face, not these artificial smiles that she's been giving to everyone. I want to see a real smile - a warm smile - not the one she just puts on for show. Whatever happened to her? I want her to forget about it. I'll do it myself if you're not willing to help me; it'd be a lot easier if I had help."

Naruto said with determination that he wouldn't back down.

"Naruto even if what you're saying is true and that's what your intention is there's no way you're going to make her laugh."she challenged.

"you want to get bet on that?"Naruto asked her.

"A bet you want to make a bet are you sure you want to do that what are we betting on?"Hanabi asked him curious on what he's willing to put on the line.

"I'll go without Ramen whether I win or lose if I win I'll go without Ramen for a month."going without Ramen would be torture for Naruto. She was impressed though she had to test his resolve further and increase the stakes.

"if you fail to make my sister laugh before the time limit which is the end of the day before the Chunin exams you will have to go without Ramen for 2 years."she said wondering if Naruto would really give up Ramen for that long.

"I would do it for 10 if it meant I could see her smile."Naruto challenge was he out of his mind a decade? How much did he want to bet?

"Don't be ridiculous you're willing to bet a decade of no Ramen if you fail to make her laugh why is it so damn important to you?"she asked him.

"Because she's important to me and I want to see her smile I don't want to see her sad anymore I want to see what a smile that's real that's my reasoning I'll do a lifetime without Ramen if it meant I could see her smile at least once."

Naruto said determined to make her laugh and smile.

she can see in his eyes the determination these feelings he has for her sister they were deep much deeper than that of a friend. she couldn't believe her eyes and ears when she was hearing the Naruto of three months ago would never do this.

"She's important to you in what way is she important to you how do you feel about her?"Hanabi asked Naruto.

"I don't know I can't describe it I feel stronger when she's around my heart feels warm when I'm in her presence I have butterflies in my stomach I don't know what else I can say I don't know what else I can describe I just want to make her happy what am I kidding? I'm just a boy."

Hanabi was correct in her assessment from two days ago. Naruto did not simply have a crush on her sister this was love in the pure sense he doesn't know it yet and probably wouldn't for a while she could help him give him a better chance with her sister in the future by doing this.

She wanted to test his resolve how much did her sister truly mean to him? how worthy was he? she was determined to find out by his resolve what is he willing to give up to make her sister smile and laugh something that she wants to see herself.

"What else would you be willing to give up to see her laugh and smile?"Hanabi asked testing him

"Anything"he answered with no hesitation.

"Perhaps I do have some ideas, but they'll require you to go back to your roots." She smiled with mischief.

"Didn't you mean to pull a prank on the village?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"Why not? There are certain people who make her angry, and she can't stand messing with them. She'd definitely be smiling if someone brought up that list."Hanabi thought about the list of people her sister hates and the kinds of people her sister hates.

Naruto looked like he was in deep thought then it clicked.

"It'll fuck with the people that she hates, thank you, Hanabi! Operation make Hinata Sensei smile commences now; it's an S-rank mission."

Naruto said energetically and left Hanabi where she was. She wondered if it was a good idea to give him the advice she just did. She shrugged if Naruto was serious, he would be someone she wouldn't mind calling brother in the future if he were to marry Hinata that is if he succeeded in making her laugh and smile.

"That fucking brat," said one of the Jonin.

Naruto was running for his life; the woman he had offended was one of the women Hinata could not tolerate. His skills, which he had picked up by dodging Abu as a child, were paying off; they couldn't catch him.

"I can't believe that his sensei would allow him to get away with this! I'm going to report him to the Hokage right away." said the woman, who was not pleased that Naruto had exposed her secret.

He wondered how his sensei would react; he hoped it wouldn't be negative, as she hates that woman.

He might have to hide from his sensei for a while, but it would be worth it if he could just see her smile and laugh just for once.

Hinata was having a drink with Kakashi and Asuma. It was at the red-light district, and she didn't like this place because it was cheap and away from nosy people

Hinata was currently wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt underneath a pink shirt, black pants underneath a long cream-coloured skirt with pink horizontal stripes, and a pair of brown sandals. It wasn't anything special; it was kind of plain, but it did its job because she didn't want any attention from men who would stare at her lustfully.

"So, how are things going with you and Kurenai?" Kakashi asked him.

"Oh, well, we haven't considered marriage yet. We don't want to rush it, after all. We just started dating; we kind of want to take it slow." Asuma answered.

"Enough about me, Hinata. How are things going between you and your sister?"

Asuma asked her.

She lightly drank the sake, unlike the last time when she came, she didn't chug it.

"It's a little difficult, I would be lying if I said it wasn't easy talking to her after all these years. The bitterness these feelings doesn't go away. I don't like feeling this way, but I do. Am I a bad person? Kakashi-sensei and Asuma?" Hinata asked them; she wanted answers. She felt like she didn't know what was the right thing to do to deal with these emotions.

"Hinata, the fact that you two are talking is an improvement, but I'm not going to tell you to let go of those kinds of emotions. They won't disappear overnight. I know how you feel. I felt that way about my towards family members doesn't just go away overnight. It takes time. The fact that you are acknowledging this in the first place, at least in my opinion, shows that you're not a bad person." Asuma answered.

Before they could indulge in their conversation any further, a woman barged into the bar they were in. Hinata turned around; it wasn't the woman she wanted to see it was none other than Aki Animoto she couldn't stand this woman why was she here?

"your demon brat of a student is causing a fuss."Aki Animoto said with hatred in her voice."In what way is he causing a fuss?"Hinata asked her ignoring her as she took another sip of her sake.

"He exposed personal information about me publicly. I can never show my face again." The woman said angrily.

"Maybe you should stop sleeping with underage boys."

Hinata said, not caring if she was pissing the woman off.

"How many people did you sleep with to get promoted?" Aki asked angrily, trying to rile her up.

Unlike you, I got promoted on my own merit. I didn't sleep with 12-year-old boys; I actually do my damn job.

Hinata said, not caring that she was telling the public that her colleague was basically a pedophile.

"You fucking self-righteous bitch. I wouldn't be shocked if you slept with that demon. You're probably his whore." She wasn't taking the bait; she was obviously angry that Naruto had exposed her secret.

"Wow, so Naruto exposed that you're a predator; why should any of us care?" asked Kakashi indifferent to the woman's problems.

"He didn't just do that." She showed pictures of Naruto defacing all of his colleagues.

Asuma was laughing so hard along with Kakashi.

"You expect me to care you're all a bunch of self-indulgent, worthless, self-important people."

Hinata didn't get a chance to finish before the woman exploded.

"Your student has ruined my reputation, embarrassing both me and my colleagues. You are as much to blame your his teacher." She pointed her index finger pointing her finger at her.

"You're a pedophile; I don't care about your reputation; go away."Hinata said dismissively, not caring.

"I guess you really will let your student get away with anything you're probably sleeping with him."the woman said mockingly. Hinata put her drink down and got up from her chair and calmly approached the woman.

"You want to say that in my face?"Hinata said her voice deadly her Byakugan activated."There's no need for this."the woman said nervously

"You are throwing accusations against me that have no merit. I don't sleep with my students; they're all 13 years old for one and two. I know the law, and three. I'm not a sexual predator who preys on underage boys who don't have the mental maturity to know the consequences or have the ability to consent. I'm not like you. I'm nothing like you. If it weren't for your position as the Daimyo's niece I would have you thrown in the nearest prison and throw away the key. There's nobody I hate more than pedophiles."

Hinata said with disgust.

She went back to her friends, who were drinking, and resumed drinking. The woman attempted to insult her, but the bartender gave her a dirty look.

"My customers don't like it when people like you make disturbances. Get the hell out or I'll make you leave. I don't care who you are."

The man said, not wanting to deal with her shit.

"I'll tell my uncle about this; he'll have your heads." She pointed at the bartender and Hinata. "What are you going to tell your uncle? You go after little boys and sleep with them? That's not going to be a good look, especially on someone as honorable as our Daimyo. No, he won't do anything. You'll leave." Said Kakashi. The woman stomped out.

"Bitch" Hinata said, contentiously taking another sip of her sake.

"Are you really not going to discipline Naruto?" asked Asuma curiously.

"No, Naruto didn't do anything wrong by outing a pedophile. It's serving the community by making this information public. Now that it's out, parents will demand that she be removed from office. They may hate Naruto, but there's nothing that parents, especially those with ninja backgrounds, hate more than child molesters and sexual predators. Her career is over, but if I were the Hokage, she would be in prison. But nothing can be done about it, unfortunately, because of the civilian council. I wonder how many of them are pedophiles themselves?"

Hinata asked rhetorically.

"far too many"said Kakashi.

"You have to admit it's kind of funny how much Naruto pissed those people off."

Hinata couldn't help but comment.

"Though unfortunately, I can't laugh even though I'd like to, I can't."

Hinata said sadly, her friends noticed.

She took another sip, but they said nothing for the rest of the evening.

Naruto waited for his sensei to walk away from her group before find out the success or failure of his mission.

He saw Kakashi and Asuma, who were looking at him and smiling over what he had done.

"You caused quite a ruckus, Naruto. I don't disapprove of that." Asuma said with a smile.

"Did she laugh or smile?"Naruto asked them, which caught them off guard.

"Wait, what?" Kakashi asked, confused.

"Did Sensei laugh or smile?" Naruto asked again.

No, Kakashi answered.

"Oh" Naruto looked down, hoping to make her laugh by exposing all the people she hated and making a fuss about it.

"Why do you want to make her laugh, if you don't mind me asking?" Asuma asked curiously.

"I just want to see her smile, I want to see her laugh and not be sad all the time; is that so bad?" Naruto asked them.

"No, it's not. How far are you willing to go to make this happen?" Kakashi asked him.

"I'd go 10 years without Ramen if I fail. No, I'd go my entire life without Ramen if I fail. That's how much it means to me."

Asuma knew Naruto was serious; he had to know how far Naruto was willing to go and what Naruto's feelings were for his sensei.

"Naruto, we will not you judge you. What are your feelings towards her?" Asuma asked.

"She's important to me, the most important person in my life. I can't describe my feelings. I don't know if it's friendship or something else; the only thing I know for sure is I want to see her smile and laugh. I don't want to see her cry or be sad all the time. It's foolish, I know. I'm just a boy; I'm not even a man, and what I want is probably childish for her to smile for me, but that's what I want even if it's just once. I'd like to see her smile genuinely, not a fake smile, not a forced smile, but something that's real." Naruto said passionately.

"I'll be damned" Asuma thought he lit another cigarette Naruto is serious.

"I support you, Naruto. What's your time limit on this mission of yours?" he asked him.

"7 days though three have passed, tomorrow I will have only 4 days left. 4 days to figure out how to make her smile and laugh; I just don't know how I'm going to do it."

Naruto said, looking down, feeling down for his failure.

There is surely a way he can help Naruto, even if it's just a small one."I have a suggestion that would make her laugh, but you might get into trouble." he said with a smile.

"What do you mean? Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked, hopeful.

"I can get into trouble for this, but considering I see Hinata as a little sister, there is something I could suggest. However, you'll have to run for your life if you try it." He said, smiling at the thought of Naruto defacing the civilian council building.

"Well, I never got the idea from you; it's all mine. That'll be the official story if I'm caught." Naruto said with a boyish smile, putting his hands behind his head.

"Thank you, I do have another idea, but I'll only use it as a last resort. Thank you, Sensei. I'll take what you said into consideration and use Plan B."

Naruto left Kakashi and Asuma. He looked at his friend and wondered what Kakashi was thinking.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to encourage him?" Kakashi asked him.

"People in love do foolish things for those they love, yeah, I'll support Naruto if he can make Hinata smile again; it'll be worth it to me." He said with conviction.

"Do you think he could cut through the darkness in her heart that she has built up over the years? You can't expect him to be able to do that, and even if he does, he's just a boy." Kakashi reminded him.

He looked up at the sky as he took a cigarette out of his mouth. "They said the same about Minato, and look what happened: Naruto is the result of their union. Everyone thought Minato was just a boy. Though like Minato, Naruto won't always be a boy; one day he'll be a man. Naruto is a boy who wants to be a man before his time. His love for his sensei is what's driving him to take such a risk. No one would do that if they weren't in love."

Asuma said to Kakashi.

"Even if he succeeds, you don't think Hinata is going to fall in love with anyone again, do you?" Kakashi asked him.

"I strongly believe that man will be Naruto one day, when he becomes a man and if he can succeed in making that woman laugh and smile again, then he will have my blessing. I support them 100%" Asuma finishes his cigarette.

"Well, it's going to be a lot of paperwork. The Hokage won't be happy with Naruto doing this." Kakashi sighs and gives up.

"Regretting bidding against me, Kakashi? You're not getting cold feet, are you?" Asuma asked.

"It's absolutely ridiculous I have to work to do. See you later."

Kakashi disappeared and left.

the next morning

Hiruzen Sarutobi was looking at a line of people who were angry with him, most of them being members of the civilian council and all the incompetent people they had appointed. It was a long list. He looked at it with disgust; he wanted to jail most of these people because of the things they had done. He might as well do it; he was the Hokage after all.

"That damn brat has caused us trouble; he's exposed our secrets." said Akemi Animoto, the niece of the Daimyo.

"Unless you have something serious to discuss with me, I don't have time for this. You should be in prison, but luckily for you, you have the Daimyo behind you. Otherwise, you would be in jail." He said, implying a threat.

"Of course, you'll defend that demon brat. How do we know Hinata isn't a pedophile? After all, she's from a clan of inbreds." said one of the Jonin angrily.

"Say one more word about Hinata, and I'll put you in one of those prisons where you'll never see the sunlight again. You're lucky Naruto hasn't exposed your secret. If he did, you would be killed by now." Hiruzen said, not really giving a damn about these narcissistic, self-important people.

"We demand action."

Said a woman in her 50s

"disciplinin the demon brat."A man in his late '60s demanded.

"Make any more demands of me, and I'll throw you all in the slammer. I'm the Hokage now; you're wasting my time. When I have important paperwork to take care of, you better have something important to tell me or else I'll have you thrown out." He said coldly.

They all recoiled, scattering like the wind; he would love nothing more than to put them in jail, but he couldn't, because there weren't enough people. Unfortunately, there were too many scum in the government, so Danzo defended these kinds of people and made him sick.

There had been a ruckus yesterday, he couldn't help but smile on how angry those people were; their days were numbered. As soon as new leadership took hold, they would be gone; he knew that for sure. His top pick for someone to be his successor would be Tsunade; she wouldn't put up with any of these people. He was getting too old for this. When he was younger, he didn't allow these kinds of people, but with age, he grew exhausted and those that supported Donzo knew that.

"I'll be damned, the kid is doing it." said Jiraiya as he entered his office from the window.

"What is he doing?" Hiruzen asked, curious as he sorted through the paperwork he was currently working on.

"He's trying to make Hinata laugh."

He stopped doing what he was doing and then looked at his former student.

"He's what?" Hiruzen asked, curious.

"He's trying to make her laugh, but the first attempt failed. He's trying another way. Should we stop him?" Jiraiya is amused.

"No, I've got better things to do. Let the good for nothings suffer they deserve it" He said dismissively, not caring that Naruto was essentially making their lives hell for the next few days.

"So what's the time limit on this mission of his?"asked Hiruzen as he took a care of another pile of paperwork.

"7 days though he's on his fourth day if he fails he will not have Ramen for a decade."Jiraiya said in disbelief.

"Wait a decade without Ramen?"he asked curious.

"What I was told by Kakashi Naruto was serious; he's determined to make her laugh even going an entire lifetime without Ramen. I must say he's a lot like his parents, though more like his mother in temperament, his father, in his determination. Like father, like son."

Jiraiya remembered when Minato declared that he would make Kushina smile for him; he was 16 at the time when he made that promise.

"History is repeating itself I'll be damned" Hiruzen said smiling.

"you think he'll succeed?"Jiraiya asked him.

"Naruto doesn't go back on his word; my decision to have Hinata be the sensei of Team 7, I can't help but think I played matchmaker in a way." Hiruzen said when he was thinking about when he did the same thing with Kushina and Minato when she was the sensei for him.

"What I've seen from Naruto is that he is in love with Hinata and has been probably since he laid his eyes on her. It's rare that you see that kind of love from anyone, so I just hope he doesn't make the same mistake I made."

"It wasn't your fault about what happened to her, Jiraiya." Hiruzen said seriously.

"I can't help but think about her lately. I made the worst mistake of my life by not committing to her. She's gone, and all I have to show for it is a broken heart." He couldn't finish; he had rarely talked about the woman he had loved.

she had died 13 years ago 13 years she was the list of many failures of Jiraiya it's why he was reluctant to accept being the fifth Hokage.

"It's easy for you to say, 'Sensei,' I said some stupid things, I hurt her. I made a mistake; I can never walk away from that. That's why I want Naruto not to make the same mistake I did.' Jiraiya rarely spoke about her when he did; it was usually with sake.

"Let's support Naruto and his efforts to make Hinata smile." Hiruzen said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, let's do that." Jiraiya agreed.

"That damn brat the demon. I will get that fucker if it's the last thing I do. said one of the store owners whose entire shop was graffitied.'

"Kiss my ass." Naruto said, slapping his own butt and running, which startled some onlookers and even a few teammates who were with him during the Sapphire Mission.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Kiba.

"Sorry, I have to go." Naruto said as he ran.

"What the hell's going on?" asked Kagome, who was walking around the town square with Sasuke, who was also confused as to why Naruto was being chased by a bunch of shopkeepers.

"He's trying to make my sister laugh." said a voice behind them.

Kagome turned around; it was none other than Hanabi, with her team, who looked amused by all the chaos Naruto was causing.

"He's what?"Sasuke asked confused.

"He's trying to make you sensei laugh." Shino says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, what?" Kagome couldn't believe it.

"He's willing to go without Ramen for a decade if not an entire lifetime if he fails."Hanabi said almost in disbelief.

"Naruto giving up Ramen has the world ended? Sasuke said not believing it.

"Fools do crazy things for love, it seems."

Kagome couldn't help but comment.

"Does love that's what he feels towards your sensei? Interesting" Kiba commented.

"It was obvious to everyone that he had a crush as soon as he laid eyes on her, but love is just ridiculous." She heard someone behind them; it was none other than Ino, whom she had barely spoken to since Sakura's death.

"It's not ridiculous I've been through the same thing; he's lucky to have a chance, unlike me." Kagome thought sadly when she thought of Sakura and her unsaid feelings towards her.

"A chance ridiculous he's a boy what how old is he like 13 and Hinata how old is she 20?"Shikamaru said bored with this conversation.

"She's actually 19, and Naruto won't always be a boy; he'll be a man just like all of you." Kagome pointed out to all the boys in the group.

"Do not forget that everyone in Minato's generation thought he had no chance with Kushina, the age gap was even bigger than Naruto and Hinata; it was at least by10 years." Shino pointed out.

"it doesn't change the fact that it's literally night and day and besides Hinata shows no interest in anyone even if give or take 5 years nor to become a man I doubt Hinata would have him under her radar it would be a little weird if you ask me." Ino pointed out to everyone the obvious problem with such a relationship should it happen.

"You do know when Minato and Kushina got together, they didn't see each other for almost 6 years. Yet nobody talks about how weird and problematic their relationship was." Sasuke pointed it out.

"That was a different time than today." Ino said in disagreement.

"Well, I support Naruto if he can make my sister smile again; he has my blessing as far as I'm concerned." Hanabi, being one of the only people who are openly supportive of a future relationship between the two, said.

"Well, I don't care about this love nonsense; it's too much trouble. Whatever I want to stay out of it. I really don't want anything to do with girls; it's way too complicated for me."

Shikamaru said he was bored with the conversation.

"We should cut this conversation short before my sister comes."

Hanabi advised in a tone of voice that sounded like an admonishment.

As if her words could summon Hinata, who appeared, looking disappointed that Naruto wasn't there.

Then, behind them, a man approached Hinata, who looked angry.

"Are you the demon Brat's sensei?" he asked angrily.

"Don't call him that." Hinata said, with a dangerous calm.

"Or, what are you going to do about it? Is he your fuckboy?" This caused Hinata to lift the man up by his collar and she spoke in the calmest but angriest voice that anyone had ever heard.

"Accuse me of being a pedophile again, and I'll make it so you'll never be able to have children. Is that clear?"Hinata said in a voice as cold as ice.

"I'll remember this: I have a spot on the civilian council." The man said spitefully as he left.

she couldn't help but notice that Hinata was struggling to smile it was starting to form she's even holding a laugh back.

It was small, but she saw it. He may not have succeeded today, but Naruto at least cracked the walls that she had built, even if only a little.

"I'm going to have to talk with Naruto."Hinata said in a serious voice as she left the group, wondering how it would end.

"It looks like we're not going to train with our sensei today." Sasuke said, bored.

"Our sensei taught us to be able to take care of ourselves if she's not available to teach us, and we will just practice the lessons that she had taught us previously."

Kagome said this as if it weren't a big deal.

She looked in the direction of her sensei, Naruto, and wished him luck.

Naruto has been doing his best to avoid Hinata despite everything she'd done for him. He wasn't going to fail. He had one day left. He didn't want to resort to what Asuma suggested, but he was out of options. It was drastic, but he was willing to do what he had to do to make her smile and laugh.

There were two possibilities: he could vandalize the entrance to the Hyuga compound, which would piss off the elders, or he could vandalize it and then run, risking the ire of both the civilian council and the elders. Both options would be risky.

"You're really determined to make her laugh, aren't you? You could do it at any time. Are you really that determined to give up your favorite food?"

Kyubi was impressed by his resolve.

"Yes, I'll do what is necessary because I want to see her laugh and smile; it's stupid and probably foolish, but I won't go back on my word."

Naruto said to his companion.

"You're running out of options, kit. What do you intend to do? Do you tend to vandalize the Hyūga compound or the civilian council? Either way, your options are limited, so what do you intend to do?"

Kyubi asked Naruto. He thought about it. He didn't have enough time; he had less than a day left. He couldn't just choose one of the options and call it a day; he would have to do both. He had been dodging Hinata for days, and he didn't like hiding from her, but he was determined to make her laugh and smile even if it meant he would lose the ability to eat ramen for the rest of his life.

Hinata hadn't used her Byakugan, which was fortunate for Naruto. But she would use it now. He was lucky that he had picked up the way to dodge the Abu when he was a child; it served him well, but even that had its limits. Hinata could spot him at any time with her Byakugan. He had to use it now.

He created thousands of shadow clones, some calling him foolish for using so much chakra on a prank, but it didn't matter. He was determined to make her laugh and smile. If he failed, he would try again. Without ramen.

"What do you want us to do, boss?" asked one of his shadow clones, who was the closest to him.

"I want those on the left side to deface the entirety of the Hyuga compound and those on the right I want you to do the same to the konoha council but I want you to do more than that I want you to expose all their secrets for everyone to know dig up any dirt that you can find." Naruto informed them.

"What are you going to do, boss?"

Ask one of the clones on the left.

"I'm going to help those on the right deface." Naruto smiled mischieviously.

The clones dispersed, and Naruto went with his shadow clones. It would anger the Hyuuga clan, but he didn't care. He was going to make Hinata laugh, or he would go the rest of his life without ramen. He wouldn't go back on his word.

With determination, Naruto headed to his destination, the final gambit that had to pay off; he wouldn't know what to do if it failed.

"That demon brat" said one of the Hyuga, a woman in her 50s.

"Where is that daughter of yours?" asked Hiashi's father.

"That boy is out of control, and your daughter, despite being his student, is not keeping him under control." said his father.

"It will take us all day and all night to remove all the paint that damn boy." His wife, whom he married a few years ago, who is almost the same age as Hinata.

"We should search for the demon brat and make an example of him." said one of the younger members of the Elders, who are in their 30s, a woman who was angry that she had to clean up the mess Naruto had created.

Heated particularly, he felt they deserved everything they were getting.

"It should have been you who died"

Hiashi, no matter how many years have passed, the regret of those words never leaves him. He knows he is responsible for why his daughter hates him and refuses to call him "father". It's why he hasn't said a word; he has no right to complain about everything he's been getting from everyone.

He knew what Naruto was up to.

Naruto was trying to make his daughter laugh and smile. The woman who resembles his late wife.

He dares not mention her name. He lost the right to even mention her name out loud, because of how he treated his daughter. The hurtful words a father should never say to his child, he said it; it can't be taken back.

Though he has to give off the impression that he is displeased, because that's what everyone would expect from him as a Hyuga head.

"I will speak to Hinata personally," Hiashi said, ending the murmurs of everyone who was angry over their precious compound being defaced.

He would delay as long as possible, it being his way of helping his daughter and helping Naruto, the boy who cuts through the darkness and the ice that she has built around her since the day Itachi Uchiha ripped her heart from her chest and broke it into a thousand pieces.

If Naruto could successfully make his daughter laugh again and smile, he would give the boy his full blessing if he married her one day.

Though was unlikely, but then again, that's what everyone said about Minato and Kushina.

"That fucking brat, I swear we'll get that little shit this time." said one of the members of the civilian council.

"Kiss my ass, you have to catch me, assuming you can find out who the real me is."

Naruto said with a smile, angering a middle-aged woman.

"You'll come back here, you fucker!" said the man who had tackled Naruto down, only to realize it was a shadow clone.

"Wow, so many of you are pedophiles! Disgusting." said one of the clones.

They couldn't let their secrets get out in front of the Konoha public, as such, they would never be respected again.

They took out their pitchforks and weren't going to let Naruto get away. If they were going to keep their secrets by any means necessary, even if they had to kill the demon brat, the son of the Fourth Hokage be damned.

The man whose name was Ken was running as fast as his legs would take him, but Naruto, which was spreading the information like wildfire, was.

"What the fuck are you kidding me?" said a man who looked at Ken with disgust.

"My kid goes to the same school as yours. You're a sick bastard." said a woman, whose kids were 3.

"How many people in your circle are pedophiles? I don't want my kid going to the academy if people like you are running it." said a woman, who was holding her newborn baby.

"It's all lies, the demon brat" he was silenced by a ninja chop from a man in his mid-40s.

"My daughter goes to the same school as you, you sick fuck. I'm reporting this to the Hokage. You bastard!" He was getting assaulted by everyone; he was so pissed off. The records; how stupid was he to keep track of everything he did?

He would get that kid someday, he swears it.

There was chaos throughout the village. News of the civilian council being full of pedophiles spread like wildfire. Parents went to the Hokage's office demanding for them all to be removed.

Hiruzen wished Naruto wouldn't do such a thing at such a time, with so much paperwork, and Hinata was looking at the line of parents who were angry. at the civilian council, which were basically pedophiles.

"I will withdraw my child from the academy if those people aren't kicked out of the council immediately." said a woman who had at least two children in the academy. Hinata couldn't blame this woman for being angry; she would be too if she were a mother.

"That demon brat exposed secrets, which are confidential. You're not going to do anything."

Aki asked, and the parents looked at her with contempt.

"I may not like Naruto Uzumaki, but he's exposing secrets of predators like you. He has my respect; at least he's looking after our kids, unlike you - you sick fuck." said a woman whose son was in a relationship with her.

"Not my problem, maybe you shouldn't have been praying on kids." Hinata said as if reading the woman's thoughts.

"You will, though, have to talk to Naruto. He's been causing a disturbance, even if he's been doing a great service for our village." Hiruzen said with an evil smile on his face. The things he would love to do to everyone in the civilian council whose secrets were exposed. It's unfortunate; not all of them were exposed, but the ones that weren't were still put on notice.

She ignored the angry glares of the members of the council when she was out of earshot. When she was out of sight, she tried hard not to fall down on the floor laughing. It was difficult. It was extremely hard. When she was outside, she saw the elders of her clan who were angry at her, but that didn't stop her from holding in her laughter. It was difficult.

"Your father wants to talk to you after you do your job and discipline your student." said her stepmother in a cold and detached manner.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and saw that Naruto had stopped moving. He was at their sacred spot, but why was he there? It didn't matter; she had to talk to him one way or another, even if she was trying to hold back her laughter, she had to maintain discipline.

She left without looking back, ignoring the hateful glares and their hateful whispers. It didn't matter to her; she couldn't fall down and laugh in front of everyone.

She would have to discipline Naruto, although what he did was a good service for the village she has to do as his sensei discipline. He had violated many rules in the past week; she couldn't let it stand.

Naruto had done everything he had done, running. Whatever happened, he would accept the consequences. He had spread the information that he had found. He couldn't believe they would keep records of what they did. It disgusted Naruto. It would make their lives a hell, and to him, that was good enough. No parent would want their children to go to an academy run by predators. It was perfect.

The Hyuga clan was in chaos, but it wouldn't matter if Hinata didn't laugh.

He heard footsteps and saw that it was Hinata. He could tell that she was trying to hold something back. No, he couldn't fail. he'd make her laugh. He was almost there. He could see a genuine smile on her face. Struggling to form, he had to break through the ice. He had to cut through the darkness.

He didn't care about the ramen, what mattered was Hinata smiling; that's all that mattered.

"You've been causing a lot of mayhem, I can't let that go unpunished, Naruto-kun" Hinata said, struggling not to laugh.

"I know that I knew what the price would be if I failed," Naruto replied.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked him.

"I did this so that I could see you laugh and smile"Naruto answered.

Hinata didn't know how to respond, but he noticed something forming on her face. It was a warm smile—a happy smile—and she was struggling to stand up. She was laughing.

She couldn't inform any word she couldn't even say; she was laughing so hard he couldn't believe it.

He had made her laugh, but all he said was "he did this to make her laugh". Why was this funny?

"She was holding back laughter idiot." Kyuubi answered.

"Those people, those" She continued to laugh; she couldn't even speak. It was so hard for her to speak. He was starting to see tears, but they weren't tears of sadness. She was laughing so hard that she was crying.

She was on her back, holding her stomach, she was laughing so hard.

Naruto was laughing too; he loved that laugh. He loved her smile, the real smile, not the one he saw when he first saw her, which was fake.

It was so beautiful that he felt his heart beating. This was the woman he wanted to protect. He thought about the words Haku had told him during the Land of Waves mission. Hinata wasn't just his sensei; she was much more than that. He didn't know what this feeling was, but he didn't fight it.

Whatever it was, he wasn't worthy. He was only a boy until he became a man. Not just physically, but mentally as well. And was able to protect her he couldn't tell her.

"These feelings are love, boy. There's nothing wrong with it. Don't fight it, but you are right to think the way you do. You are a boy; she will not acknowledge you as a man until you are mentally mature enough to be one. And when you're old enough, until you can protect this woman with your own power, you are not worthy of her." Kyubi answered what Naruto was thinking.

Was it love that he felt towards Hinata? He was still seeing her laugh; she wasn't stopping, and the scene continued on for a few more minutes until she stopped and gained more control of herself.

The smile she had earlier changed to a serious expression.

"Naruto, as your sensei, I do have to discipline you for what you have done, even if I approve of you exposing predators, you did other things that disturbed the lives of the people in the village. Even if I agree with what you did to some extent, I still have to discipline you."Naruto was prepared and the way she said it was with reluctance; she didn't want to, but she had to, because that was their relationship.

He dared not think about them as anything more than friends, teacher, and student. It would never happen; he didn't even indulge in the thought of him having a seven-chance in hell of ever being in her heart.

That wasn't his priority; it was to make her smile and to make her laugh. He succeeded, so he would accept any punishment. It would be worth it to him.

"I'll accept any punishment, Sensei. I was prepared for the consequences, either success or failure, to make you laugh and smile. I'm okay with any punishment you give me."

Naruto said, which surprised Hinata.

"Why was it important to make me laugh or smile?" Hinata asked him generally wanting to know?

"Because I don't like seeing you sad, I hate it. I want to see what a genuine smile looks like, not a fake smile that you do for appearances but a real smile. I wanted to make you laugh as well; it's stupid, I know, but I don't like it when you're sad, even if it's in a small way. I want to do something to help you. You've done so much for me, I want to do something for you in return."

The revelation that he was told by Kyuubi that he was in love with Hinata. He couldn't tell her he wasn't strong enough to protect her, nor was he a man. In his eyes, he doesn't have a chance with her as he is now.

It was at this moment that he wished he were a man, not a boy. He buried his feelings deep inside, refusing to let this be about him. It was about her; that was the whole reason he had the operation in the first place, and to risk losing the ability to eat ramen forever.

To give up what he loves the most when it comes to food was him showing himself how determined he was to make his most precious person laugh even once.

"You didn't have to go that far, Naruto-kun. I appreciate it. However, I should discipline you, and I don't think I should do this because I'm your teacher. I'll overlook this once, but I can't have you doing this again."

Naruto was surprised that Hinata was willing to let him off.

No, he knew something she was likely to do a different kind of punishment.

"You won't have Ramen for a month," Hinata announced, which Naruto was going to do anyway, but he wouldn't tell Hinata that he wasn't going to undermine her authority. Another thing: the power dynamic between their ranks is another obstacle; no, he would tell her when he achieved the same rank as she is now, and when he is a man.

That was his promise to himself, and when he was strong enough to protect her as well. When he was old enough, he would tell her. Right now, he would keep it to himself. Him and Kyubi were the only ones who knew. Little did Naruto know that wasn't true.

Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai witnessed everything; she couldn't help but smile. Kurenai hadn't seen Hinata laugh or smile since the day Itachi broke her heart. It felt good seeing that side of her that she had thought was gone forever.

The darkness that engulfed Hinata was still there, though it was dimmer the walls that she had built around herself. Naruto had changed; things she was glad that their teams were switched. It would never happen like this if she was on Team 8 instead of Team 7.

"Well, we did everything we could to help him," said Asuma, who was watching the scene unfold.

"It looks like you owe me, Kakashi," Asuma said triumphantly. Kakashi reluctantly gave him the money they had agreed upon. It almost felt like a shining light was shining on Hinata when she laughed, as if the gods were blessing her with their light.

She never thought it would ever happen, even before the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Itachi Uchiha was never able to make Hinata laugh to this extent.

Naruto is someone special; the seeds have been planted, and it would take time (possibly years) for it to fully materialize.

Kurenai could see in 5-6 years from now Hinata falling in love with Naruto.

The seeds were already planted; this was the same thing that had happened when Minato made Kushina laugh for the first time.

history was repeating itself neither one of them were aware of it.

"I think we will let time take its course" Kakashi said as if reading her mind.

"Agreed, with some help from us, Naruto had succeeded in his operation. The first time she's smiled since that bastard broke her heart. If only Naruto were five to six years older." Kurenai said aloud.

"Give it some time; the seed has already been planted, and it will sprout in due course. Things like love cannot be rushed, especially when someone whose heart was broken like Hinata. She isn't ready yet, and Naruto is a boy. I don't see anything developing between them until Naruto is at least 18 at the earliest." Asuma said as if he were saying something obvious.

"Well, either way, we should get going; your students will be taking the exam soon, and things will get really hectic in the next few months." Kakashi said.

She took one last look at Hinata and Naruto, and then turned her back. Her focus was on the upcoming exams.

This would be the last peaceful moment before the Chunin exams.

Hanabi noticed something different about Hinata they were alone, talking about what had been going on for the past few days. Her sister had a real smile on her face; it was Naruto's doing. He had succeeded in making her sister laugh.

"You should smile more, big sis."

Hanabi said this to her sister, generally meaning it.

"I don't know what you're talking about."Hinata said denying what was obviously on her face.

"Well, he succeeded; I'll be damned."

Hanabi said out loudly, not realizing she had revealed something she shouldn't.

"What are you talking about, Hanabi?" Hinata asked suspiciously.

"Shit," she said aloud, realizing she couldn't lie herself out of this one. She couldn't reveal too much.

"Let's just say that if Naruto can make you laugh and smile, he has to go a month without ramen, and if he fails, he has to go the rest of his life without ramen." Her answer caught Hinata off guard.

"I see", Hinata didn't know how to respond.

"So you're disciplining him, something he was going to do anyway, right?" Hanabi asked her older sister.

"I just didn't think it meant so much. I don't know why it matters." she confessed.

Her sister was completely clueless about Naruto's feelings for her, though it would be for the best for now, after all. The age gap of 6 years separated them: Naruto was 13 and her sister was 19. The seed that Naruto had planted when he made her laugh earlier today wouldn't sprout until five or six years from now; she would let it grow naturally.

Her sister isn't completely over what happened with her previous love. She doesn't know who it was, but she suspects it was Itachi Uchiha. Until she has completely moved on, it wouldn't be healthy for anyone if Hinata were involved in a relationship.

It was the last thing she needed at the moment, what she needed was time to heal. Naruto helped with that process by breaking down the wall that had been built between her and her sister for all those years.

She was grateful to Naruto, as he had done so much in such a short amount of time.

"Soon, we won't be able to have such peaceful times as these. The Chunin exams are coming. The eye before the storm. I don't know why big sister feels like things are going to change and I don't know in what way." Hanabi said, feeling a sense of dread.

"I felt nervous like you, when I took the Chunin exams. You'll get through it. I have full faith in you."Hinata said with confidence that Hanabi herself did not feel.

"I don't know, but I know I'll have to face Neji at some point." She said, thinking about her cousin who's been estranged from their family ever since the death of their uncle.

The conflict between the main branch and the branch houses was going to come to a head; she knew it would. Tensions between the two branches had been building for years.

"I wish I could say words of comfort, but I can't." She knew exactly what she meant; they were trying to avoid the elephant in the room.

Whether her sister likes it or not, she is the Byakugan princess. But she cannot tell her sister that she has been denying her heritage for a long time.

"I know you don't want to hear about this big sister, but you and I together can help reform the clan and bring back its honor. Not just any honor, but actual honor—the kind of honor our clan had prior to Natsu introducing the barbaric seal that we now have."Hinata tensed when she heard Natsu mentioned was the most hated Hyuga who ever lived.

He was the brother of Kanna, the most powerful Hyuga to have ever lived. Not much is known about her, except that she lived longer than an average human. However, that's not something Hanabi believes. But what was accepted if the legends were true, she was the last Byakugan Queen. Though that was centuries ago, it was said that she had lived 300 years before the founding of Konoha. And she doesn't believe that's even possible.

"The clan is beyond saving. Hanabi it's stuck in its ways, and it's never going to change."

Hinata didn't budge on how she felt about the clan.

"It won't change if we don't do anything to make it change. Our clan used to be strong, but now we are just a shell. At one point, we rivaled the Uchiha Clan! How did a clan like us become so weak? If we don't change, we will go the way of the Uchiha Clan." Hinata looked at her, understanding as if she could read what she was thinking without saying anything.

"What do you propose we do, sister? To change the clan, something radical would have to be done, and those who stand in the way would have to be dealt with harshly. Are you willing to risk a civil war?"

Hinata asked Hanabi; she didn't think it was an option.

"I don't know, I feel like things are not that simple once you become a Shinobi. The world seems to be far more complicated. It's so much easier to say you want to change things when you have a goal of changing things, but when you get into a position of power, things are not that simple. You want to be the Hokage; what you want to do is as radical as what I would like to do to the Hyuga Clan. How are we different, sister?" Hanabi asked Hinata.

"I didn't realize how similar our goals were. I'm sorry, Hanabi. I let my bitterness and anger cloud my judgment. I didn't even consider what your dreams might be."Hinata said sadly about her lack of involvement in her life.

"Let's talk about something else. We can continue this conversation another day. Let's relax until tomorrow." Hanabi said, which caused her sister's face to soften.

"Yes, let's do just that." Hinata said, continuing their conversation about everything and anything related to the village rumors, trying to keep her mind off of what was going to start the next day.

Things would change little, would the inhabitants of Konoha would know what that change entails.

"Do you know why you've been summoned?" Danzo asked them.

"It has to do with the carrier of the Kyubi and the Uchiha. Do you want us to keep an eye on them?" The soft-spoken girl asked him.

"Yes, Hakobe," Tanuki said eagerly. Sai didn't lift his head; the pale skinned boy didn't dare make eye contact with Danzo due to his training.

"Your mission is to keep tabs on them do not do any engagement. Do not draw attention. Reconnaissance is the main priority. Do not engage unless it is absolutely necessary."

Sai didn't expect to be assigned to the Chunin exams. "Your will will be done."

The three youths left, Sai was intrigued by the exams he was interested in meeting this Naruto Uzumaki, just who he is; he exactly? Sasuke was another matter entirely. Sai was given specific orders to eliminate him should the opportunity and the need arise.

"Finally, all the pieces are coming together. We will finally get rid of that fool who currently runs our village." Tanuki said with contempt, despite emotions being discouraged, it was nearly impossible to get rid of them altogether. He looked at Tanuki's girlfriend, Hakobe. Despite relationships like theirs being discouraged, it didn't stop them. This contradiction perplexed him: why would Danzo allow such attachments?

It didn't interfere with their work, he supposed, but emotions is a concept that is foreign to Sai; he doesn't think much of it because he has a mission to do. The contradictions that he sees in front of him are irrelevant compared to the mission.

Danzo was pleased he would get his eyes in the Chunin exams. Everything was going according to plan. Now there was another matter he had to deal with entirely." Zero I have a mission for you of almost importance"the redhead woman looked at him with the fox mask he had trained her to be obedient he had done it well the years that he had worked the years that he had put her in suspended animation only when he acquired what he needed to control her it paid off she is a powerful weapon that is under his control.

"You are to keep an eye on Hinata Hyuga and eliminate her when given the first opportunity."

She bowed.

"It will be done."

She left him alone.

He looked at the table, all the pieces were in place.

He was very close; he could almost taste victory.

He had spent 40 years for this moment; patience is what will lead him to ultimate victory and he could toss the foolish will of Fire into the dustbin of history and bring Konoha to true prosperity.

Momo was at the gates of Konoha. She was given a task by Kanna to keep an eye on Sasuke. She had never been to Konoha in her life. She had been trained extensively by her mother's followers. Her long brown hair was down to her shoulders. What was expected of people in the order was to wear modest clothing, especially women. They believed women shouldn't show more skin than necessary. She didn't care about that sort of thing; she just didn't want the attention that men would give her because she looked older than she was. There was something about this village: the rot. She could feel it in the air. How can anyone stand it?

The amount of evil she felt in the air disgusted her. Looking around her, the so-called "will of fire" seemed even more disgusting. The more she saw, the more disgusted she became. When she looked at the lands surrounding the Land of Fire, she realized how many people's lives had been ruined and destroyed. How many orphans were there because of the wars that this village enabled? She would give anything to wipe this village off the face of the Earth. It disgusted her to look at the Hokage Monument; everything that was wrong with this world could be summed up by those symbols.

This village condemned Kanna; they erased her from history, even though she was essential to its existence. She was treated as the worst villain of all time, even though she sought to bring peace and what she got was betrayal by her friends. She made sure to cover herself in the shadows; she saw Sasuke and followed him.

She saw him visiting a grave, the mass grave of the Uchiha. What a joke. What would this boy do if he found out his own village killed his entire clan and his brother helped them do it? She was tempted to tell him the truth but then again she's a stranger; he wouldn't believe her. Plus, her instructions were to keep an eye on Sasuke and not take unnecessary risks. There was nothing special about Momo; she wasn't born from any clan.

She doesn't remember her origins, but it didn't matter when she was old enough to talk and walk. The only mother she ever knew was Kanna, the mother of all she loved. Children don't matter where they come from. She would do anything for her; even die for her. Her devotion was the main reason she was on this mission.

She quickly got out of the way to make sure she wouldn't get detected by Sasuke, who walked past her. He looked as if he knew someone was watching him but couldn't figure out what or who. She sighed in relief, thinking carelessly. She couldn't afford to be found yet. After Sasuke left, she noticed that there were three people coming and she knew which village they were from, so they must be the Sand Siblings.

The Chunin exams were approaching. It would be child's play to get past all of these so-called ninjas. Her skills in genjutsu would deceive their defenses and allow her to hide in plain sight among the instructors. It was so easy. Though she had to keep her distance from Hinata, who could see through her with her Byakugan, she had been taught countermeasures for even that.

Keeping her distance, she wouldn't fail her mother, as she's her most trusted child; she won't and can't fail.

Hinata was summoned again this time by the elders. Just what did they want? She was expected to meet up with her team, and a decision had to be made: either allow her team to take the Chunin exam or not. She had thought about it after her failure with Sakura months before, and how she almost killed Naruto when she was under the influence of a genjutsu during the Sapphire Mission.

What was it that they wanted to talk about, or was it about reconciling with Hanabi? In any case, she wanted to get it over with. She had no time for her clan's political games; she didn't want anything to do with it. She entered the room and saw the usual suspects: people she couldn't stand, those who harshly judged her as a child, beat her, ridiculed her, nearly destroying her self-confidence.

She knew what the conversation was going to be about and didn't want to waste her time."Do you know why we summoned you here?"

A man by the name of Santo."Yes, and my answer is going to be the same as it was before. I'm not going to marry anyone."

She said without flinching; she wasn't going to allow these people to control her life.

"You dare disrespect one of your elders?" said a woman in her seventies, with completely white hair, who was wearing the traditional kimono expected of the elders of the clan.

"This foolish dream of yours, to become the Hokage, doesn't benefit our clan in any significant way. We are here to tell you to stop this foolishness."

Another man named Yamamoto said, "It's not foolishness; it would look good on the clan if one of our own became Hokage, but you're too arrogant and stuck in your ways to see it."

Hinata said, not caring that she disrespects the elders of the clan.

"Do you have no respect for our traditions or our history, girl?" her father asked.

"What traditions? Oh, you mean the honorable tradition of a caste system that separates our family into two: one member of the clan being part of a separate class entirely." She said with contempt.

"The birdcage seal has protected our clan for generations." The same woman from earlier rebuked.

"It's a disgusting tradition that has done nothing but divide the clan. I reject it entirely. You claim to be protecting our clan, but all I see are a bunch of stuck-up good-for-nothings who have never set foot outside of Konoha. Only a few of you have done so."

Hinata said, not caring whether it angered the elders or her father.

"How dare you, girl! You dare disrespect us?" The same woman who rebuked her earlier, who was known as Kokomo.

"I'll say what I wish to say, I know you've never set foot outside of Konoha your entire life, an interesting someone so old yet you are such a ignorant fool who has never seen the benefits of combining different techniques with the gentle Fist." Hinata replied with a look of arrogance but with the confidence to back it up.

"You speak to the honorary Kokomo, who has been advisor to your father and grandfather. You dare disrespect her?" said Yamamoto, disgusted that Hinata didn't conform to their dogma.

"There are many ways I can demonstrate how much our clan has stagnated over the years. I could show you how much more effective it is to combine our chakra natures with the Gentle Fist, which I can demonstrate with complete confidence that none of you here could defeat me."

There was a loud uproar over what Hinata had just said.

"You arrogant girl," said her grandfather.

"Wipe that arrogant look off her face," said Santo, displeased that Hinata was standing up for herself in a way that even members of the branch house were watching her, even their leaders were there.

Her stepmother, whose name is Yui, looked at her with hatred she had always resented Hinata. They were almost the same age; she was 20 years old, only a few months older than Hinata. She was her fourth or fifth cousin, but it was dubious due to her having Uzumaki ancestry. It was debated if it was truly a union that was acceptable; it barely passed because she wasn't a pure-blooded Hyuga.

She was powerful, there was no doubt about it. Her chakra capacity, due to her Uzumaki blood, gave her an edge over her peers in terms of chakra. But she wouldn't take advantage of it because of her insistence on clinging to stagnant traditions.

By blood, she was Hinata's fifth cousin, but it didn't matter to Hinata; she hated the woman. She was everything that Hinata hated about her clan: vain, arrogant, though unlike the elders, she at least actually had left Konoha.

She was the same height as Hinata, her hair down to her shoulders. It was unusual for someone in the Hyuga Clan to have red hair, which mostly had to do with her Uzumaki ancestry. Though the Hyuga features took precedence over the Uzumaki ones. Her body type was slender; she wore the typical kimono of the Hyuga clan.

Another thing that stood out about her was her eyes, which had no pupils. The main difference was that it was unlike Hinata's lavender eyes; hers were red. Her eyes were the main reason why she acted the way she did toward other members of the clan. If she weren't her father's second wife, she wouldn't have been anywhere near the rank she is now. She would have been part of the branch house.

Although she hates the woman, she does pity her to some extent because the clan looks down on her and judges her based on superficial things like appearance.

She would be ignorant to believe that she wasn't skilled in the gentle fist. If things were different, she could have been the head of the clan in a different era. She was one of those prodigies who were born too late.

"Are you really going to tolerate your daughter's disrespect? This makes you look weak." Yui said to her husband in disgust, from her point of view, showing weakness.

"If you view me pointing out obvious flaws of the clan as disrespect, maybe that says more about the clan than me. Unless you're willing to prove it in our clan's sacred tradition of combat, if you're not willing to do that, I suggest you be silent." Hinata spoke, treating Yui like she didn't exist.

"How dare she!"

Hinata's father couldn't hold her back.

Yui pointed to Hinata

"Your father is too soft on you in every sense of the word; you're a failure. On your first mission as Jonin, you failed one of your students who died; a girl with a promising future is dead. If she had been my student, she would still be alive." said Yui contemptuously.

The reminder of her failure, Hinata couldn't rebuke what she said, though she couldn't show that her words affected her. Hinata refuses to show weakness.

"You know as well as I do how anything can happen on missions, using the death of one of my students won't help you like you think it will to prove your point about me.."

Hinata replied coldly.

"I'm fully aware of what can happen on a mission. Don't insult me, you arrogant child." Yui replied in anger.

"You are only a few months older than me. If I'm a child, then so are you."Hinata replied sharply.

"I'm going to wipe that arrogant look off your face right now. I challenge you to a duel, Hiraga-kai." Yui said without hesitation.

Nobody challenges anyone to a duel except they're prepared for the consequences of losing. If Hinata turns down her offer, it not only stains her honor but also legitimizes what the elders think about her.

The conditions could be anything from the loser being casted to the branch house exile or death; it heavily depended on the situation.

Very few people initiate a Hiraga-kai, unless something is at stake. Yui obviously has something at stake for her to initiate such a challenge; she wouldn't do so otherwise. Hinata knows many things about her stepmother; she is arrogant with the confidence to back it up. Yui is intelligent and skilled in the Gentle Fist, almost on par with Hinata. The elders, despite being foolish, would never admit that the head's wife is stronger than the current head of the clan. She is the only member of the clan who could give her any sort of fight. The only other person who could give her a good fight would be Neji and Hanabi.

"Are you sure you want to take this challenge? You know the consequences of losing." Hinata warned.

"Anything to knock you down a peg, arrogant girl. You've been disgracing our clan long enough, especially with your recent promotion." Yui replied back as if she felt insulted that Hinata was asking her such an obvious question.

Nothing was said as the two combatants got into the ring. It was at center, and everyone was watching. Hinata hasn't done a duel like this in many years. She was competent; she would win this woman wasn't at her level. She was sure of that.

"You assume many things, Hinata. You know nothing about me, nor do you know anything about my skills. Do you think because you have beaten me five years ago, we're at the same level?" The woman asked challengingly as they walked around the arena, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

"I know you're skilled in the gentle fist, I'd be a fool not to see that, but I also know based on my experiences, you can't defeat me. I suggest you withdraw and save yourself from further humiliation."

Hinata said, not caring how it came off.

"You look down on me, just like everyone else here, because I'm a half-blood." The woman said, barely able to keep her composure. This wasn't like a Hyuga; it was a personal vendetta she had against Hinata.

"I don't look down on your projecting."Hinata rebuked.

"Oh, yes, poor me, poor little me. You, spoiled princess, unlike you, I worked hard for everything I have. In spite of not being a full-blood Hyuga, I have earned my place. I've worked hard for everything I have, unlike you who's had everything handed to them at a silver platter. I wasn't fortunate to be born and grow up in luxury or having the ability to give such a thing up. You know nothing about me, girl, and I will continue to call you that because you are ignorant and arrogant. I know our clan's traditions; I've studied them thoroughly, and unlike you, I respect them."

The way she said it was not too convincing.

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Hinata asked herself as she was about to get into her stance; she had enough with words.

She got into her own stance, unlike Hinata's, who was in a more traditional Hyuga clan stance.

No more words were spoken between the two women. The atmosphere was quiet, tense. Onlookers wondered who would make the first move and who would win? Hinata couldn't afford to be careless. This woman wasn't weak by any means. One of the few who could give her a fight and she could lose if she became careless.

Unlike Hinata, Yui didn't wait for the first one to be made; she attacked her. Hinata was barely able to dodge. She was far faster than she had been before when they sparred five years prior. Her hands went into a claw-like position, and the elders looked at her in surprise.

Hinata dodged, barely able to escape the slashes from what looked like a fighting style she had created on her own. She looked and saw part of her clothes cut; this was a different variation of the Gentle Fist. It couldn't be; this style was forbidden, but she was using it.

"So you're familiar with this style, the Lion Fist, or what ignorant onlookers would call it 'the Cruel Fist,' it's a variation of the Gentle Fist that has been lost to time. I have studied it thoroughly; like I told you, you know nothing about me."

She attacked her again this time faster. She was a lot faster than before. Hinata barely managed to dodge; she missed by centimeters.

She wasn't looking to defeat Hinata; she wanted to completely dominate her and destroy her, proving once and for all that she was the top dog among the women of the clan.

Hinata had to move faster with her own style; she was barely able to keep up.

She did a rotation around the water surrounding her, which knocked Yui back. It would have ended any other duel, but she managed to land gracefully on the ground. She had a look of determination. She changed her stance again. Her hands were in claw formation.

She went on again this time faster than before, Hinata moved smoothly and fluidly, not holding back at all. It couldn't be; she thought.

It was her own equivalent of the one-eighth trigram 64 palms, but unlike the traditional gentle fist, Hinata was familiar with them being blades everywhere. Hinata used her own variant, but a more defensive one using the rotation jitsu she learned in lightning rotation, which caused everyone to gasp.

The lightning hit Yui Hinata, who didn't give her any time to recover. She was about to hit her in the chest, but the woman faded behind her.

Hinata barely managed to block what could have been a lethal blow. She was about to strike at her opponent's neck, but she didn't mean to severely injure them.

She jumped back to her side of the ring. Hinata was breathing heavily. This woman is stronger than anyone she has faced in her missions. If this were a death match, it could go either way. She wanted to end the fight and go on with her day. Two lions appeared on her fist, shocking everyone. This was the first time she ever showed off this technique to her clan.

Yui calmly closed her eyes, and a blood-red lion appeared on her fist. This was impossible; she thought. She wasn't the Byakugan princess.

"You're so prideful that you thought you were the only Hyuga who had the ability to learn this technique. You're such an ignorant and arrogant fool." The woman enjoyed the look on Hinata's face of sheer shock.

Hinata couldn't let her shock show; she got into her stance, her blue lion face versus Yui's red. The two clashed, sending a shockwave throughout the compound. This woman's lion fist was driving Hinata back - nobody had ever given her this much trouble with her own technique.

"Not so smug now, are you little princess?"

Yui said mockingly,

Hinata didn't take the bait, unlike Hinata style with the lion fist. Her opponents attacked her with claws; she barely was able to dodge as part of the wood in the surrounding area was cut. Hinata couldn't believe her eyes. Hinata was on the defensive; she had to come up with a plan to counter but this woman wouldn't allow her to. She wasn't giving her any time to come up with a counter strategy.

She was out for blood; she wanted Hinata dead. She could feel the killing intent from her. She had to use this technique, even if it wasn't a technique she wanted to use openly. She would not be able to get out of this battle without severe injuries otherwise.

Lightning appeared in her fist, part of the garden was catching fire, and the two fists clashed. Another shockwave knocked everyone down. Neither one of the combatants would back down. Hinata barely pushed her opponent back. Both of them gave their all, but one thing: Hinata couldn't fight was the curse mark. It was starting to take hold of her. She couldn't let that happen not here.

The elders looked concerned, knowing the power of the gentle fist; if this battle continued, the compound could be destroyed in the process. Not only that, it could kill everyone. The power between Hinata and Yui was close.

"ENOUGH," said her grandfather with a strained voice.

"Consider yourself lucky, Hinata." Yui said with hatred and resentment. She disengaged and went to her husband's side. Everyone was shocked that Hinata and Yui were both able to use a technique that only the Byakugan princess could use; it wasn't possible, though she couldn't be? She had so many questions, but she had no time to ask them because her father broke the silence.

"I have been lenient towards you up until this point, but now that I should cast you into the Branch house. Not only are you no longer my Heir, but I have a far more suitable successor. By all rights, I should give you the birdcage seal." Her father said with a deadly calm.

It was nothing more than an empty threat, as much as they would want to her father, especially they couldn't give her the seal. "You know the laws as well as I do, Hiashi-sama, about giving the bird cage sealed to adults after the age of 16 is our clan about following the laws or is that nothing more than empty words just like our honor is empty?"

Hinata challenged this, which angered the elders by her calling out the empty honor of the clan and the assurance to their laws.

"Our laws are sacred; no outsider can interfere, not even the village." said her grandfather Hinata, Smiled.

"Article 564 clearly states that no law in any clan can supersede the laws of Konoha. Therefore, the laws in your clan do not supersede those of the village. If you try to seal me, you would violate Article 126, which forbids the sealing of an active ninja and a jonin, especially without the consent of the Hokage."

She took great pleasure in her grandfather's and the elders' complete ignorance of the laws of Konoha. Her father knew the laws well; he was required to be a Jonin. Her grandfather, as arrogant as he is, knew nothing because he had never left the village and had servants to do everything for him. The only laws that were valid in the elders' eyes were those of the clan.

Her father spoke before the elders, and her grandfather said nothing foolish that would further expose the ignorance of the clan for all to see.

"Be that as it may, you know our laws, but you know this: you are the eldest; you are obligated to follow your duty. You know those laws better than anyone; you studied them thoroughly. You also know that you must get married before you turn 20. These are also in our laws, even if you are not my heir, you cannot walk away from that."

Her father replied, reminding her of the law that a daughter of the head of the clan is required to marry.

"Again, I must remind you of the law: Article 65 forbids the clan from interfering in matters that compromise the village. A marriage would force me to resign, which would compromise the village in my role. I willingly gave up the position because I wanted to go my own way. Must I cite every article until the sun goes down? I know the laws of the clan and of this village; there is nothing you can do to force me to do what you want."Hinata said on the verge of losing her patience.

"I have studied the same laws as you, girl. If I wanted to, I could force you to step down because there are laws in this village that dictate the eldest must do her duty regardless of what her position is in the Shinobi hierarchy."

Her father argued fiercely; he was correct, but there was another option.

"I know the law's of the Hyuga Clan, but there is one that you have neglected to mention if I'm no longer part of the clan none of this applies."

Hinata said with a smug smile, knowing that she had won. She was glad that she was forced to study the long and tedious process of every law in Hyuga Clan and Konoha.

"You can't do that," said Yamamoto in disbelief.

"You're insane; you wouldn't speak of exile lightly?"

Asked Hiashi, Hinata didn't care about her father's surprised expression; it didn't matter. He wouldn't control her life. No one would. She was going to follow her dreams. No matter what. Even if it meant leaving the clan behind. That would put her down a path where she would no longer be tied to the clan. This course of action would permanently cut her off from any connections. Did it really matter though?

"It should have been you who died," Those were the words her father said, which is all she remembers from him. That's the only thing she can think of when she remembers her father. Any memory associated with him is that awful night.

She took one last look at her father, she was done.

"I will let no one get in the way of my dreams or goals. Not you, not the clan. No one."

Hinata said with a controlled anger and hatred she had held in for all those years. The abuse, both physical and emotional, at the hands of her father and the elders every time she made a mistake or failed. The gaslighting for her failures; she had no pleasant memories of this place other than those of her mother.

"There is one thing I would like to say to you, Hiashi-sama. For the longest time, I have held it in. The longest time I wanted to say this, and I'll say it now. You are no father of mine. The only thing we have in common is that we share blood; nothing more. If there's one thing I will say, it should have been you who died that night, not mother. From that night to the last day of your life, I will never acknowledge you as my father. Now, if you excuse me, I have important business to take care of. This business has taken too long."

Hinata felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. She didn't care about the angry murmurs or the shocked look on her father's face. She turned her back on him if she paid attention, she would know that a tear was present on his right side.

Neji was not shocked by her display of hatred towards the main branch and the clan as a whole. He sympathized with her; he felt the same way. He looked at all those smug elders, just seeing them stunned by Hinata's rejection. She was probably the only person in the entire clan that he had any sort of respect for. Of course, he couldn't allow anyone to know that he revealed what was happening. Hanabi, on the other hand, was not happy.

"How many times do I have to tell you, father big sis?" she was cut off sharply by her father. "She disrespected the elders publicly; you will not associate with her. You will do as you're told, child." Her father said, trying to end the discussion.

Why?" Hanabi asked in anger.

"Because you're my heir." She looked where her sister had headed.

"Is that all I am to you?" Hanabi asked her father. He couldn't say anything; the elders were shocked not only did Hinata defy them, but Hanabi was doing it as well.

"I just reconciled with my sister. I am not going to cut her out of my life because of you," she left the room, leaving a stunned Hiashi. He had no words. So he lost both of his daughters; he would smile, but he wasn't going to risk getting punished. "Everyone, leave the room now!" The normally calm and collected man yelled. Neji didn't need to be told twice; he left. The Chunin exams were going to be interesting indeed.

He was reveling in the broken relationship between Hiashi and his two daughters, he knew Hinata hated her father. He was surprised at how long it took for her to voice her hatred for Hiashi openly, but it didn't matter to Neji how she felt. His father died because of the main branch; Neji's father was far more talented than Hiashi, which angered him so much that someone undeserving was in charge of the clan when it should have been Hizashi instead of Hiashi as the current head.

He would have had his chance to pay his debts, which were owed. He might not be strong enough to fight Hinata, as she is now, but he could fight Hanabi. He looked at the girl before leaving; he was more than a match for her. A spoiled child; they're both like that. It was because of Hinata's inept abilities and her uselessness that his father is dead.

It didn't matter his father was disregarded like trash. Neji would show once and for all when the time came, just how inferior the main branch is compared to their counterparts who are more talented than them even though they live in luxury and have the best tutors. The main branch still can't compare to their counterparts in the branch they look down on.

He will prove it to everyone when he faces his cousin Hanabi and Hinata just how wrong they truly are.

He was looking forward to the exams. A clash of destiny will occur one way or another. He will prove to be correct because destiny is what controls everything.

Naruto was waiting for his teammates when Hinata told him that she had been summoned by the elders of the Hyuga clan. Naruto wondered if it had anything to do with the Chunin exams. He was excited and nervous at the same time. Finally, he would be able to prove himself. Finally, he would take the first step towards accomplishing his goal.

Naruto noticed someone behind him. He signed in embarrassment. Of course, it was Konohamaru. He turned around and saw the younger boy thinking that he had caught Naruto off guard. Naruto went right behind him and said, "You really should work on your stealth; otherwise, you'll never become Hokage." The boy turned around and looked at him, disappointed that he hadn't been able to trick him.

"I really thought I had you that time." Konohamaru said disappointingly.

"You're going to have to do a lot better. I could see you coming with my eyes closed." Naruto said, turning his back on him.

"I'll get you one day." The boy said. Naruto didn't really take him seriously; he was just a kid. It would be years before he could mount a challenge on him.

"Well, I'll show you how much my Sexy Jutsu has improved." Naruto panicked.

"No, please don't use that jutsu." Naruto said, trying to get him to stop.

"Oh, you think because of your sensei that you're too good for this jutsu now? You don't want Hinata-sensei to know you're a pervert?" Naruto turned red because he was so on-point.

"It's nothing like that. I mean, I" Konohamaru and his friends were laughing.

"Who does he think he's fooling?" Udon, one of Konohamaru's friends, said, almost falling to the ground laughing.

"It's quite obvious even to me that Naruto has a crush on his sensei." Moegi said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I mean, how do you know? I mean, it's not like I" The girl interrupted him.

"It's written all over your face, anyone can see it. If they pay attention, the three of them laughed. Naruto was glad she wasn't there now. What was taking his teammates so long?

"She certainly got you there," remarked Kagome. Because of the funds she received from Hinata, she got a new pair of clothing. She had shoes that were more fitting for a Shinobi than her shoes were before he lived with Hinata. She had a green skirt and on her upper body she wore a sleeveless vest as an undershirt and a purple leather outfit that was more suited for a Kunoichi. Her sword was placed on her lower back; she wore black gloves that exposed her fingers. She was definitely showing herself to be different from her peers.

She wore her headband differently; she wore it on her forehead with pride, unlike before when she was reluctant to wear it. Her hair was tied into a ponytail.

"Wow! You didn't tell me you had a beautiful teammate. What's her name?" Konohamaru asked.

"Sorry, but I'm too old for you. Talk to me in ten years." It was her way of letting him down gently.

"I don't know if he should be here any minute. The question I want to ask is, where's our sensei?" Kagome asked with her arms crossed.

I don't know; I'm getting bored being cramped up here."

Naruto complained being stuck in Konoha for almost a month was driving him crazy. It was so boring there that almost nothing to do. At least with Sasuke around he'd have someone to spar with.

Naruto then noticed two people he didn't recognize. He saw their headbands. Who were they, and why were they in Konoha?

"What do you think you're doing in our village?" asked Konohamaru

The first among them was a boy that was older than Naruto. He wore a Bunraku puppeteer's costume; a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front. He also wears a black hood which covered his head completely, and had cat-like ears and his forehead protector on his forehead. This was not someone that Naruto would normally see and the forehead protector it was foreign but he recognized the symbol from one of his lessons with Hinata.

The person to his right was a girl who appeared to be around 16. Her outfit consisted of a single light purple-coloured, off-the-shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. In addition to incorporating fishnet worn over her shoulders and legs, specifically on her right calf and her left thigh, she also wore her black forehead protector around her neck.

"What are Sunagakure ninja doing in our village?" Kagome asked, getting ready to fight.

"Oh, how cute! It's so adorable. This little girl thinks she can threaten us." remarked the older girl.

"These Konoha ninja are so soft. Do you think we should teach them a lesson, Temari?" said the older boy in a cocky tone.

"Kankuro, I don't think these kids are worth our time" she said arrogantly.

"Oh, you think you're tough because you're older than us? Is that it?"

Kagome charged at her, but Tamari backhanded her with ease. She didn't hit the ground like she expected; Kagome got back up and had a smirk.

"What are you smirking about, girl?" asked Tamari.

Naruto noticed immediately that there was an exploding tag. The girl noticed it too, and was shocked.

"So, you're not as stupid or weak as I thought. What's your name, girl?" asked Temari.

"Kagome Takahashi," the girl replied.

"I hope I get to face you in the Chunin exams. It would be a disappointment if you didn't show up."

Naruto didn't like being ignored by the older boy named Kankuro, who looked at him like he was a pest.

"What are you looking at, idiot?" He said irritated to Naruto about his presence.

"I'm going to be Hokage of this village one day." Him and Tamari laughed as if it was the most ridiculous joke they'd ever heard.

"You're not going to be Hokage? Don't be ridiculous." Kankuro laughed at Naruto trying to show them that he would be Hokage.

Before he could make a move, he was stopped by a force of sand. Naruto didn't know why or who it was; he looked and saw a red-haired boy who was on a tree upside down, looking at him.

"This boy is far stronger than he appears. I can see it in his eyes", he said with a cold, calculated voice. Naruto felt intense power from him. What was it that he was seeing and feeling? He got down from the tree and looked like he was teleporting. He stared at Naruto and spoke softly.

"What's your name?" he asked him.

"Naruto Uzumaki" he looked like he was absorbing what he had said.

"I am Gaara of the Sand. I hope we get to face each other; you have a great power hidden inside you. I know you do, and I would love to see it."

Naruto recoiled; he didn't know why, but he felt bloodlust. Should a person like this be allowed in their village? They passed by them as if it were nothing.

Konohamaru was relieved; the tension was over. Kagome looked conflicted; it was hard for Naruto to tell.

"Did you feel that?" she asked him.

"I never felt such bloodlust from anyone. Is it really safe to allow him in our village?"

Naruto didn't know, nor questioned these things, but he couldn't help but wonder if the Chunin exams were really an event that all the villages participated in. Why did he feel like there was something ominous in the air?

"That Gaara, he's like you, to think we would encounter another Jinchūriki so soon after the Sapphire Mission, unlike Killer Bee. This Gaara is someone with suppressed bloodlust. Be careful with that one at some point we will likely have to fight him. Thankfully, your Sensei was smart enough to teach you all those training methods, but even then, show caution around him. He's not someone we should be trifling with."

Kyuubi cautioned that Naruto knew exactly what he was talking about; he felt it, so he had a question he wanted to ask.

"Do you think I could talk to him like I did with B?"Naruto wondered if he could resolve a potential conflict between them without it escalating into violence.

"I don't know if I would chance it. I doubt this Gaara is the kind of person who would be interested. Something about him makes me feel uneasy. The way he carries himself, the soft-spoken tone in his voice, hides a dark rage that is deep inside of him. Be cautious; that's the only thing I can tell you. Starting a fight with an opponent you're not ready to deal with is foolishness."

Kyubi answered in a way that Naruto expected, but he was hoping for a different kind of answer.

"I hope Hinata-chan allows us to enter the exams; it'd be disappointing if we were forced to stay here." Naruto said to his fox companion. Kyubi looked like he was in deep thought, which was unusual for him.

"I don't know, but I believe she will. Though she will likely want to test you all first, but I cannot help but feel like there's something sinister in the air. Kit, be careful! Something about these exams seems sinister; be on your guard."

Kyubi warned.

What was it about the air that made Kyubi feel uneasy? He wanted to ask, but he knew he wouldn't get any answers from Naruto. He had to follow Kyubi's advice. There was one thing, however, on his mind: where was Hinata?

She should be meeting up with her team, but she was so angry just being around her father, who had said, "It should have been you." No matter how many years have passed, those words still hurt more than any beating she ever received. The festering hatred she felt towards her father and his clan as a whole; she didn't mean to blow up like that or lose her composure.

She couldn't face her team, not like this, even though she was in the training grounds, it was difficult for her to concentrate, difficult to calm down. All around her were craters on the ground, holes in the trees. Nothing could calm her down. It was extremely difficult; then she heard a voice behind her. It was her sister who looked upset. How could she possibly face her sister?

"I don't want you to see me like this, Hanabi." She didn't want to say any hurtful words and destroy their relationship after reconciling.

"I understand, but they have another thing coming if they think I'm going to cut you off form my life after we reconciled. Fuck those people! I'll leave the clan if I have to choose between them and you."

Hinata was shocked. "You didn't have to do that."

Hinata said to her younger sister.

"I don't give a damn about those old fucks who don't give a two shits about us. They just see us as extensions of themselves. We have no say in our dreams or what we want for our futures. Fuck them, and I'm certainly not going to give up my sister for them." Hanabi said angrily.

She's willing to leave the clan for her if it ever came down to her choosing.

They can't do anything to her or Hinata as long as they don't leave the village. They're still officially part of the clan; the laws in Konoha are very clear when it comes to disputes within the clan.

"I really don't want to go back to the compound right now. You don't mind if I stay at your place, do you?" asked Hanabi.

"Of course not. You're always welcome. We're family." Hinata smiled warmly.

"You should meet with your students; they're waiting for you and I need to meet with my team; I'll see you later, Hinata."Hanabi left Hinata to go to her team.

She had to completely calm herself before she met up with her team. The last thing she wanted was them seeing her angry and weak. Though explaining the state of the training grounds would be difficult, she could come up with a plausible explanation for doing intense training and testing a technique she just learned: yeah, that would do. The last thing she wanted was talking about her clan with anyone.

"Your clan doesn't deserve you. Your kind and pure heart is what makes you special, Hinata." Itachi said as she clenched her fists tightly when she remembered that memory of them at this very place. Why does every place have to remind her of Itachi?

She took a deep breath. No, she would not think about Itachi. He was nothing more than a criminal. If she ever found him one day, he would be dead at her feet. She pushed all thoughts of Itachi aside and focused on the present: her students and fulfilling her promise to Kushina. That's all that mattered at the moment; nothing else.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel like someone was following him. He looked over his shoulder, and there was nothing behind him. His teammates were waiting for him. There was nothing he hated more than having Naruto and Kagome give him crap about being late. Him being stuck in Konoha for almost a month had driven him crazy; not doing anything drove him crazy. The training was nice; Hinata was definitely helping him make progress, but he felt like he hadn't made progress fast enough.

He heard footsteps again. Turning around, he saw a girl with brown hair who looked to be about 16 years old.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked her.

"I'm just a traveler," the girl answered. He didn't believe it. He couldn't recognize this girl anywhere in Konoha. He couldn't see her face; her voice was soft.

"You're not anyone I know?" Sasuke replied. The girl was right behind him before he could do anything; he heard a whisper.

"I am not your enemy"he could hear it in her tone that she was sincere

." Who are you?" Sasuke asked her.

"I'm no one" the girl replied indifferently.

Sasuke wanted to get to the bottom of it but he didn't sense any hostility from her no hostile intent.

"I don't know how you could stand it in this village,"the girl said with contempt

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"Don't you feel the taint in the air? Don't you feel the rot? So much evil in one place, I don't know how you can stomach it." The girl said contemptuously of the atmosphere of was confused. What was she talking about?

"You will know in time; if I tell you now, you won't believe me." He still didn't understand what she was talking about.

"Are you a friend or an enemy?" Sasuke asked her.

"Perhaps both or neither, but know that I know the truth of the rot in this village. If you desire to know the truth, you will find it in time when your Sharingan has fully awakened. Go to the shrine; only someone with Sharingan or Byakugan fully awakened will learn the truth: the true history of this village, written in the language that your brother has all but extinguished. Only you know the Uchiha language." Sasuke was cut off guard to how she knew?

Before he could ask any more questions, she vanished whatever kind of skills she had. It was far more advanced than any Genin's skill set; she must be at least a Jonin at very least, he had to be on his guard but she did not mean him any harm; just who is she and who does she work for?

He couldn't ponder his questions for long. Naruto and Kagome approached him, obviously tired of waiting.

"Sasuke, where have you been this whole time?" Kagome asked, worried. If he told them about the mysterious girl from earlier, they wouldn't believe him. He decided to keep that part to himself instead; he would tell half of the truth as a way to avoid suspicion.

"I was visiting my clan's memorial." It was half true because that's what he did prior. "There's a strange people who came from Sunagakure not too long ago you missed it." Naruto said disappointed that Sasuke wasn't there.

"So it's finally here, the end of this boring and tedious almost-month-long doing nothing but training. Finally something interesting!" Sasuke said relieved. This was his chance to test the results of his training he knew about Chunin exams.

"I can't wait to prove to everyone that I'm not just a class clown anymore. I can't wait to wipe those smug looks off the faces of those people when they see me beating them all." Naruto said excitedly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He would be lying if he wasn't intrigued by Naruto's growth. He had to train much harder since Hinata gave him their one-on-one lessons. If he wasn't careful, Naruto would surpass him faster than he anticipated considering he was catching up to him.

"Where is our Sensei?" asked Kagome.

"I don't know where Hinata sensei is; it's not like her to be late. Something must be going on." Naruto said concerned.

"There's a question I'd like to ask: Am I the only one who finds it odd that Naruto lives with his sensei?" Kagome pointed out.

"Are we doing this again?" Naruto said, his face turning red in embarrassment.

." I'm sorry; it's just I find it funny. I mean come on, Naruto! Can you just admit that you have a crush on our sensei? It's been pretty obvious from day one."Sasuke thought even a blind bat would be able to spot it.

"Let's just go to the training grounds to pass the time. It's not like she can't find us with her Byakugan."Naruto said, covering up his embarrassment. He rolled his eyes and figured why not train to pass the time. It's not like they haven't done that for almost a month now God he is tired of this he has to test results of his training against someone anyone to know if he is any closer of achieving his goal.

Hinata was alone at the training grounds where her team trains so much had happened today, telling her father how she felt. Something she should have done years ago. Her father's hurtful words after her mother's death still hurt her more than any physical beating ever could. That night also was tainted with memories of him she will not think about him.

Every memory with Itachi was tainted; she questioned if everything they did together was it all a lie after all these years later, it was still difficult to move on. She would have been easier just to pretend that she never had feelings for him but love didn't work that way unfortunately. After what happened with Itachi, she made a vow she would never fall in love again. There was no room for love; her dream is all that mattered.

Well, no, that's not true. Naruto mattered to her because of the promise she made to a woman who was like a second mother; he matters to her team; and he matters to her. Ever since Naruto entered her life, things have been out of control. It's much easier for her to keep control over her emotions when he isn't around. What is it about him that affects her so much?

She couldn't help but think about the events that happened yesterday when Naruto made her laugh by defacing the entire Hyuga compound and exposing secrets of members of the civilian council.

She had never laughed as hard as she did when Itachi was able to do that. Not even he was able to make her smile like Naruto did, not even she thought about him.

Her students were anxious they were eager to do something she couldn't blame them for; being crammed in the village for almost a month would drive anyone mad. The Chunin exams were approaching. She had to make a decision and she had to make it today. Today was the day all the sensei's would gather at Hokage's office and give her recommendation that they would do one final test for her team to determine if they were truly ready.

She heard footsteps behind her and knew without any words being said that her students had arrived. She turned around and saw the look on their faces: Naruto especially looked determined, she wanted to see if they had what it took.

"I know you're all eager to do something after being crammed into the village for almost a month. As you know, the Chunin exams are going to start relatively soon. Today is the day where I will be going to the Hokage's office where I will give my recommendation but first I have to determine if you are ready."

Naruto's eyes lit up; Sasuke's did too. It was difficult to read, but he was eager and Kagome her eyes were like Naruto's. She wanted to know for herself if all the training she had done to her students over the past few months had paid off. Naruto especially she had helped him with her one-on-one lessons along with Sasuke. Kagome wasn't on their team for long, but she still had to test her anyway to see if she was ready.

"I won't lie to you, the exams are dangerous. You could potentially get severely injured or killed. I'm not going to send you to such an exam unless I'm sure that you're ready. However, even if I deem that you're ready, the final decision to go through with the exams will be yours and yours alone. I will not force you to do something you don't feel you're ready for."

Hinata said her students nodded along.

She took the bells out. There were only two.

"Go all out and attack me as if you're going to kill me. Use whatever means necessary to get the bells."

As if on cue, the team. Naruto threw a smoke bomb to blind Hinata. She activated her Byakugan only to be surprised by shadow clones of Kagome and Sasuke who had a difficult time finding out which ones were real and which ones weren't due to them relentlessly assaulting her; she could defeat them all with ease but the whole purpose was not for them to win but to take the bells.

Sasuke threw shuriken's at her, She knew who the real Sasuke was, as she deflected them with ease. that wasn't all he did she saw a fireball come at her from her left and right side she deflected his jitsu with her rotation. but that did not stop Sasuke he threw another barrage of shuriken before she can deflect Naruto with his shadow clones through a barrage of Kanai.

she said nothing as she blocked projectiles left and right they were serious if she weren't as skilled as she was she wouldn't be able to keep up with them.

Kagome with her sword casted a water jitsu

"water style water dragon thrust"

Kagome water formed around her sword and launched like a beam of water, knocking Hinata hard against the tree. Before she could do anything, Kagome created two water clones before she could get her bearings and cast a misty jutsu so thick that without the Byakugan, she wouldn't be able to see.

She activated her Byakugan in order to try and find her students, especially Naruto, because of what happened last time. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

She couldn't find where Naruto was until she saw him in the air doing hand signs. "Wind style: Wind blade jitsu" formed on his hand, and she was about to be struck by it. Hinata barely managed to dodge.

Team 7 was working in tandem without saying a word. This was an improvement over before she wondered how they were going to take the bells this time. Naruto signaled for Sasuke and Kagome for their next move; they dispersed.

They're trying to catch her off guard. She was waiting for them to make any kind of move. She had taught her students well: not to strike and patiently at an opponent that was stronger than them. They knew this tactic wouldn't last forever, since this was a simulation of a real battle.

The first one to come out was Sasuke, who had a confident look on his face. He took wires out of his pouch, unlike the last time he tried this trick on her; he didn't aim directly at her but around her and then the last part of the string was directly at her right hand. Hinata wasn't able to move it. She wondered what the point of this was.

Naruto out of nowhere went straight at her to her right side with his windblade jitsu. She would not be able to dodge this unless she went all out with her left hand, hitting Naruto straight in the chest. She wondered where Kagome was; why was she nowhere to be found? Sasuke casted a jitsu which engulfed all the wires in flame.

She had to act quickly, or she would get heavily injured by this technique. She jumped out of the way and landed safely away from her students, who didn't have a look of panic on their faces for what seemed like a complete failure. Kagome was at the center with a smile of triumph on her face.

She noticed that the bells were not there; they had been taken by Kagome. Who smiled triumphantly, Hinata was proud of all her students, especially Naruto. She'd seen them grow so much, and she was particularly proud of him for managing to get Sasuke and Kagome to work together without verbal communication.

"I'm proud of all of you. You have passed with flying colors, your teamwork has gotten better than before, and you don't have to communicate verbally. You have outdone yourselves. Naruto, you were careful about your surroundings and didn't use techniques that would endanger your teammates; you made sure to communicate what you were doing before doing it."

Naruto put both his hands behind his head and turned away blushing at her praise.

"You, Sasuke, used one of your clan's techniques in an unconventional manner as a way to distract me rather than attack me. You have come a long way in the past three months by putting aside your differences with your teammates to focus on a larger goal. I am proud of you, Sasuke, for coming such a long way since that first day I met you. For the way I have treated you, I am sorry deeply."

Hinata said when she thought about the way she treated him because of his relation to Itachi.

Then she looked at Kagome, the girl she had only been teaching for a month. She had misgivings at first because of her reputation and her failure with Sakura but she couldn't help but admit that she was wrong about her first impression of this girl.

"Kagome, you are a talented young woman. You have proven yourself time and time again. The way you worked with your teammates, how you use stealth in order to get the bells, you have shown qualities that are important if you ever want to be a member of the Abu Black ops. You have the talent for it; I can see it in your skills, and it's such a young age. You have such potential that I think it would be a waste if it was never brought out. I was wrong to judge you."

Hinata said what she honestly felt in her heart. She knew the next part would be where she would make her decision.

There was silence as to what she was about to say next could change everything. As much as she would like to give them another year to prepare, she couldn't do that. Not after all the hard work they believe they can do it and it would be wrong to hold them back." But you failed; it's your fault Sakura is dead."

She heard herself say that she pushed the thought deep into the back of her mind. She couldn't show any sign of second thoughts that she may be having.

She didn't want them to rush and make such a big decision. The exam won't begin until the next day anyway. This would be their last day before they would do nothing but focus on the Chunin exams for the next month if they pass the second exam, which would be training and preparing for the finals. Overall, there wouldn't be much free time for them if they decide that they wanted to take the exam.

"I don't know about you but I'm ready for the exam." Kagome said eagerly.

"There's no way I'm not taking the exam" Naruto agreed.

"I'm not waiting a year. I'm taking the exam." Sasuke said excited about the prospect of taking the exams.

"Since you've already made up your minds, I'm giving you the whole day off. Relax for the day because after this, you will not have any free time for the next month."

She looked at Kagome.

"Kagome, make sure to spend whatever time you have with your mother; you won't be seeing her for the next month."

She looked worried by how Hinata said it.

"My mother—the money that you gave us has been helping us for the past month, but I don't know." Hinata looked at her with understanding.

She hated this system of Shinobi being provided for. There was so much wrong with it that the old guard gladly guards with their rotten hearts. That would change when she becomes Hokage. Children should not have to worry about their parents not being able to provide for themselves, especially if they're civilians or retired Shinobi. The system had to change; the status quo couldn't stay as is.

"I will have Hokage Sama make sure your mother is provided for with the proper funds."Hinata said to reassure her."thank you Sensei I don't like asking this of you it's just"she is such a good girl what did she ever do to deserve someone like her on her team?

"I'll see you tomorrow" Hinata said to her students, then she looked at Naruto knowing that she would see him later tonight considering they live together. She headed to the Hokage office, her decision even though she didn't want to do it; she was going to allow her students to take the exams.

She would prefer to give them another year, but she knows they're ready and she wasn't going to allow her fear of failure get in the way of her decision. She believes in her students; she believes in Naruto, and for that reason alone, that was enough for her to feel confident in her decision.

Hiashi was in his own quarters. He sighed deeply. He placed his hand on his face, and the words Hinata said to him earlier played over and over again: "You should have died instead of mother." Those words cut deep into his soul; he never thought he'd ever hear them from his own daughter. The hatred she feels for him is so strong that even in his own quarters, he shed a tear where nobody can see. Seeing his oldest daughter, who reminds him so much of his wife, he looked at a picture taken when they were both 19 years old. It was a happy memory. At the time, he was 19, as was his wife.

There was nothing special about her according to the elders of the clan but she was everything to him. Whatever he needed counsel, he went to her; whatever he needed comfort after a long hard day, he went to her. He had loved that woman so much he felt a part of him died with her. The only thing he has left to remind him that she existed at all is this picture that he was looking at. Hinata is a mere image of what she looked like when she was the same age.

She was good friends with Minato. He remembers at one point him being jealous of him. He looked at another photo of Minato at his wedding with his wife by his side. He had not said her name in 10 years. It was a painful reminder that she was not with him anymore. Also he felt he lost the right to mention her name after the awful words he said to his own daughter after she lost her mother. Hanabi wants nothing to do with him either this is his punishment for his failure to protect her and being powerless to stop his brother from dying.

This was also punishment for his carelessness when he lost his wife instead of comforting his child. He said the most horrific things that a father could ever say to their child. He regretted it immediately, but he couldn't take it back. When he tried to apologize, Hinata wouldn't talk to him. No matter how hard he tried to get the words out, he couldn't. After that night, Hinata had not called him "father" again. After all, what right did he have to be called as such after saying such horrible things?

Hinata's mother would be disappointed he felt so shameful of his actions that night that he had never mentioned her name again. Hanabi, the daughter that was preferred by the clan, doesn't know what he had said to Hinata that night; if she ever finds out, when she finds out, she will cut him off completely. Their relationship may not be as strained as Hinata's but it will happen if she ever finds out.

Then his thoughts turned to Yui, his second wife. She insisted on producing another heir: a son. Yui is in her early twenties and wants an heir; the woman is barely older than his eldest daughter. She wants an heir because by clan law if the current head of the clan is a son, he would supersede everyone, including the eldest daughter, for right of succession. He doesn't want another child. It isn't from his wife, whom he loves, but from his current one, who has no love for him or he for her.

"I am sorry I'm such a failure. I failed you in every way, both of our daughters hate me and want nothing to do with me. I couldn't fulfill your promise. I am completely lost without you. I don't even feel worthy of calling you by your name. Please forgive me" he said weekly.

After he paid his respects to his late wife, he left his private quarters. He couldn't appear weak in front of his peers, especially his father who would have no tolerance for such weakness. He would have to go through the same routine with his father explaining him why he doesn't want to have more children; his father pressured him. He didn't know how long he could do it because once he has a son, his daughter's futures will be threatened. The least he can do for his daughters is protect them in the only way he can.

If he has to, he will protect his daughters by any means necessary, even if he has to risk being cast down from his position as the head of the clan. His children are all he has left of his first love and only love; he will not allow any harm to come to them, even if he has to go against the clan itself.

There is no other way he could honor his wife than to protect their children by any means necessary.

Jiraiya was visiting a grave. It was difficult going here after all these 13 years. He feels like he's a different man when he thinks about those times. Hikari's body was never found, though she was presumed dead on a mission she went on 13 years ago.

"I'm sorry I don't visit you very often. I wish I knew I've said it many times. I was such an idiot" Jiraiya said out loud.

He didn't dare visit her sister or her niece. He felt ashamed he had such a great woman and he threw her away because of his unwillingness to commit. He had many regrets in his life. Hikari was the biggest. There was another person by him: it was her sister.

"Paying your respects to my sister, I see."she said with a voice full of ice.

"I'm sorry Naomi."he knew it would never be good enough no matter how many years pass.

"You broke my sister's heart. You have some nerve," he knew he didn't deserve to be here; what else could he do? He couldn't leave Konoha.

"I know I'm reminded of it every day the idiot that I was and the awful mistake that I made." He didn't want to argue with her, not in front of Hikari's grave.

Hikari was 10 years younger than her sister. If she were still alive, she would be 42. She was 10 years younger than Jiraiya as well. He puts the memories to the side; he couldn't indulge himself in the past, not when there are other things that he had to focus on.

"I don't want to fight with you, Naomi. I'll leave out of respect."Jiraiya was about to leave but she stopped him with a firm hand.

"No, my sister would want you here as much as I don't want you here, but I have to respect her wishes: she loved you no matter how much I wish it wasn't otherwise." He did exactly what she told him and stayed. There was a silence between them.

"My daughter is friends with Naruto, your godson." Naomi told him she has a kid of her own this shocked him considering no he pushed that thought aside anything could have happened in the past 13 years.

"That's good; Naruto could use friends." He felt like a screwup perhaps he should have stayed in the village more to be the father Naruto needed another regret another reminder of his lifelong list of failures..

"Hinata is his Sensei, as you probably already know." He knew that much at least; she's taking care of him from what his Sensei told him. Naruto's living with her—not something that's encouraged but at least he knows Naruto is being taken care of now and Hinata did promise his parents to take care of him. He would have to pay Hinata a visit when he had the chance.

"Anything else I should know?" Jiraiya asked her. "No," Jiraiya was about to turn his back; he had work to do—he had to do it but before he could do anything Naomi said one last thing.

"If you think you can run away from your mistakes, think again. You may say you're going on a secret mission, but you're using that as an excuse to run away from failure. Sooner or later, Jiraiya, you will have to take responsibility for every failure and running away or making excuses isn't going to change anything" she knew he couldn't respond because she was absolutely right;. He walked away with no more words exchanged between them. Little did they know they were being watched.

She knew she shouldn't be doing this, it endangered her mission but she had to make sure that Naomi and Jiraiya did not catch on. It had been 13 years since she had started her mission deep undercover; everything she had done was even disregarding her own identity; it was a mission with no endpoint, no end date; she was the lone infiltrator in Root.

She wore a mask that resembled that of a frog; her hair was tied back in a long brown braid. Her attire was standard for an Anbu, and too much was at stake to allow Donzo to suspect anything. "I'm sorry, Jiraiya, Naomi, and Kagome," the woman said softly as she headed to the destination where the next meeting would take place.

Hinata was with her peers in the Hokage's office. It was time for the decision that would change their lives. She saw her peers looking at her with contempt. She knew what they were thinking: someone so young shouldn't be a Jonin. She wouldn't allow the naysayers to sway her because, after all, she worked hard; she wasn't here because of any other reason.

"You've all gathered here to give your recommendations whether your students are ready or not to take the exams. I have looked at all of your records, mission success rates, even your students. All of you check out though it's ultimately your decision whether or not you feel your students are ready." The Hokage said.

Hinata was confident that her students were ready even if she doesn't want to send them to the exams.

The first among them was Kurenai. "My students are ready to take the exams," she said. "I've tested them in any way I possibly could to see if they can handle the difficulties that lie ahead of them. With complete confidence, I could say they are ready." Hinata wasn't surprised her friend was very good at preparing her students; she saw their performance during the mission, especially Hanabi's, especially. Though she was worried about her sister, if she had it her way, she wouldn't take the exam at all. But she couldn't do that because she wasn't on her team.

The second of her peers, Asuma, who encouraged her and one of the people who recommended her to the rank of Jonin, said: "Team 10 is more than capable of taking the exam; in fact, I'd argue they're overqualified. I have full confidence that they will do well in the exam. I recommend my team take it."

Asuma said with confidence that he had full faith in his students. He wasn't just boasting; he never did such a thing when he said it, meaning it.

The next recommended his students with someone she knew well that she worked with from time to time who trained her how to better utilize her Taijutsu skills of Taijutsu outside of gentle fist so she wouldn't depend on her clans technique as much and even taught her a few aspects of the inner gates. He stood out amongst his peers with his attire was nearly all green his headband was an area that is not usually common. He has short black hair and is very energetic.

"My team is more than ready. I've trained them for a year. I kind of feel bad for your teams, though. Due to their lack of experience, mine have an advantage"he said with a friendly smile to everyone including Hinata.

There were others who gave their recommendations. Hinata was the last of them; everyone in the room was looking at her.

"None of these kids should be taking the exams for at least two or three years," she heard Iruka, Naruto's sensei in the academy, say.

"It cannot be undone; we've all recommended our students." Kurenai said irritated with Iruka who had no experience training a three-man cell talking about things he knew nothing about.

"I know them better than anyone; I've taught them for years. They're not ready." Hinata wanted to lash out, but she calmed herself. It wouldn't do her any good if she lashed out just to reinforce what her name says about her ability to lead a team.

"She got one of my students killed on their first real combat mission. Does she really have the best judgment?" He pointed at Hinata accusingly. Everyone seems to agree with him, except for Kurenai,Guy and Asuma.

"Anybody could have made that mistake, Zabaza was no joke." Kakashi said, coming to her defense. She didn't realize he was in the room.

"She should have had the judgment to pull back when the mission was too difficult for her students." Iruka countered.

Hinata wanted to lash out in anger; she couldn't abandon those people despite the deep shame she feels today of part of her wishing she had because of Sakura's death being her fault Iruka wasn't wrong but she couldn't have the appearance of admitting that he was right she had to stand her ground and defend her actions.

"And leave the people of the Land of Waves at the mercy of scum like Goto? You weren't there, you don't know what the conditions were in the Land of Waves. There was poverty and destitution. Had I left the land, it would still be ruled by Goto and those in the Land of Ways would have cursed our land for the rest of their lives, possibly ruining any possible relations we could have had in the future. I don't regret my decision to help those people; don't talk about things you know nothing about. You weren't there." Hinata countered coldly.

"Sakura died a needless death because of your poor judgment—how do I know this is any different?" he countered.

She wasn't going to allow anyone to question her competence, especially in front of her peers and the Hokage.

"Naruto, I know him better than any of them. He is not ready to go to the exams until he's at least 15 years old. Sasuke isn't as willing to work with others and Kagome was dropped from the program for a reason yet she was allowed back on because of your blender at the Land of Waves?" He looked at her accusingly. No, she would not allow him to question her judgment especially when he doesn't have experience training a three-man cell.

Hinata had to keep herself under control and not snap. This was the challenge of being under such pressure from her peers, who already did not respect her because of her lack of experience and age. She spoke in a calm and uncompromising tone.

"I'll make one thing clear, Iruka. I make the calls, not you. They're my students; last time I checked, they're not yours. I've been around them longer than three months—the amount of time you trained them. Majority of the time you spent with them was in the classroom; you didn't go around training them one-on-one. You didn't go around teaching them how to properly defend themselves because most people who run the academy are incompetent and cannot teach. You being an exception. I appreciate you caring about Naruto; I really do. But I'm the one that has been training him to properly learn the basics to properly defend himself and improve his chakra control." She looked at her peers looking at her accusingly and continued.

"I made sure to properly test all of my students so that I can in good conscience recommend them to take the exams. It's my call, not yours." She didn't use her authoritative voice very often to her peers of lower rank but when it came to situations like this where her competence was being questioned in front of her peers, she was the youngest and couldn't allow anyone to make her look like she is incapable of making the right call.

"Do you have anything else to add?" she asked him coldly. He said nothing. Kakashi looked at her proudly, knowing that she stood her ground despite what had happened today with her clan. She was proud of herself for managing to keep calm in this situation, an important trait that would become important when she ever becomes Hokage.

"I, Hinata Hyuga, recommend team 7 to take the exams; they are more than ready."

Everyone was speechless. The inexperienced woman who had been promoted only a few months ago was recommending her students to take the exams. She felt like she was sweating. It was completely nerve-wracking, but she couldn't show how nervous she was if she wanted to ever gain their respect.

"Very well, tomorrow's exams begin. You are all dismissed." The Hokage said.

They dispersed before Hinata left, Kakashi walked beside her as they were walking outside. "You did well on how you handled that situation." Kakashi said to her.

"I feel nervous inside, I'm still not completely confident that I made the right choice. Did I sensei?" she asked Kakashi. She was wondering what he was thinking; it was hard to tell with that mask on his face.

"I believe you made the right call. All sensei's are not sure if they made the right choice and are concerned about their students it's natural. The choices you will have to make when you become Hokage will be far more difficult. It will make the one you made today look easy, and there's times where there is no right answer or right choice, there's a bad choice and a worse one."

She was starting to understand things have gotten far more complicated since she'd been promoted. Choices that she didn't have to consider before or make, she had to think of all the variables.

"The one thing you can do for them is have faith in them and believe that they can succeed. Have confidence that you trained them well; you cannot show in any way that you regret your choice. They will know this, especially Naruto."

Yes, Naruto. She has the strongest bond with him even though she wasn't intended to do so. She sat down on the bench and looked up at the sky. It would be night soon.

"Do you think she would approve of what I'm doing with her own son?"Hinata asked Kakashi,

"Keeping a promise to look after Naruto was something she wanted because you were the one person she trusted. You are always responsible even when you were a child. She was confident that you would be a good friend to Naruto and be the kind of person he needs."

She understood that but she wasn't even able to do anything for Naruto until recently because she wasn't allowed to.

"I think she would be proud of you, same thing with Minato-sensei on how far you have come." If there's one consistent thing with Kakashi was that smile, she could see it even with the mask on." I have to head back tomorrow; the exams begin and I need to get rested." She bidded Kakashi farewell and left.

Yui was furious she was so close to prove once and for all that despite not being a full-blooded Hyuga, she was superior to Hinata in every way yet the damn elders stopped her. She looked at her hair in the mirror and hated it; the damn Usamaki blood in her veins. Despite proving herself time and again as a Hyuga, it was never good enough. The very idea of having to marry someone who is old enough to be her father disgusted her; it was not a marriage she would have wanted. It was forced.

Despite all of that, despite studying in depth about everything about the Hyuga clan, she's still wasn't considered one of them. She was meditating alone in her garden; no one dared to disturb her because they disliked her, but they had to respect her because of tradition.

She heard footsteps and then looked, noticing a girl with brown hair.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Yui asked the girl.

"I can ask you the same question why are you in this place if you hate it so much?" the girl asked rhetorically.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't call the guards." the woman said with a deadly calm.

"They wouldn't be able to get to you in time," the girl responded calmly as she got very close up to her face. The girl had brown hair and blue eyes; it was difficult to make out what her face looked like from what she could tell, which seemed to indicate that she was around 16 or older, though it was hard to tell due to the robes covering her body from head to toe.

"You say you're stronger than me?" Yui said with a deadly calm.

"I've observed you and Hinata; my mother desires to know what is happening to her former clan that casted her out." the girl said, ignoring her question.

"There's no way you're implying that Kanna exists. She's a myth." She said to convince herself more than the girl in front of her, who laughed at such childishness.

"Yes, of course you would think that, but you're not exactly one of them are you? You have their features of a Hyuga with an Uzumaki. The only reason you were allowed to marry anyone from this clan was because they want the chakra reserves your children will have; they don't see you as a person; they just see you as a potential breeding stock." The girl said matter-of-factly.

"You lie," she said, her voice deadly. She got up to her full height and pushed the girl back into her stance.

"How amusing! You actually think you could defeat me? I've been trained by the most powerful Hyuga that has ever existed. You're nothing more than a child, just like Hinata. Such foolishness." The girl said as she got into her own stance.

She wasted no time with words and charged at her. The girl dodged with ease, which frustrated Yui; she was far faster, there being no way she could dodge all of her attacks. At the first opportunity, the girl knocked her down.

She got up again and regained her footing. She activated her lion fist, but the girl looked at her indifferently, with no fear in her eyes.

"Blood red lion, fist a mark of your mixed bloodline." the girl said tauntingly.

"Shut up," she yelled as she attacked her wildly. She dodged like it was nothing; she was toying with her.

Then she knocked her down again and pinned her down with her right knee, speaking in a threatening tone.

"I'm here for one reason and one reason alone: you, child. I'm here to look after Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha. I only came here to see if you were worth my mother's time; you're confused, child. I understand an outcast who is forced to live in the very clan that she hates. A child who is neither a Hyuga nor an Usamaki has the features of both but belongs to neither. I am from no clan; I am no one yet. Look how easily I defeated you."

The girl said as she was scolding a child, this angered her more than anything else. She fought to get the girl off of her, but it wouldn't work.

"I fight for a higher cause, don't you see it? Yui, the evil in air is rotten. The rot? I know you do why do you think you meditate here and not anywhere else this village is rotten to its core and this clan is everything wrong with this village. Mother can give you a place to belong where you don't have to be someone you're not. You are not a Hyuga; you never will be."

She moved her knee off her back, trying to get up in order to fight again. But the girl left.

"Should you become disillusioned, you will seek us out. Kanna will welcome you because she welcomes all children of the abandoned."

The girl said in a sympathetic tone, feeling nothing more in the air.

No she couldn't take anything this girl said at face value. She will find a place in the clan; they will accept her as soon as she has a son. Her place in the clan won't be questioned. But she couldn't help but think in the back of her mind about the girls words.

She will one day prove to the world that she is superior to Hinata Hyuga, the spoiled princess of her clan. She looks forward to proving to everyone just how much a fraud Hinata is. She was looking forward to that day and she will be there when she is cast down. She will take what's hers by right, which Hinata denies. Unlike Hinata, she won't deny what's hers.

She followed Hinata like a predator following prey. It was so easy she could end the lives of Kakashi and Hinata without them ever knowing she was there, but she was told to hold back. Her mission was to keep an eye on them. She made sure not to get too close. She entered her apartment carefully with binoculars zoomed in, seeing a brown-haired girl who looked like the woman's sister, then saw a blonde-haired boy who was happy when Hinata put food on the table. They were laughing about something, but something about the boy was familiar to her.

"I love you, sensei"a blonde-haired man said. It was the first time she'd heard someone tell her that they loved her; she'd never loved anyone; she'd never had a son but something about him made him feel familiar to her; why did he look like someone she once knew? She'd never questioned anything before until she first laid eyes on Naruto: "You'll look after him, won't you, Hina Chan?"said a voice that sounded like her own. "Of course I will I'll look after Naruto and protect him from the bad people,"she heard a five-year-old girl say excitedly.

These memories: what were they? Who was she before she became part of Root? She never asked questions before, and it was concerning her. No, these were just delusions that she dismissed. Her mission was to keep an eye on Hinata and eliminate her should the need arise. The others would keep an eye on Naruto and his team; Danzo gave her purpose, and that was enough.

Naruto didn't get a chance to indulge in his thoughts for long before Anko Shouted as loud as she could to get everyone's attention.

"Okay listen up kids, this part of the Chunin exams makes the experience you had with in the first exam look like child's Play. The first exam tested if you had the ability to steal information and do proper reconnaissance without being detected and it tested your resolve if you were willing to take chances and have guts. The whole purpose of the 10th question was to see if you would be prepared for this portion of the exam which makes what you went through look like heaven on Earth." Anko licked her lips like some sort of sadistic torturer that indulged in psychologically and physically torturing their victims.

"Now know this these forms I gave you absolves us of any responsibility should you die in this exam if you wish to continue you have to sign them and give them to me before starting." Dying Naruto thought it didn't make sense to him. Why would you send a potential Shinobi to certain death, wouldn't that be one less asset in the future? This perplexed Naruto this was a question he wanted to ask his Sensei when he had the chance but he suppressed that thought for now when the instructor continued.

" Since you're all Shinobi you are technically considered adults by our society so whatever choice you make is completely your own though if you were to drop out of this portion of the exam after coming so far I don't think I would let you ever take the exams again but that's just me this is your last chance to turn back"Naruto had no intention and he knew his teammates wouldn't either.

"Good luck, it looks like we have a bunch of brave candidates here. I wonder how many fools will rush to their deaths in this exam?" She looked at Naruto as if she was looking at him. He didn't like the way she was staring at him. As if she teleported to another dimension and went right behind him, she held a kunai to his cheek, and he felt a cut. "You have not flinched; I'm impressed, or is it that you don't want to look pathetic because of your sensei Hinata?" He refused to be baited.

"I think this Kanai belongs to you," said a woman who looked like she had the features of a snake. It was creepy the way she licked her lips and the way she looked at Naruto and Sasuke.

" "Thank you," Anko replied, not looking any more comfortable than Naruto didn't seem right with that woman with the hat.

"Don't stand behind me unless you're in a hurry to die," Anko threatened her and from the sounds of it she meant it. The woman replied back with the same bloodlust in her voice.

"I'll try to keep it under control but the sight of warm blood makes me crazy and I was already losing a strand of my hair." This was creepy and gross who the hell was this woman?

Karin couldn't help but feel something dark and sinister about the woman with the hat. Her long hair gave her the creeps; she was shivering in fear. It was like she was looking at a demon, not a human being.

"What the hell is that?"she asked out loud. This woman wasn't right; her teammates were uneasy about it as well. She possessed a unique ability called the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, which allowed her to sense any target's chakra signature. It was a trait passed on to her from her mother.

She's for all she knows to the best of her knowledge is the last Uzumaki alive; her signature red hair makes her stand out from her peers. So what makes it even rarer is the red eyes which she inherited from her mother, she never knew her father. The only thing she knew was that she had an aunt who went to Konoha at some point, though she never knew her and she is dead.

"You better not slow us down, Karin" said one of her teammates, who was an older boy around 16.

"Go fuck yourself! I've done more for this team than any of you have." she said with irritation Karin is the unofficial leader; her teammates are stupid without her; they would be lost.

"Layoff Tashima! Without her, we would be nothing!" He was the same age as Tashima, kinder than his brother, but they were twins.

"Conjo, I'm just saying that this girl is useless to us; she can barely fight—what good is her sensory ability if it doesn't help us in battle?" She wanted to slap that arrogant prick, but Conjo beat her to it.

"You idiot, she has saved our lives time and time again with her sensory ability. Do not discount her just because she is not a combatant like we are." He said defending Karin from his brother's ignorant comment.

Their argument couldn't be taken further because the examiner interrupted them.

"I would appreciate it if you listen to what I'm about to say, it could save your lives." she said with an implied threat.

"Now to continue, I'll tell you what this exam is about. It's actually simple; it's a survival test .It will test everything that you have been taught up until now. Let's start with the Topography of this training ground. Training ground 44 is barricaded by singular perimeter at regular intervals at 44 locked Gates. There are forests and a river in the center, about 10 km from those Gates." She was amazed how much stuff was in a 10 km radius; it didn't seem to be that big, but something didn't add up.

The examiner continued, "Within the confines of this carefully delineated area, you're going to undergo a survivor test. During the course of that test, you may use anything necessary to complete your task. If you played capture-the-flag, you'll be familiar with the premise; except the difference between that and this is instead of capturing the flag, it's capturing the scroll."

Karin decided to ask a question.

"You mean we're supposed to capture the scroll, okay? But it can't just be that?" She knew there had to be more if it was one scroll; it would be too easy. As if to anticipate her question, she took out two scrolls and showed them to everyone. The difference between them was that one had a kanji of Earth and the other had a kanji of heaven. So they were supposed to collect two. She didn't need to be told that after seeing the scrolls, but the examiner explained it to those who weren't able to see them because they weren't close enough.

"There's a scroll of heaven and there's a scroll of birth, and your objective is to acquire both scrolls. For those in the back who cannot read the kanji, that's what it is. There are 78 of you right now; that's 26 three-member teams. 13 teams will start off with the heaven scroll and the other will start off with the Earth scroll, but you need both to pass—you cannot do it with just one. Your objective is to hold on to your own scroll and get your hands on the one from the other team; you must bring them both to the tower at the center." This made sense this way: it can eliminate as much of the candidate as possible. Most of them would not make it, she thought this was an effective way to weed out as much of the incompetent Shinobi as possible, less than half of the teams would pass, that she knew for sure. She hopes her team was one of those teams that passed. Karin couldn't disgrace her village or her sensei.

"I'll make you proud, mother," Karin said to herself as she mentally prepared for the trials that awaited her.

Hanabi understood everything that she was being told, and she wasn't going to lose. She wouldn't let her team lose either. She looked at Naruto who was listening intently. If she encountered Naruto, she would eliminate him without hesitation. She couldn't afford to lose even against her sister and cousin.

"So you're saying that at least half of us will fail in this exam?" asked Kagome. The examiner answered her question.

"Yep, that's what's going to happen but don't be surprised if it's more than half. After all, this is the weed out as many of the teams as possible. You have 120 hours to complete this exam exactly 5 days." This wasn't a problem for Hanabi; she was trained to go without food for an extended period of time. This wouldn't be a problem.

"5 days—what are we supposed to do about food?" Choji asked not happy with the prospect.

"That's your problem. All of you must know basic survival skills by now. There's plenty of animals or other potential edibles. If you don't know how to survive using what's available in nature, then you don't deserve to pass to the next level." The instructor said, annoyed by Choji's complaining.

So this was the way to get as many teams disqualified as possible. People who lack food and water will be weaker and make irrational moves and mistakes. Brilliant, Hanabi thought. Fortunately for her, she was prepared to have enough food for at least two or three days if she rations it properly, and her teammates do the same.

"As you all know, there won't be 13 teams passing this exam because after all, those who go without food for long periods of time are far more likely to become exhausted and make rash moves and mistakes. So in attention to those who attempt to defend or capture the scroll, some of you are bound to succumb to exhaustion, exposure, starvation, and dehydration." She stopped talking for a moment and put out three fingers as she was about to explain the rules.

"Now let's talk about the rules of what offenses you can be disqualified for. Obviously, the teams that failed to reach the tower in that time as a three-man squad will be disqualified. And any team that loses a member when it's due to death or severe injury are disqualified and under no circumstances are any of you to leave the forest before the time is up. No recesses, no timeouts. One last thing: You're forbidden to look at the contents of the scrolls until you're inside the tower."Naruto didn't need to ask the question but he asked anyway.

"What happens if you take a sneak peek?" Naruto Asked stupidly. "It should be obvious, idiot," Kyubi said, in annoyance.

Anko answered, "Well if you want to find out go ahead and look but I wouldn't advise it." It was a non-answer he did not expect.

"If any of you are to make it to Chunin level or above, there will be missions where you'll be trusted with top secret documents, and you will be trusted not to look. This is to test if you would be trustworthy with such important information. That's all I'm going to give you—just give me the forms that you've all signed, and I'll give you your scrolls. And when you get yours, choose the gate you want to start from. Everyone, meet at the same time. There is one last piece of advice I'm going to give you." Naruto was wondering what she was going to say.

"Stay alive and whatever you do, don't do something foolish." She smiled and then turned her back on everyone as she prepared for the second exam.

Orochimaru, in his disguise, was looking forward to seeing what the students of Hinata are capable of. Especially Sasuke, the red-haired woman named Red, was behind him.

"Oh, Red, what have I done to deserve the honor of your presence?" Orochimaru said.

"Makeini sure you don't have any funny ideas, Orochimaru." Red said with an implied threat.

"Your petty threats mean nothing," he replied, calmly. He didn't need to see her face to know that she was conflicted; what he had said a few days ago had taken root. She has doubts about who she is and whether she can be controlled if he just pushes a little bit more.

"I can help bring back your memories, Red. The future that has been stolen from you and your past I could give that back if you do something for me." Orochimaru said as he calmly put his right hand on her mask and slightly removed it exposing her mouth. She pushed his hand away.

"Keep your filthy hands off of me!" Red yelled, clenching her teeth.

"Aren't you not allowed to let your emotions control you?" Orochimaru said mockingly.

"I should kill you where you stand," the woman said, barely controlled fury in her voice.

"You are denying who you are. Go to the Uchiha Clan Memorial, and you will get your answers there. If you ever wondered why you're not allowed to go there or to go to the Hokage's office? It has to do with your past. You are not who you think you are. Red. I hold the key to your past. Should you seek answers, come to me in the forest of death. You will not regret it if you choose to join me." He knew he had won; he would let time do the rest. She will investigate her past, and when she does, she will go to him.

"Your words are nothing but lies if you didn't think about betraying Danzo Sama I will kill you myself."

Red dispersed as if she were not there at all Orochimaru had the appearance of a woman taking an exam. He had to contain his bloodlust, looking at Sasuke along with the blonde-haired boy and the girl who would have to separate them. Sasuke was the only one he had any interest in. He licked his lips in anticipation. The Forest of Death was perfect considering the rules: anything goes; a few dead Genin would hardly be a surprise.

"Remember the plan"he said in the women's voice his teammates not it along infiltrating this exam was too easy thanks to Danzo making it so. Orochimaru knew that Danzo had every intention of undermining him he would be foolish not to but Orochimaru fortunately was ahead of him Donzo's most powerful asset the time would came he would learn that he is not in control as much as he thought but until that day came Orochimaru would for appearances sake make it seem like he was an ally when in fact he's just another obstacle for him down for his bigger goal.

Team 7 was running as fast as possible. It was difficult to see where they were, despite the force of death being 10 km away. It looked a lot bigger than that. Kagome with her teammates couldn't help but feel like someone was watching them. It wasn't long ago that they started, yet someone was stalking them.

" I'm not imagining things; I feel like we're being watched."she said out loud Naruto and Sasuke turned around and were looking as if they could feel it too.

"The killing intent it's suffocating because what the hell kind of person are we dealing with here?" Kagome asked her teammates. She withdrew her sword from its sheath, feeling uneasy. She never felt this kind of fear in her life. She heard laughing, a sinister and evil laugh.

"Seriously, Kagome, what the hell is going on? You're freaking us out." Naruto said, not feeling comfortable with her having her sword out.

"Do you hear that?" she asked her teammates, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Well, I'm sorry. I'll be back." Naruto left her and Sasuke alone. She didn't think it was a good idea for Naruto to be alone. She had to voice her honest thoughts openly.

"We should keep an eye on Naruto; this is a bad idea. We shouldn't separate under any circumstances." she said with fear in her voice Sasuke looked irritable.

"You're freaking me out, Kagome. Put that sword away." Sasuke said, not feeling comfortable.

She continued to hear laughing almost as if they thought it was funny that she could hear but, others couldn't.

"Man, I feel better"Naruto said as he got out of the bushes. Something was off. His matter of speech didn't seem like Naruto at all Sasuke picked up on it immediately and punched Naruto in the face.

"What the fuck Sasuke?"

Naruto said in anger.

"For someone who tries to imitate my idiot teammate you certainly doing a terrible job. Naruto has three whiskers on both sides of his cheeks, not two second Naruto is right-handed yet his pouch is on the left." She was amazed remembered those details then again they've been teammates since the very beginning so it's not really surprising he would know those details.

"Damn you"the fake Naruto dropped his facade and changed his appearance to his true form. He was one of the ninjas from the Rain Village. He wore a light yellow jumpsuit with cross stitches in the middle around the upper body. He wore a rebreather and a mask on his face. He wore shinobi sandals, and had brown spiky hair and dark eyes. He also wore a full-sleeve purple kimono shirt and pants. She recalled the name of this ninja when she heard his name being called by the examiner for the second exam. Oboro is what she remembered him being called.

"Looks like I have to work on my Genjutsu," he said when he was finished. He tried to attack Sasuke, who blocked his attacks with ease.

"Next time you try to impersonate someone make sure you do the research first; it makes you look like an idiot and Naruto looks like a genius." Sasuke said mockingly. He didn't appreciate the insults and attacked Sasuke. An opponent riled up was an easier opponent to beat. Sasuke didn't care; he was willing to fight by any means necessary to get past the second exam.

No matter what he threw at him Sasuke countered, he was seething with anger. he tried to strike at Sasuke's left side in order to catch him by surprise but Sasuke was able to counter with ease. no matter what his opponent try to do he tried throwing shurikens at him Sasuke countered by deflecting with his Kanai. he tried changing tactics by attacking it Sasuke a close range.

This opponent, who was fighting against, was no Rock Lee. He may be fast, but comparatively he is slow. He was able to see everything coming; he didn't even need the Sharingan to know what his next move would was trying to attack Sasuke from behind, but Sasuke turned around and kicked him in the abdomen, knocking him. hard against the tree. Sasuke wasn't taking any chances; he was going to incapacitate his opponent. but before he could do anything, he threw a smoke bomb on the ground.

"Damn you!" Instead of continuing to attack Sasuke, he made a tactical retreat.

"We need to find our teammate," Kagome said with concern.

He looked around the nearby area he's so naruto who was guided did not look happy that he was tied up in fact he looked extremely pissed off and annoyed in any other circumstance Sasuke would find it funny. But, this was not that kind of situation in the forest of death anything could happen and he couldn't mess around. He along with Kagome untied Naruto removed the guy on his mouth and spoke .

"I can't believe I let that asshole get the drop on me, damn it!" Naruto said angrily about what had just happened.

They both nodded in agreement about coming up with a way to make sure they were not caught by surprise again. They would invent a password that all of them had to repeat if they ever got separated. If they got the password wrong, then they were the enemy. Sasuke has strong feelings that the enemy would try again and he suspected they were spying on his team. The password he was going to say would be complicated and long; he was fully aware Naruto wouldn't be able to remember it. Next time they tried to impersonate Naruto, if they tried to get the password right, he would know immediately that they were the enemy because Naruto would never be able to remember a long password or any password for that matter. It was a perfect plan.

"Listen to the password carefully because I'm only going to say it once." Sasuke said to his teammates.

"A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike." Sasuke knew this password would go over Naruto's head but that was the point: Naruto would never remember a password this long so if they encountered someone who impersonated him again he would know he was a fake.

Kagome would remember it.

" Can you repeat that again?" Naruto asked Sasuke. He ignored him for the moment, now they needed to guard the scroll and the person who would be the least likely to lose it." Give me the scroll, Naruto," Sasuke requested. Naruto reluctantly gave it to him. They didn't get a chance to do anything for long when another presence came. Sasuke jumped out of the way along with Naruto and Kagome.

Sasuke had no idea where his teammates were; they were separated. Even if it was for a few seconds, that would be enough for an enemy to impersonate them. He hopes his gambit paid off.

After a few minutes he saw Kagome appear before him he couldn't be too careful he had to know if this person appeared before him was the real her."the password now"Sasuke demanded."A ninja waits till the time is the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike." Kagome answered. Sasuke lowered a little bit knowing her answering it with no trouble was the sign it was the real Kagome.

Then Naruto appeared and said, "The password now."

Sasuke demanded, "A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike."

The way Naruto recited this was suspicious. Naruto would not do this so easily; he wouldn't remember long passwords like this. This was a fake.

He punched the fake Naruto in the face. Kagome was surprised and the fake Naruto smirked."So you saw right through my deception, how did you know?"the fake asked him."I purposely did a long password knowing Naruto wouldn't remember it Naruto would ask what is the password but since you answered it. I can confirm without a shadow of the doubt that you are a fake you're worse at impersonating other people than Naruto is"the fake smiled sinisterly."Is that so?"

The transformation was undone and what appeared it was a woman. The bloodlust he could feel in the air this was the same woman from earlier." I hope you can entertain me,"the woman said, licking her lips.

He had no idea why but he felt afraid. He looked and saw Kagome. She was terrified even more than he was."It seems like the girl is more prey than you are." the woman said with a sinister smile.

Sasuke did not know why, but he felt extremely terrified. He tried to move, but his body would not respond. He saw needles falling from the sky, piercing him and Kagome. Blood was dripping on the ground. He was in a pool of his own blood as the woman walked slowly towards them. He heard laughing, and she licked the right side of her face like a predator. She went on her knees, lifted Kagome up with her right hand, took out a sword that looked like a katana, and decapitated her. Her body tumbled to the ground as she held her head like a trophy. Then, she did the same to him. As soon as the scene started, it ended, and he found out it wasn't real: the injuries, their deaths, everything was an illusion, some advanced kind of genjutsu he had never known about.

He couldn't move even the day his brother murdered everyone he cared about; he had never felt such intense fear." It can't be over already. I was just getting started," The woman said sadistically. If he did not move, she would kill them. He did not know why, but this woman was far beyond their league; there is no way she is a Genin." What a disappointment! Is this what I can expect from Sasuke Uchiha?" She got closer to him. He had to get out, he had to get himself and Kagome out. If he did not, they would both be killed.

She threw kanai's at them if they hit them at the right spot they would both be dead instantly Sasuke had to move he had to get himself and Kagome away otherwise they would get killed. He couldn't move, he had to get out, he had to get out Sasuke took a drastic measure. It was reckless but it was the only way for him to escape this encounter alive . He he took a Kanai from his pouch and stabbed himself on the right knee. He grabbed Kagome and fled as fast as he could.

He heard cackling, and it was echoing throughout the entire forest. It sounded as if she was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Just thinking about her made him want to run away; she wasn't human. She was a force of nature—what was she? If there's one thing he can describe about what he was running away from, it was a demon.

"You can run, Sasuke-kun. But you can't hide I smell your fear and the fear of your companion. Run away, my little prey. This whole forest is my domain. Run as fast as your legs will take you. I will find you, and when I do, I will make you wish you were dead. No one will save you. Keep running and keep entertaining me. Show me that you're worth my time." The woman continued to laugh at Sasuke's and Kagome's fear of her.

He quickly went into space despite the pain on his right knee. Blood was dripping, but it didn't matter how much pain he was in. He had to get himself as far away from that demon as possible. There was nowhere to go; the forest of death had trees as far as the eye could see. He had no idea where to go, as nowhere was safe. Nothing was important at this moment except for surviving. He did not care about his goal, but imagine his claim: he didn't care about anything other than getting away from that demon that was chasing them.

One thing on his mind is where was Naruto was he alive Was he dead? He couldn't think about that now The only thing that mattered at the moment was making sure he got out of this forest alive.

Earlier when Naruto was separated from his team.

Naruto was trying to find his way back to his team. Everything on this damn floor looks the same. He felt like such a fool, first getting jumped by some random rain Ninja, and now this. He jumped from tree to tree, searching for his team, to no avail.

"Why is everything in this damn forest, has to look the same?" Naruto said with annoyance.

"Calm down, use your senses. Have you forgotten that you can find them through their smell?" Kyubi asked him, annoyed that he forgot something so obvious.

"I feel like an idiot." Naruto chastised himself. He smelled blood, Sasuke's blood. Whatever happened, Sasuke was injured, and he had to get to his friend's aid. Before he could do anything, before he could even get started, he saw a snake appear before him. Naruto didn't have a chance to move before the snake wrapped its body around him; he felt like he was getting crushed.

Before he could do anything a snake devoured him whole Naruto felt like he was being crushed. It smelled awful he'd never been inside another living thing before and he never desire to. He was trying to get a weapon but instead he dropped food that he had on him and what he saw made him realize how close to death he was it dissolved if he didn't get out quickly he would be completely adjusted by the snake there was less and less room he was trying to fight with everything in his body.

"I can't die not like this,"Naruto said, fighting with everything he had. It was useless; it felt like he was fighting against a tidal wave. No matter how much he tried it was too much he was getting further and further into the belly of the beast he was going to be dissolved at this rate.

He thought about everything that had been going on for the past few months, the friends that he had made Sasuke and Kagome. His failure to be able to protect Sakura. He thought about the other people that had supported him, Iruka, then he thought about the woman that had changed his life ever since she got into it, Hinata. His heartbeat whenever he thought about her if he were to die he wouldn't be able to help her dream come true or protect her.

When he made her laugh and smile for the first time, it was the moment where he realized he wanted to do more than just make her smile and laugh. He wanted her respect; he wanted her to see him as a man and not as the boy that he currently is. If he died here, he would never be a man worthy of her. He couldn't die, not yet.

"I'm not going to be devoured by you, piece of shit." Naruto screamed as he created as many Shadow Clones as humanly possible. The snake expanded and exploded. Naruto got up from the ground, completely covered in its guts.

"Disgusting," Naruto said contemptuously. He wanted to wipe out the disgusting parts from his body, but he knew there was no time for that. He smelled Sasuke's blood and he also smelled fear. The person that was chasing him, Kyubi sensed it as well.

"There's a sinister chakra in our vicinity. Your friends are in danger, Naruto move your ass." Kyubi said to him with annoyance. Naruto moved as fast as he possibly could; his friends were in danger. He had to save them no matter what. He couldn't let anyone harm them.

He thought about everything that had been going on for the past few months, the friends that he had made Sasuke and Kagome. His failure to be able to protect Sakura. He thought about the other people that had supported him, Iruka, then he thought about the woman that had changed his life ever since she got into it, Hinata. His heartbeat whenever he thought about her if he were to die he wouldn't be able to help her dream come true or protect her.

when he made her laugh and smile for the first time it was the moment where he realized he wanted to do more than just make her smile and laugh he wanted her respect he wanted her to see him as a man and not as the boy that he currently he died here he would never be a man worthy of her he couldn't die not yet.

"I'm not going to be devoured you piece of shit."Naruto screamed as he created as many Shadow clones as humanly possible the snake expanded and exploded Naruto got up from the ground completely covered and it's guts.

"Disgusting," Naruto said contemptuously. "I wanted to wipe out the disgusting parts from my body, but I knew there was no time for that. My team needed me; I could worry about cleanliness later.

With team 8 at the same time

It was too easy. Hanabi thought it wasn't even that long before they got the second scroll. They could head to the tower right now and be done with the second exam. She didn't like this place; there were too many sinister chakra signatures. She wasn't the kind of person who could sense them, but with her Byakugan, she could easily tell.

"We should try to eliminate as many of our competitors as possible, so it's less people we have to deal with later," Kiba suggested.

"No, we already got our scrolls. We should head to our destination while we still have the advantage." Hanabi said, she was not interested in battling more than necessary, she thought it was foolishness, especially if the objective was already completed.

Kiba, being who he is, went ahead of the group, much to the annoyance of Hanabi and Shino. She really did want to smack him. Out of all the people on her team, why him? At least with Shino, he is logical and knows when to fight and run away, but Kiba is a hothead. When they finally catch up to them, they notice that Akumaru, his dog companion, was scared and hid deep in his coat.

Then she realized why she saw the three sand ninja from earlier. It wasn't the taller boy or the girl that was scaring Akamaru, it was the redhead.

"You better hand over your scrolls pipsqueak if you know it's good for you." said the middle boy. She couldn't help but think the guy was a fool. Gaara was clearly Superior. He could kill them all without breaking a sweat.

He was using a strange technique with needles falling into the air. Gaara blocked them with his sand shield. She wanted to run away, but she couldn't help but look at the battle, no matter how many times he tried to harm the redhead. It felt like he was invincible. There was no way he could be harmed. Was this person a human being or was he a monster? She was terrified and wanted to flee. It was foolishness to stay, but she couldn't move; her legs wouldn't let her.

The boy looked terrified as he tried to run away, but it was useless; an invisible force stopped him. He couldn't move, and before anyone could realize what was happening, he was completely covered in sand. The only thing visible was his face, and he had a look of pure terror. His teammates were desperate to get out.

"Here, have the scroll. Just leave us alone, please," said a terrified man. It was completely useless; he lifted his victim higher into the air and closed his fist, crushing him. Blood and gore were everywhere. She couldn't believe her eyes; there was so much blood. There was nothing left of the man; it was as if his body was crushed completely to a pulp. There were no bones, nothing.

She knew everything goes but this! It went too far he was beaten yet he killed him like it was nothing. His other companions tried to run away but it was useless as Gaara used his sand to grab the woman by her legs. Like a predator savoring the fear, she tried to crawl her way out, but it was useless as the sand covered more and more of her body. Her companion wasn't in much better shape; he gave up, knowing it was useless.

The woman looked pleadingly at Gaara, begging him to spare her life and that of her still-living companion. But it was a useless effort; he had no remorse for what he was doing. What she saw in his eyes was not that of a human but that of a bloodthirsty demon. She was resisting throwing up at the scene in front of her; the fear that she had felt was unlike anything she had ever felt before, even when fighting for her life. Her teammates noticed this as well. Akamaru was the most terrified of anyone, and she couldn't blame him. They wanted to leave, but their legs wouldn't move. Even the normally stoic Shino had a look of terror on his face, which was something he never showed.

They both suffered the same fate as their companion from earlier. She felt their blood drip on her; her team also had it. Was this really what the chunin exams were about? She thought sending potential candidates to their deaths was such a waste, even the most psychopathic and bloodthirsty individuals could kill without repercussions. This is not what she became a Shinobi for; this was wrong, this wasn't even a battle, this was murder, plain and simple. She felt shame for even feeling the fear that she was feeling. Then she saw his eyes and she wanted to scream, she wanted to run but she couldn't do anything. He looked like something from one of those horror stories that she read.

He looked like an unhinged demon looking for his next target. His team would not get out of this alive; he accepted his fate until he heard the redhead's companion speak up:

"There's no need; we already got the second scroll. Let's get this exam over with.

" Kankuro said, his voice laced with fear. "Don't tell me what to do," Gaara said, threateningly.

"There's no need for you to fight," Temari got between them, trying to prevent squabbling among them. She looked terrified, too.

Unexpectedly he listened the sand went back into his sand gourd. The three walked away after a few minutes her team signed in collective relief. Hanabi after regaining her composure she looked at Kiba with anger at how close they were to all being killed because of his recklessness.

"We should get going," Hanabi said, she wasn't going to reprimand him, not here, not now. They still had a long way to go, a lot of ground to cover, and they could get to their destination by nightfall. Then they could sleep easier, knowing they didn't have to look over their shoulders every night. There was one thing that was on her mind, though: what was the other sinister chakra?

With Karin

Her teammates were dead, the exam had just started, and her teammates were already gone. It was pointless, she knew it was. She had to keep moving. She had to; she couldn't afford to stay. She had a scroll, yes, but what use was it? Her team was dead, and there were those who were bloodthirsty, looking to finish the job. She hid underneath a tree and looked above. She saw a raven-haired boy carrying a girl with black hair.

She felt a sinister chakra pursuing them; she saw a woman chasing after them like she was chasing after prey. She didn't want to have anything to do with their business, but on the other hand, her best chance of survival was to be with another group. Otherwise, those three sound ninja will kill her, just like they killed her teammates.

She had limited options: flee to some place where she wasn't certain she'd be protected, or with the raven-haired boy? With no other option, if she stayed in her spot, she would be killed by the sound ninja. If she moved, she risked getting killed by the woman. She was in a rock and a hard place, but what choice did she truly have? Reluctantly, she moved to where they were moving, carefully making sure not to draw attention.

Sasuke felt like his knees were burning in pain. Stabbing himself in the knee may not have been the greatest idea he'd ever had, but nothing seemed like a good idea when you were fleeing from a bloodthirsty psychopath. He put Kagome down; she was shaking. She had kept her hand on her sore the entire time.

"Did we lose her?" she said, her voice shaking. She was more terrified than he was of all the times they had been separated from Naruto. This was the worst; he removed the kanai from his knee. He breathed heavily. There was no way they could survive; giving the scroll was the only option. Then, as if his thoughts were interrupted, he saw the woman appear right before him. Part of her face was peeled off.

"Such a disappointment, the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha isn't really impressive. Your sensei must not have properly trained you, considering that your original member isn't present." Sasuke knew he was referring to Sakura.

"The girl is so terrified that she's paralyzed with fear. I'm amazed her lungs haven't collapsed." Sasuke had never felt such fear in his life; this woman was getting closer to him, fight or fright. Those were his only options: giving the scroll could save them. Before anything could be done, the woman was punched in the face. She wasn't backing down, and she looked up, and Sasuke knew who it was.

"I'm sorry, what's the password again?" Naruto asked. In any other situation, he would be relieved, but he wasn't, considering that Naruto had no idea what they were up against and would likely make things worse.

"I see my pet wasn't enough to eliminate you." The woman's sounding voice changed to something more masculine, which surprised Sasuke. He thought the creature in front of him was a woman, but he wasn't going to make any judgments, considering it was a revenant because of the life and death situation.

"The teacher's pet of Hinata Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki, how is my pet doing? Does she still collapse in pain?" Sasuke had no idea what he was talking about.

"Don't talk about her like that, you son of a bitch." Naruto charged at him, but he dodged with ease. "Shadow clone jutsu," Naruto created an army and then signaled for Sasuke to take Kagome and run.

He ran as fast as his legs would take him. He feels like such a coward Naruto is risking his life while he's running away. The anger he was feeling at his weakness, why should he leave Naruto to his fate? Kagome looked at him; she was terrified of going back there and facing Orochimaru. She would be useless.

"Here, take the scroll," Sasuke gave the scroll to Kagome. He would assist Naruto in their battle. If he can't face someone like Orochimaru, then he can't face Itachi Uchiha, who's far more dangerous.

He activated his Sharingan. He was going to kill his fear. There was no other way. He wanted to avenge his clan. He cannot be afraid of anyone.

Naruto had never faced anyone this powerful before. Whoever this being was, he was beyond anyone he had faced up to this point.

"Shadow clone wind explosion." Naruto shouted as he moved as far away as possible. The clones exploded, sending wind blades cutting through everything in their path. He was amazed at the power of this jutsu, amazed that he was able to use it. Yet, when all was said and done, it didn't leave a dent. Naruto wondered why this was his most powerful technique.

"Impressive jitsu, then again, it's not surprising from the Son of Kushina Uzumaki." Naruto wanted to know why he knew his mother's name.

"Your Sensei has taught you much Naruto Kun, but tell me, has she told you about me?" He had no idea what he was getting at.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto demanded. He laughed, cackling as if Naruto's confusion was amusing.

"I was just wondering how is my precious curse mark working on your sensei?" Naruto did not know what he was talking about. He had no idea what he was talking about.

"I guess she hasn't told you what my greatest achievements are, a shame really. But I'm not here to play with you. I'm here to play with Sasuke. I will put you to sleep for a while." Orochimaru said dismissively as he was about to knock him out. Naruto was about to defend himself before the man punched Naruto hard in the stomach and everything went black

A blonde-haired boy was about to fall to his death. Karin didn't owe the stranger anything, but she couldn't bring herself to allow someone to die when she could do something to stop it. She caught him, which almost caused her to fall. Then she saw the man who punched him, and he looked at her with hunger.

"So you are the sole survivor. Interesting, though my eyes are on different prey." He said with an indifferent expression.

He turned his back on her, and she couldn't move. This man was scary; his chakra was the most sinister she had ever felt. This was what made her stomach turn when the exam started. How could something like this exist?

She was told by her mother once that there are different kinds of evil. There's a kind of evil of people that start off with good intentions, and then there are those who are evil because they enjoy it. There are others she was told about, but this kind of evil was sadism. They couldn't get out of this alive; she wanted to give up, but would that really honor the memory of her comrades that were killed? She thought about it; she had to at least avenge them before she died. She saw a raven-haired boy shout.

"Face me," Sasuke shouted. He turned around, and the red-haired girl was terrified. For the looks of it, she held Naruto in her arms. He would deal with her later; right now, the opponent in front of him was who he had to defeat.

"So you're ready to face me, Sasuke Kun. An interesting specimen you've turned out to be. Now, the final test." The man ripped off the face completely, revealing a white-skinned man with raven hair and yellow eyes, the eyes of a snake.

"What the hell are you?" Sasuke asked him.

"Call me Orochimaru if you survive my first lesson, I will give you a gift." Sasuke had no idea what he was talking about. The first lesson, what? Sasuke had to think about things carefully. If he rushed to his opponent, he would easily be killed. There was only one way he could defeat Orochimaru: fight smart and strike at the right moment.

Sasuke didn't think he would have to use this technique so soon, considering the circumstances and how dire they are, he had no choice. This was an advanced technique by the Uchiha clan that was taught to him at a young age; this was the first time he ever used it in a real-life battle. He threw three shurikens, did hand signs to activate the signature jutsu, and blew fire out of his mouth: "Fire Style Phoenix Flower Jutsu". Orochimaru looked impressed by the advanced technique.

He hit him. It should incinerate him, Sasuke thought, but what he saw, the damage was negligible at best.

He took more kanai, threw them, and did another technique. He attached them to strings and surrounded Orochimaru like a net to prevent his prey from escaping. This was not a technique he wanted to use so soon, but due to it being a life and death situation, he had to use it. He did the hand signs for the jutsu, a signature technique of his clan, which was one of the most deadly techniques used in the war States period. Barely anyone survived a technique like this one, which he was going to use. No one in his clan ever used this technique unless the situation was desperate in the modern era. He was done with the final signs and then used another fire style technique.

There was fire surrounding Orochimaru; he couldn't possibly survive this unscathed. Sasuke did morjitsu, saw through more shurikens and kanai, and did a dragon sign. He shouted, "Fire style dragon judgment." A flame that resembled a dragon went straight at Orochimaru. There was no way he could have survived that; Sasuke put everything in that technique. When the smoke cleared, Sasuke saw Orochimaru, not harmed in the slightest, looking as if he was amused by everything Sasuke did.

"What the hell are you?" Sasuke demanded, hearing a laugh as if his fear was amusing.

"Impressive, Sasuke-kun, most impressive. You passed now, your final test. If you can survive the gift I'm about to give you, it will give you untold power. In time, you will go to me."

Orochimaru's neck stretched and bit Sasuke's neck. Sasuke screamed, the pain was nothing like he imagined. When Orochimaru was done, there was a mark on his neck. He clenched his teeth, and Orochimaru looked at his teammates, along with the girl from earlier.

"If you survive, I hope you make it to the next phase of the exam. It would be a disappointment, my dear Sasuke kun, if you didn't." He disappeared as if he was never there at all. Sasuke couldn't get up; the pain was overwhelming. He collapsed, and then the world went black.

Kagome felt completely useless. She did nothing as Sasuke and Naruto fought for their lives. A person who wasn't even on their team saved Naruto. She looked at her father's sword. How much shame had she brought to her father by standing there while her teammates fought for their lives? She forced herself to move and put her sword back in its sheath.

First, she went for Sasuke, who was out cold. She checked his pulse to make sure he was alive, and then she checked his temperature. He was hot. Whatever Orochimaru did to Sasuke, he was having a violent reaction. She lifted him up and went towards the redhead girl with glasses who was holding Naruto.

"Where's your team? Why are you the only one here? Are you sure this isn't one of your traps?" Kagome asked with suspicion.

"If I were to kill you or trap you, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Can we get the hell out of here? Nightfall is upon us. Can we have this discussion at a safer location?" the girl asked her. Considering what had been happening, Kagome couldn't argue her point; it was true she looked as frightened as she was.

"Fine, but you still owe me answers." The girl did not disagree with her. They moved in silence. He felt ashamed; she disgraced her father and his sword by doing nothing. Her fear controlled everything.

She wanted to scream in the heat of the moment, but she couldn't because she was with a stranger in unknown territory. Her teammates were incapacitated, and she was the only one who could protect them. What would her mother say if she found out she had acted the way she did? Her mother's disappointment would hurt more than anything else, along with her father's. She made a vow to herself that she would never freeze up again; she would protect her comrades by any means necessary.

Red did not know why she even allowed Orochimaru to get to her head; there was so much that was confusing to her: the memories of a blonde-haired man, a baby boy, and a girl who looked up to her none of it added up what were these memories? The first thing that she remembers is waking up. The root compound when she was on a hospital bed when Donzo checked on her health. She was told that she had lost her memories on a mission where she had gotten injured and that her head injury took its toll on her and is the reason why she is unable to remember her past. Was that a lie?

Ever since she looked into that girl's eyes, so much didn't add up. She was told to never visit the Hokage's office because it was unnecessary. However, for the first time since she joined the Root, she decided to go to the office. The Hokage wasn't there at the moment she walked in. She couldn't help but feel something familiar about this place. There were stacks of papers, probably the Hokage's, as he had a lot more paperwork than he was equipped to handle and could easily have a secretary do it.

She looked at the pictures of the Hokages who have governed Konoha since its founding. The first one of them was Hashirama Senju, who was considered the god of Shinobi. He fought Madara Uchiha at what is considered the Final Valley. It was a battle between two titans, and the entire landscape of that region was changed in the span of a single night.

She looked at the second, is younger brother Tobirama Senju. He doesn't have nearly the amount of impressive feats as his brother, but nevertheless, he was one of the most powerful Shinobi that had ever existed. Even someone as powerful as he was, was killed during the Second Great Ninja War. He sacrificed his life in order to protect his village and was succeeded by the current Hokage.

She looked at the photo of the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Though he was pushing 70, the photo, taken when he was in his mid to late 30s, showed that despite no longer being in his prime, he was still a powerful Shinobi in his own right. It would be foolish for anyone to cross him. By all accounts, he shouldn't be the Hokage now due to the person that briefly succeeded him before his premature death.

She looked at the latest Hokage. She clenched her head in pain and saw a memory of a different life.

"For the foreseeable future, I'm going to be your sensei. Since we're short on Jonin and Jiraiya is not available at the moment, you'll be trained under me." She said it with confidence. The 12-year-old boy was blushing just by looking at her. She had no idea why he was doing that.

"Introduce yourselves," said the woman. Her students introduced themselves one by one until the last among them, the blonde-haired boy with blue eyes. He took a deep breath due to how nervous he was being around her and looking at her.

"There are many goals that I have that I would like to accomplish in this life. There are things that I value more than anything, like friends and my village, but there's one thing I'd like to do, my dream, it's to be the Hokage." Said the blonde-haired boy.

"What a coincidence! That's my dream as well, but you haven't introduced yourself fully yet. Your name?" The woman said.

The blonde-haired boy, blushing and embarrassed, forgot himself.

"my name is"

She looked and saw the name Minato Namikaze. Why did she have that memory? Why did it get triggered by looking at the image of that man? She had a difficult time breathing. Then another memory popped up.

"I can't believe you did that, Sensei, I mean," Minato was laughing very hard. She had worked really hard to make her student smile and laugh due to how depressed he always came off. Everything was fake, and she wanted to see a real smile on his face. He was 14, and he had been her student for 2 years. Some would call him a teacher's pet, but they had a bond that a master and a student don't normally have. She couldn't explain it, but she cared for him.

"I hope to see a real smile from you too, sensei. I'd like for you to acknowledge me as a man and your equal." He said with a genuine smile.

"You don't have to do that, Minato," a voice that didn't sound like her own said.

"But I want to be worthy of you, sensei, until you see me as a man, we'll never be equals, you'll never see me as an equal," she heard him say with longing. What was this feeling she was seeing in his eyes?

She felt more memories flash as she saw the boy who was now a man. He was around 19, and she had not seen him in 5 years. He was taller than her, and she was blushing like a tomato. But why was a woman in her late twenties blushing?

"I almost didn't recognize you, Minato," she heard herself say.

"And you have gotten more beautiful," Minato said without hesitation, despite how cringy it would come across to everyone else. She felt her heart beating. What was this feeling she had?

She saw more memories in this one. There was a memory that was special.

They looked at the Kage monument. There were only three Kage. He was around 20. It had been a year since he had returned. Things had changed since then.

"I can't help but feel, when I look at the Kage monument, that this is where it all began, where we first met." Their faces were inches apart.

"I know that feeling only too well, Minato," she said, leaning closer to him. She knew a teacher should not be doing this with her student, but she didn't care. He kissed her, and it felt right. Nothing anyone said would convince her otherwise. She felt happy, the happiest she had ever felt. She didn't feel like a prisoner, and she didn't feel like she didn't matter. As long as she had him, she didn't need anybody else.

"I love you, Minato." She said to him after she pulled away.

"I love you too, K-"

Her mask fell to the ground, tears fell down. No, this couldn't be. It, this couldn't be. She wiped the tears from her eyes. No, this was weakness. She was supposed to be the perfect killing machine, Emotions. Have no place for a Shinobi. She put her mask back on. She would kill Hinata Hyuga and make the memories go away. They're not real, they couldn't be. She jumped out of the office where the Hokage resides and went to Hinata's destination. She would kill her, maybe then she would find the answers about where these memories come from?

Momo was following the team. It was child's play; it was easy. She knew there were others pursuing them. If she couldn't easily cover her tracks, they were Jonin, obviously Root infiltrators. One of the skills she was taught when she was first part of Kanna's order was trained with the ability to blend in with the environment. It was slower than traversing the forest by foot or by jumping from tree to tree, but it was safer. It was easier to do it without getting caught, though precise chakra control was required.

She pursued Kagome and the red-haired girl until they went underneath a tree branch where they placed Naruto and Sasuke down to the ground. Her orders were to keep an eye on Sasuke and Hinata, a choice would have to be made quickly. Sasuke was in danger, but he had two people watching over him, and the people behind her weren't assigned to do anything but reconnaissance. She decided to stay where she was, though. She got out of the tree that she was in and stayed in the bushes in case they made a move; she could intervene and protect them, otherwise, she would not intervene unless it was absolutely necessary.

Momo did not draw attention unnecessarily. She would wait patiently and see where the developments with Sasuke and his curse mark would lead, and she would intervene if the worst came to pass. She hoped not, as Sasuke was the last Uchiha who wasn't a traitor, and she wanted to preserve him. By any means, Hinata didn't need her help nearly as much, and little did Momo know that she would be wrong.

Tanuki and his teammates closely kept tabs on Team 7. Their mission was to do nothing but reconnaissance. Everything else was secondary.

"Should we continue to watch them or should we move on?" Sai asked.

"We are keeping true to Danzo's orders. We are not to do any more than we absolutely have to," Hakobe answered. He was getting anxious. Tanuki wanted to get rid of Sasuke. He was the last Uchiha. It'd be so easy. He's a reminder, the ghost of the Uchiha clan. They must be eliminated. He did not understand why Sasuke was still alive.

"I'm going to do some art to pass the time," said Sai. He couldn't wait to get this tedious assignment over with. Soon, he wouldn't have to deal with this anymore. Konoha would be free from the weakness of the will of fire. It was only a matter of time. His team would take action as Danzo ordered if things go haywire. Until then, they would stay put, doing what they were assigned to do, keeping an eye on Team 7 and their ally Orochimaru.

Hinata did not know why she had a bad feeling. Something felt ominous in the air. She almost collapsed on her knees, the pain on her neck. "Damn it, not now," Hinata said, clutching her neck with her right hand. It hurt even after all these years. She felt vulnerable; he was nearby. It always happened when he was nearby. It didn't make any sense; he wasn't in Konoha, yet the pain just wouldn't go away. She had never told anyone except people she could trust about the curse mark Orochimaru gave her five years ago; it would just be another strike against her. She took a deep breath and did everything she was instructed to deal with the pain. When it happened, it was random; it didn't always occur, but when it did, it was unbearable.

She recalls every lesson she had been taught when she was in her Genin days. If an enemy is stalking you, make them think you're doing what they would expect you to do, and when the time came to expose their position, do it in an area where you would have the advantage. That's what she was taught. She had tried to do that for days, but her stalker would not come out. She tried using her Byakugan, but it wouldn't work. She had no idea what kind of techniques her pursuer was using, but there was no way it could counter the Byakugan.

She got to a nearby graveyard, and what she saw was horrifying. Three people were dead; it was hard to tell their gender from how mutilated their corpses were, especially their faces. She got closer to all three of them. Their faces were ripped off. It was disturbing; she had seen lots of blood and gore before, but nothing compared to this brutality. Ripping off someone's face was barbaric. She knew only one person who could do this.

She got up; she had to warn Anko to stop the exam, but before she could do so, the masked woman appeared before her—the same woman who had used that genjutsu on her, making her relive her worst nightmares.

"So we meet again. You are that woman who used that jutsu on me, which almost made me kill one of my students." The woman said nothing.

"An unfortunate consequence. What's unfortunate is that you will have to die here and now." She didn't even give Hinata a chance to get into her fighting stance.

She barely managed to defend herself before Hinata was punched in the face, knocking her back. To reduce the damage, she dug her hands into the ground. It was difficult to tell by her expression what she was thinking. Hinata's fingers were bleeding due to the scraping.

"Impressive, the lioness lives up to her reputation." The voice sounded distorted. She did not know why, but something about the woman seemed familiar.

She wasted no more words as she charged at Hinata again. Cut off guard by her speed, Hinata barely was able to defend herself. It was like looking at a thousand versions of her opponent, which, in actuality, was one. She was so fast that Hinata was not able to keep up. She activated her Byakugan. Even then, her speed was overwhelming, and she aimed at Hinata's blind spot.

She did a rotation to prevent her from striking her neck; the claw technique that would have pierced her neck was blocked. It damaged the user's right hand. She backed away; her right hand was covered in blood.

"I'm going to find out who you truly are." Hinata went on the offensive, but the woman dodged. She had no idea how old this woman she was fighting was. She could be anywhere from her mid-30s to early 40s. Either way, she had a lot of experience, far more than Hinata.

She charged at her again. Hinata barely dodged; she felt slow and sluggish compared to the woman she was facing. They were both running at fast speeds. She was obviously trying to lure her somewhere. She tackled the woman to the ground, but before she could do anything to pin her down, she felt a punch at the back.

Hinata tried to fight back, but it was no use. She punched again and again, and blood came out of her mouth. Naruto was in danger, and this woman was in her way. In a fit of rage, she screamed and used a technique she doesn't normally use:

"Lightning Style Lightning Rotation." She knocked the woman back, knocking her against a tree. Rather than pursue her, Hinata went to the Forest of Death. Orochimaru was the bigger priority.

She jumped over the fence and got into the forest. She ran with this much speed as her legs would carry her, but she didn't get far. The masked woman tried to strike her at her neck, Hinata blocked. This woman was clearly stronger than her. It was overwhelming. She punched Hinata in the face, then punched her in the stomach again and again. She continued beating her until she slammed her against the tree. Hinata looked at her bloodied.

"It's all because of you  I will kill you and make the memories go away," red said as she continued beating Hinata.

She thought about Naruto and her promise to Kushina. In a fit of rage, she felt a surge of power engulf her markings, covering the right side of her face. She hadn't felt such power since the day she got the mark on her neck. The lion fist formed on her; instead of being their usual blue, they were black as death. She charged at lightning speed, faster than she had ever felt, and struck at the woman. The woman screamed as she struck her again in the chest, then in the back, then in the side.

The woman was surprised by Hinata's sudden surge of power. She didn't care about the source of it. She couldn't be killed by this woman who would protect Naruto if she died by this woman's hands? No, she had to protect him even if she had to use the abominable power that Orochimaru cursed her with.

The woman was continuing to be knocked back. She was barely able to keep up. No matter what she tried to do to defend herself, red simply couldn't keep up with Hinata's enhanced powers given to her by the curse mark. She ignored the pain that she was feeling when she was using the curse mark. She didn't care; Naruto's life was at stake. She couldn't face Kushina if she was unable to protect Naruto. She couldn't fail him like she failed Sakura.

"I will find out who you are," Hinata said with a deadly calm. She struck at her mask, causing her to be pushed back before she could do anything. Before she could see her face, she fell into intense pain and went to her knees. She looked to see where the woman was, but she was gone. Before she could do anything, she heard a voice that she had not wanted to hear and had not heard in 5 years. "Oh Hinata, how is my power treating you?

5 years ago

Hinata was on a mission with her team in the land of spring; their mission was to escort a princess. It wasn't anything exciting, especially for a Chunin, but Konoha was short on men at the time. They were in the forest taking a break after being on the move for almost 2 days straight with little rest. They were on the countryside near a forest on the border of the land of grass.

"Man, that princess was difficult to deal with," said one of her peers, a boy around the age of 15, who had short brown hair. He was short for his age, and his appearance made it difficult to tell that he was the age he was; he looked younger. He had gray eyes and wore his headband on his right shoulder.

"Quit your complaining; it wasn't that difficult," said a man around the age of 20, who had blonde hair, his hair tied back, and a mustache. He looked like a man 12 years older than he was.

"This is bullshit; this is something that Genin could do, not something a team of Chunin. This is way above us," the younger man said arrogantly.

"Toki, that is the reason why you will never get promoted. Having contempt for doing what you consider to be a meaningless task is what's holding you back. I'm surprised you're even a Chunin at all," said the older man, who was named Saito.

"Kind of quiet, aren't you, Hinata?" asked Toki. She barely spoke on the entire trip. She doesn't speak much these days. It has been three months since the massacre. Three months have passed since then, and she doesn't want to think about it. She also was thinking about her promise that she hasn't been able to keep. Her promise to Kushina was to take care of her son.

"I don't speak more than necessary," Hinata said coldly. She had a reputation for being cold ever since the Uchiha clan massacre. She closed herself off, and her ability to trust in people was gone.

How can she trust anyone after what Itachi did? He killed one of her best friends and betrayed her in every way. What mattered was the mission, nothing else.

"Do you hear that?" asked Toki. "Hinata looked wondering what was the sound that she had heard," her teammate was not imagining things; she heard it too. Saito got up and got into a defensive position. Her teammates put their backs to each other to ensure no blind spots, just like they were trained to do. Hinata took out a kanai from her pouch and got into a defensive stance.

She heard another sound. It was moving again. She looked to her left, then she looked to her right, but no matter what she couldn't track the person who was watching. She heard laughing. It was a sinister laugh, something that sounded like something from a nightmare.

"Such easy prey," she wondered, "are you willing to entertain me?" She knew that voice; she remembered hearing it once when she was a child. There was no mistake about it.

Orochimaru appeared before them. He was exactly how she remembered him; it was hard to believe he was even human. Orochimaru terrified her, even at the age of 14, she was still frightened by the stories she had been told about Orochimaru and his cruelty. They felt like something straight out of a horror story, and some of the things she heard from survivors were exaggerated. It didn't matter to her at that moment; she was so scared that it took everything she had to not completely shut down.

"Interesting, the Byakugan princess. This should be an interesting experiment," Hinata had no idea what he was talking about. There were many ways this could end; she didn't believe for a second she could get out of it alive unless she was really lucky. Orochimaru is one of the Sannin. Orochimaru looked at her with amusement.

"You won't get out of this alive unless I deem you worthy, so let's play a game for my amusement. If you pass, I'll let you live," Hinata didn't believe anything he said. She had no intention of letting him live or her team; they looked terrified.

Orochimaru put his right hand in his mouth and pushed it deep into his throat. Not believing what she was seeing, she watched him pull out a blade that looked like no other: the Kusanagi Blade, a sword that looked straight out of the war states era. She didn't know how he acquired it. He was toying around with the blade, swinging it at her teammates. They did everything they could to move out of the way of the blade. He was messing with them; he could kill them all without even trying.

He charged right at her team. He was about to decapitate her teammates. She pushed them out of the way and blocked what would have been a deadly blow to Hinata with her Kanai. It was a very close call; it was inches from cutting her neck. He tried to knock her off balance with his right foot, but she managed to move out of the way just in time. She didn't have much time to recover when he quickly appeared behind her, ready to deliver another blow that could have killed her had she not been as well trained as she was by Itachi.

It was difficult to fight someone of this level; he wasn't even trying. He was treating her as a plaything, not someone he took seriously. He could have killed her at any point. Despite her revulsion of using the cruel fist, she didn't care in this situation; this was life or death. She got into a claw-like stance, attacked Orochimaru left and right, clawing at him using her nails like blades. She cut one side of his abdomen, along with his back, along with the back of his right and left arms. She was trying to do as many blows as possible, small cuts that, despite not being much at first, could be deadly over time. She was trying to kill Orochimaru by getting as many small wounds as possible. When she was about to end her assault with the one eight trigrams 64 palms with the cruel fist, she was so fast—faster than light—a bolt of lightning formed from her palm, and she aimed straight towards his heart. It pierced through his chest, but he didn't look fazed by her technique.

He disappeared, and she was looking everywhere for him. She wasn't vain, but it was useless. She couldn't find him anywhere, and she was getting more and more terrified. As time passed, her hands were shaking, and she was barely able to keep herself together. She had never felt such fear in her life. She activated her Byakugan, looking everywhere for him. There was no way he could have disappeared. She heard a sinister laugh behind her.

"What a waste of talent," Orochimaru whispered in her ear. She turned around, looking for him. With her Byakugan, she searched in any direction, but he was nowhere to be found.

Her teammates were terrified, though they were not as good at hiding it.

"We got to get the hell out of here; it's Orochimaru; we're going to die," Toki broke rank running.

"Damn it, Toki," said Saito. Hinata was about to go to her teammates, but it was useless; Orochimaru appeared in front of them.

"Where do you think you're going? The fun has just started," Orochimaru said gleefully. Her teammates froze, the fear evident. Hinata couldn't move.

"Pathetic weaklings like you shouldn't be Hokage," she remembered Itachi saying to her at the night of the massacre.

She couldn't just stand there as her teammates were killed. Two lion fists formed on her palms, and she attacked. Orochimaru blocked her blows, she threw everything she had at him. She was determined to protect her comrades; she was not going to fail like she failed to protect Shisui from Itachi. She cannot fail her comrades; she had to protect them.

"1.8 trigram 64 palms" Every single hit touched him. She knocked him back. He smiled at her as if he knew something she didn't, then she looked at Toki—he was dead. She looked at her hands—they were completely covered in his blood. Then she looked at Saito; they both looked at her, their final expressions as they left the world in disbelief at their own comrade killing them. She screamed.

"A fellow ninja from Konoha killing another—I wonder what the people would think if they found out you murdered them in cold blood?" She looked at her hands, completely covered in blood. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" she demanded. It was a jitsu, but it wasn't the kind she could have known about. It would be a less developed version of what would be used against her five years later on the Sapphire village mission.

"It seems this jitsu has a lot of bugs that need to be ironed out. You are a great specimen, those Shinobi that you killed are hardly worth anything." His callousness towards the lives he had a hand in ending made her feel rage she never felt before for anyone other than Itachi.

"You bastard," Hinata tried to get up to attack him, but he held her down. He was on top of her, and he could do anything he wanted to her. She tried to fight back, not wanting to be a victim of rape. She kicked and kicked, but it was no use; he was so much stronger than she was. He looked like a predator.

"That's more like it that look in your eyes my prey, I can do anything I want to you Hinata"he licked her chin. She was doing everything she could to fight back; she couldn't let him Force himself on her; she would rather die.

" I'm going to do a little experiment. I wonder how the Byakugan princess will handle my gift I'm about to give her."His mouth was closer to her neck. Time stood still if only for a second before she felt fangs bite deep into her neck she screamed in pain no pain was as excruciatingas she was feeling.

She had never felt such pain in her life; she wanted to die. She threw up blood, coughed, and had a difficult time breathing. Everything went black.

Hinata woke up. She didn't know how many hours had passed. If it was a day or more, she was in a dark room. She looked above the ceiling. Her arms were chained together. Her legs were bound. She was dangling in the air. She was a mess. Her hair, usually tied back in a ponytail, was messy. Her hair got in her face. She was unable to do anything. She wanted to scream, feeling the pain from the bite she had received. She had failed to save her teammates. Their bodies were rotting. She had no idea where they were. She wanted to scream, to move, but she couldn't. The pain was too much; it was like her entire body was burning.

She couldn't tell whether it was hours or days. She heard footsteps and then she heard a door open. A man walked in and looked at her with a sinister smile.

"Oh my dear Hinata, you survived!" Orochimaru laughed, his sinister smile reveling in her suffering. She wanted to snap his neck, to do anything to get him to stop smiling. She hated him and everything he stood for.

"Child murdering scum," Hinata spat.

"I do everything for science, my dear Hinata. Do you not see how much stronger you have become since I gave you the curse mark?" She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. She felt stronger than she had ever been, but this wasn't her power; it was someone else's.

"I must say, my curse mark is very compatible with your bloodline. Sure, you had a violent reaction at first, but I've seen the results myself. In your sleep, I had to put you in this room; you tore through even some of the toughest metals on the planet. The only reason you can't tear through those chains is because what you have wrapped around your feet and your hands is material that cuts people's chakra off. You see, my dear Hinata, you are the most successful of my experiments. Such a waste, using your talents for the village; you could become something much more. What do you have to gain? The clan looks at you with contempt, despite you being far stronger than your sister. They treat her as if she is the true heir when it should be you by right. Your father disregarded like garbage you; owe them nothing, my dear." It was so intoxicating. She couldn't refute anything he said.

But there was one thing she couldn't do: betray her village. She would destroy the memory of the people she admires, Naruto. He needs her; she can't break a promise she had made to his mother. She hadn't been able to help him at this point. The village council made sure to keep her away from him. Who will look after him when he eventually becomes part of a three-man cell? It had to be her; she couldn't die here, nor could she betray the village.

"You are lying, everything that you offer me is built on lies. What's your agenda Orochimaru? We both know you don't offer anything for free, that's not who you are." Orochimaru looked guarded, he looked like he wanted to choose his words carefully, not wanting to expose his true goal.

"I have no intention of telling you anything unless I know that you will join me, Hinata. I'll tell you this though: that curse mark is not something that you can resist easily. You will constantly have to be on guard when it comes to negative emotions, especially in battle. Your hatred for your clan is not something born of the curse mark; it's always been there. It's interesting how much like Itachi you are. He was like this before." Hinata didn't want to hear his name.

"I AM NOTHING LIKE HIM," she said, enraged at the idea of being like Itachi. Markings covered her right side, and a purple aura engulfed her.

The chains couldn't hold her; they were breaking. She felt herself transform; her hair went from blue to black, and her skin turned brown. Her eyes changed from lavender to yellow. She looked at her hands; they resembled lion paws. She screamed.

The pain was worse than anything she could imagine. She had never felt such a huge surge of power it was intoxicating. It was difficult for her not to give in to the impulse of embracing the power that was given to her.

"Amazing," he said, fascinated by Hinata's reaction to the curse mark.

"The second seal would have killed anyone else, but you. You never cease to amaze me, Hinata." What was his point? She wanted to lash out, to kill him. She charged at him with her newfound power; her lion fist engulfed her, turning from Blue to Black. She slammed him hard against the wall, destroying most of the room.

He was smiling. She punched him again and again and again, and he continued to laugh like a madman. The roof of the lab collapsed on her, and she wasn't in the curse mark state. It could have severely injured her, but she didn't break a sweat. She pushed the debris like it was nothing. Orochimaru looked at her and had a look of disappointment.

"Such a waste that soft heart of yours. You can unleash the full potential of the curse mark. You could be so much more, Hinata. Why cling to the values of the village?" She didn't want to answer him; she didn't owe him anything.

"The village doesn't value anything about you. You are more talented than your male counterparts, yet what do they have you do? Escort duty. I can offer you more. I can have your talents utilized how they were supposed to join me, Hinata. I can make it worth your time." The idea was a sick joke. Did he honestly think she would join him?

"No, I would rather die." Before she could do anything, she felt a sharp pain on her neck. The transformation that she went through before was undone. She looked at her skin. It was back to what it was before, though it was paler.

"I have a word of advice: if you use this power too much, it will drive you mad. After all, all power has a cost to it, and if you don't know how to control that power, it will control you. What I have given you is only a taste. One day you'll be put in a situation where the curse mark will be your only option. Because you will have someone important to protect, I will leave you here, but remember these words." He left her there.

What happened on the mission was classified. The only people who know about it are Kakashi and the Hokage. They had forbidden her to go on missions for almost a year until she had mastered control of her emotions. She would find out that there were other victims who survived, including her friend Anko. She had blamed herself for what had happened to her team and the curse mark that she had wanted and tried to get rid of for years, but to no avail, it was a permanent part of her and a permanent struggle for control of her emotions she had to constantly be on guard otherwise she would be driven mad by the curse mark's power.

This was a secret she would keep from everyone; barely anyone would know about it, not even her team of seven that she would teach in the future.

The Forest of death the present

Orochimaru stood over her once more, just as he had five years ago. She was wheezing, barely able to breathe; the curse mark had taken its toll. She was lucky she hadn't used the second state.

"Your curse mark is the reason you weren't killed; you should be grateful to me, Hinata. My curse mark has made you stronger," he said. She looked at him with pure hatred.

"I never wanted this," she said as Hinata was coughing up blood. It was worse than any other time she had used it; she was injured during her fight. She was at Orochimaru's mercy; he could do anything he wanted to her, and she would be powerless to stop him.

"Sasuke has the curse mark. I wonder if he will be as strong as you were, I believe because he's an Uchiha, they're very resilient, he'll survive and he'll be stronger." The predatory look on his face was the same as he gave her five years before. Last time I checked, Naruto is alive; I wouldn't be worried too much about Naruto. The mention of Naruto's name forced her to get up. She was about to get back into a fighting stance; she didn't care how futile it seemed; he looked amused.

"You can barely stand, and you think you can stop me?" he asked her, not caring about the pain she was in.

"I won't let you lay a hand on him," she coughed blood, unable to stay in her stance. "You took quite a beating from that woman; you're not going to be able to protect your precious Naruto if you're this weak." Orochimaru said.

She was helpless; she was never like this, not even when she used the curse mark for the first time five years ago.

"You're probably wondering why you can barely move? It's simple: I have a contingency for anyone who uses my power and isn't on my side. When I'm close by, it makes you completely helpless. You see, Hinata, I made sure to take every precaution possible. I can't have my power used against me, can I?" Orochimaru asked rhetorically.

"Such a waste of talent; you could be so much more."

He knelt and lifted her chin to make her face him.

"If you had a choice between Naruto and Sasuke, who would you choose?" she remembered the vision. "This couldn't be," she thought. "This was what she saw when she visited the seer. One of the potential futures she was experiencing was this right now."

"I will say one thing before I leave you: try to get this exam canceled. I will burn this village to the ground and make you watch as I kill Naruto right in front of you." She was completely helpless.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how your students progress in the exams. I hope for their sake Sasuke survives the gift I gave him." Orochimaru disappeared.

Hinata forced herself to get up, despite the pain she had to endure to see the Hokage. She tried to stand but couldn't. She leaned on a tree, looking up. If only she had been strong enough that day, she wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't have the curse mark, which was a curse. Whatever power it gave her was only temporary. She hopes her team will be all right and pull through it.

"Please be safe, Naruto Kun," Hinata said softly. She faded from consciousness due to the toll the curse mark placed on her.

Red's mask was completely off after her battle with Hinata. No matter how much she tried to bury the memories, they just wouldn't go away.

"Wouldn't it be something if we became in-laws 20 years from now?" asked a blue-haired woman.

"Your little princess marrying my son? I don't know, that would happen, isn't that premature?" she asked the blue-haired woman.

"I don't object to the idea, though. Let's take it one day at a time," she said to the blue-haired woman as they saw a six-year-old girl playing with Minato.

The memories, when they stopped, were brief, but those memories were real. What were they? No, she couldn't have had a life like that?

She heard a sinister voice behind her. She got into her stance. It was Orochimaru.

"So you did as I suggested? Oh, and to think that you are the redhead Shinobi who once terrorized an entire division in the land of lightning and you have no recollection of who you are. That's interesting." Orochimaru said.

"None of the memories are real," Red said, denying what she saw.

"So you're going to deny even what's in your own memories? I can verify if they're real; I'll prove it to you right now." Orochimaru placed his right palm on her forehead, and another memory appeared.

"I have multiple names for our child; if it's a girl, Naruko; and if it's a boy, Naruto." Red said as she rubbed her heavily pregnant belly.

"Yeah, like the main character of Jiraiya's novel; I would love that; such a great name for our son." The blonde-haired man said, smiling warmly at her.

"Our son, I can't believe I'm going to be" the man cried in happiness.

"You deserve all the happiness in the world, Minato," Red said to him.

"You were the first woman to truly capture my heart, and the only one. You were my sensei, a family tradition that has been going for generations. I wonder if our son will follow in my footsteps." He said with a joking smile.

"If it's Hitomi-chan's daughter, I wouldn't mind. She would be perfect for our son." Red said, smiling at the idea.

She was hoping to see more memories, but they stopped as abruptly as they appeared. She looked at the man, Orochimaru, with anger. How dare he invade her mind?

"Those are real memories, surely the emotions you felt in them were real?" Orochimaru asked him.

"She would never lie, no, those aren't real," Red said, denying it and not wanting to believe that Donzo would lie to her.

"Danzo would never lie?" such a naive belief the man is not above lying he orchestrated the downfall of the Uchiha he almost succeeded in getting Hinata Hyuga to join the Root he's a very persuasive man and very resourceful as well do you honestly think he would not lie to you and use his vast resources to manipulate you? You are not who you think you are, Red." Orochimaru said, ripping apart her doubts and her loyalty. No, she couldn't betray Danzo.

"Did you know you almost caused the death of your own son?" Orochimaru said, causing her to collapse on her knees. No, it couldn't be.

"Yes, you have come to the realization that he has lied to you. He's manipulated your memories with the usage of jitsu's that could suppress memories or manipulate them. What you have seen were the real memories; memories that have been suppressed. Your identity, you're very being, everything was stolen from you," Orochimaru said, smiling at her ignorance of her name.

"I don't have a son," she said futilely, trying to deny the truth.

"If that's the case, then why do you remember his name? Do you know his name?" Orochimaru asked in amusement.

"There's other knowledge that I have, so much more, after all, knowledge is what I specialize in," Orochimaru said. The woman's resolve was weakening; her walls, that she had built years ago, were crumbling. She had collapsed, the horrible realization, the reality.

"Yes, the Root has indeed done what you believe they did, admit it out loud. Red that it's true, they did bring you back from the brink of death. They've used you and your abilities to go on missions to destroy Konoha's enemies. The amount of people you have killed, all in the name of the will of Fire." Fragments of memories coming to the surface: her childhood, the death of her parents, the disappearance of her sister, the birth of her son, and the death of her husband. She felt her hand trembling, and she covered her face.

She screamed like an animal for the past 13 years she had lived a lie.

"Finally, you have accepted the truth, Red. What will you do now? Go back to your master, knowing what you know?" asked Orochimaru. He knew what her answer would be. She got up, moved the hair out of her face, took a deep breath, and looked at her reflection.

"If I join you, will I get the rest of my memories back, not just jumbled fragments, but all of it?" Red asked, fully accepting what she had been told.

"For now, my task for you is to be my eyes and ears. Everything that Danzo tells you, I want you to tell me directly. You work for me now, Red. I hold the key to giving your memories back to you. You're shattered, and mine can only be restored by my genius." Orochimaru said, knowing that she would agree, even if she wanted to, she couldn't refuse. Who else was going to restore her memories? That had the ability to? She wasn't even sure if he was telling the truth, but the man she had been serving for the past 13 years had stolen everything from her. What other lies had he been telling her?

"Report back to Donzo as if nothing had changed, can't we have them be suspicious of us?" asked Orochimaru.

"No, Orochimaru-sama," Red said, bowing before him. She went on her knees; this was a betrayal of the Root Abu, but it didn't matter. That part of her life was a lie, Orochimaru wasn't any better, but what choice did she have? After all, who could restore her memories other than him?

Hinata woke up a few hours later. She looked around; she was in the tower where the primary rounds will be held. She was lying on a bed. There were no windows; she saw Kakashi and Anko. They had a look of concern on their faces.

"What happened?" Anko asked her. concerned.

"I was attacked," Hinata explained everything that had transpired. They both looked horrified. She screamed in pain. It was nothing like the previous times the curse mark was used; this time it was almost unbearable, like she was being split in half.

"We must cancel the exams immediately," Kakashi said.

"NO!" Hinata yelled. This surprised both of them; the usually soft-spoken woman shouting was something they rarely saw.

"I told you we can't do it," she cried in pain, tears streaming down her face. Why did she have to go through this now?

"So we just allow him to do what he wishes?" asked Kakashi.

"There's more that we don't know. If we act prematurely, we play into our enemy's hands." She couldn't turn around, but she recognized that voice.

"Hokage-sama," she said, raspy. The Hokage put his hand on Hinata's forehead.

"This is bad. She never had this violent reaction to the curse mark before." She screamed; the pain was so much that she was held down by Kakashi and Anko. Hiruzen did hand signs for the sealing technique that would greatly suppress the curse mark; it was not as effective or as powerful as the Uzumaki seal, but it was sufficient.

Hinata breathed easier. She was becoming drowsy. She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. Her body gave out and everything went black.

Hiruzen looked at Hinata's sleeping form. The curse mark was getting worse. He took a look at her neck; it was a secret he never told anyone, only Kakashi and him knew about it, along with Anko. She had a curse mark too, but it was nowhere near as bad as when it was used, nor was it this bad with Orochimaru near. It looked like the birdcage seal from the Hyuga clan. Was it a coincidence? Hiruzen didn't think so; it had two purposes; it seemed like Orochimaru made a version of the seal that functioned similarly to the Hyuga clan; he had no information; he had no idea how it worked.

"Orochimaru is a bastard to think that he would make something similar to the barbaric practice of the Hyuga clan. You should have killed him when you had the chance, Hokage Sama," Anko said, one of his biggest regrets being his sentimental attachment to Orochimaru, which had haunted him to this day. How many lives could have been saved had he ended his life when he had the chance? It's a question he often thinks about. Hinata's breathing was easier because of the seal he used, but it was only temporary. Unless there was a way to remove the curse mark, she would constantly go through these cycles.

Her training, which she first received, was used to control her emotions so she wouldn't use the curse mark when she ever got extremely emotionally distressed. It was a miracle he thought that she didn't use it during the Land of Waves mission or the Sapphire village mission when she was under the influence of the genjutsu. The seal barely held; he had to reseal it every time she came back, but due to Orochimaru being near, the seal was weaker. He had heard about the mask woman with the fox mask and her long red hair, and he didn't know why he had a bad feeling, an omen.

"Are we really not going to cancel the exams?"Asked Kakashi, concerned about the safety of the candidates.

"We have no choice; our enemies are watching everything we do. If we hastily cancel the exams, we play into their hands. We have to act as if we are ignorant," he replied.

"Well, I don't like this one bit. Our own Shinobi are in danger. We have a psychopath who was once one of your students, and some mysterious redhead woman whose identity we have no idea about. Then we have Hinata, whose curse mark is so deadly to her that it can potentially kill her or drive her to insanity. I don't like this. If only Minato didn't die, if only he was here," Anko said with fear in her voice.

"We have to make do with what we have. Minato's no longer with us. I may not be as strong as he was, but we have to make do with what we have. He would not want us to give in to despair." She replied apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, it just feels so hopeless. He's one of the most powerful shinobi alive today, and very few people could fight him; you and Jiraiya-sama are one of the few exceptions."

He understood her point and she wasn't wrong. But he had to appear to be strong because he was the leader of Konoha; he was the leader for most of his life, too long for his taste, it was his responsibility to appear strong so morale doesn't drop to an all-time low.

"As long as the will of Fire burns in our veins, there isn't a single enemy we cannot defeat. Giving in to despair will do our enemies' work for them. Orochimaru is one person among many; he isn't invincible. Those who came before me and those who will come after me will have to deal with their own crises. This is the crisis of your time, and this will be the final crisis I will be dealing with as the Hokage." When he was done with his speech, he looked at the faces of Kakashi and Anko. His words; he wasn't sure how much comfort they gave her, if any, but it was the best he could do.

"We will continue the exams as planned, but I still have my concerns." Anko finished saying her piece and left along with Kakashi. He was alone in the room looking at the sleeping Hinata. This woman has been through a lot. He could see her being a great Hokage someday, better than he was; she had a vision of the future that could shape the future of the village. But she still had a lot of darkness inside of her heart, her hatred for her clan could devour her, and she could end up like Itachi, and that is what he was afraid of.

The secret of the Uchiha clan massacre was something he would take to his grave, his failure to stop it being the future that Itachi and Hinata could have had together, which he felt responsible for. "Do not tell her it's better that she believes I'm a monster; I want her to forget about me completely and find someone who could make her happy and feel loved." He never forgot Itachi's words: "A boy that was willing to give up everything for those he loved; Hinata can never know."

He thinks about the inevitable future ahead of him, the confrontation he had avoided with Orochimaru 15 years ago. He understands Anko's feelings only too well; he's not sure if he could defeat Orochimaru, due to being past his prime. Either way, he figures this will be his final duty as Hokage, whether he succeeds or fails, he has to put a stop to Orochimaru's ambitions; Orochimaru is too dangerous, and then he has Danzo to worry about. The more he thinks about it, the more he comes to the conclusion that his time as Hokage is nearing its end. One way or another, a successor will come. He hopes, for the sake of the village, that it isn't someone as ambitious or as warmongering as Danzo.

With Rock Lee

Lee and his team agreed to meet at their spot in a few hours. He was patrolling his assigned area. They are ready to have the second scroll, though his team was trying to reduce the amount of competition as little as possible. He knew it was tactically sound. To pass the time before he headed back, he decided to do a quick training exercise by making sure not to let one leaf hit the ground. His teammates would lambast him for this, but it was a great way to keep up his skills while on patrol.

He caught every leaf as if it were nothing. He was about to catch the last of the leaves when he noticed a squirrel. He was trying to get an explosive tag off of it. It was about to be set off until Lee gently picked up the creature and ripped the tag off and threw it in the air. It exploded. The creature looked at him with gratitude.

"Who tried to do this to you?" he asked the squirrel. The creature pointed him in the direction where he first encountered the tag. He put his hand on the ground and recognized these footprints.

Kagome was in danger, as were her teammates, even though he had no obligation to save them. It would be against everything he stood for as a man if he didn't use his training to help those in need, especially those from his village. He went as fast as his body would take him, ensuring he would reach his rivals in time and not allow anything to happen to them without the opportunity to fight them first.

Kagome and Karin both agreed to take turns, though they were more reluctant to trust each other. Because of the circumstances, they were all they had. She looked at Naruto and Sasuke; Naruto was knocked out cold, and Sasuke was burning up. Whatever Orochimaru did to him caused a violent reaction. They couldn't move, even though they had both scrolls, unless all three of them were able to travel, it would do them no good. It was useless; she felt ashamed that she could have helped her teammates if she hadn't frozen, but what the hell was she supposed to do against someone like Orochimaru?

She could have done more. She felt like a disgrace would Sakura have done better if she were in her position? The more she thinks about it the more she realizes maybe Sakura should be here instead of her. She was out of place on team 7 before she came along. They were a functional team; Sakura was becoming a contributing member. She was just a replacement—nothing more, nothing less. That's what she feels like she had felt this way since the Sapphire mission.

"I'm a coward," she said out loud. She cried, "If it weren't for Karin, I would have to stay up all night. I'm a disgrace." Karin was more useful than she was; her sensory ability allowed her to detect enemies nearby. She couldn't help but think that she would be a good fit for their team. She had trained relentlessly her entire life; she never wanted to be a Shinobi; she wanted just to provide for her mother so she can live a more comfortable life.

There was nothing glorious about this lifestyle; there's nothing honorable about it. Shinobi are killers; that's what they are, that's what they always be. She has accepted that, but the reality didn't set in until the forest of death. This is the kind of thing she thought would not happen, but it did. Everything about the Shinobi system was a lie. There's nothing glorious about this way of life; they're all kids, for crying out loud, yet they're killing each other. Why? There was no point in this; there has to be another way to test everyone's skills. Everything goes psychopaths who revel in killing can do whatever they want without repercussions in this kind of environment.

She looked at her father's sword. What would he say if he knew she froze? She made a vow she would never freeze again. She would rather die if she is going to die at all, she would rather die standing tall than die a coward.

"His one's breathing is labored." Karin put her back of her Palm on his forehead."he's burning up I don't know what kind of curse mark he has on his neck but he's having a violent reaction if we move him it could."She did not need to hear more she knew that it was dangerous to move Sasuke.

"What about Naruto?" Kagome asked.

"He's fine; he isn't injured as badly as Sasuke. As long as we're alone, we are in danger." She wanted to ask her why she wasn't with her team.

"Why are you alone? Where are your teammates?" Kagome asked the redhead girl.

"They're dead, killed by sound Ninja." the girl replied, trying to suppress the traumatic memory.

"What was that?" Kagome asked, grabbing tightly to her sword. "Enemies nearby already?" she got up, not going to run or cower in fear.

"I will stand my ground," she walked away from where the others were and saw the three sound ninja who looked at her gleefully.

"So you have come out to play, Kagome Takahashi?" Kin smiled evilly, and then they noticed the girl behind them. "Karin," she was scared when she saw them; these were the people who killed her team.

"To think that someone like you managed to survive against Orochimaru Sama." Zaku laughed, their leader didn't particularly have any interest in her.

"If you let us have Sasuke, we may let you live." Dosu offered her to sell out her friends.

"Go to hell! I will not sell out my friends to the likes of you. You'll have to kill me first to get to Sasuke and Naruto!" she heard the sound of the trio laughing as if what they heard was amusing.

"She's talking as if she has a chance against us, three against one," Kin walked in front of her teammates, staring down at her opponent.

"Do you actually think you're going to be able to beat us? You're one girl, and the one behind you won't do any good. Just hand over Sasuke and save yourself the trouble." She did not respond. She quickly did her hand signs and jabbed her sword into the ground, yelling, "Water style: Water wave!" They were caught off guard as she here's the water in the nearby river, which knocked the girl hard against the tree. She couldn't move. She did not allow her to do anything more. She went straight to her, about to put her blade to her throat, but was hit by a sound jitsu by her companion. She dropped her sword to the ground, screaming in pain.

Her senses were screwed up; she couldn't hear or sense anything.

"Big mistake, girl; did you know over 50% of the human body is made of water? Imagine a vibration with that 50% disorientation, your inability to hear on your left side, or your difficulty being able to see. This jitsu is not something you are ready to deal with; your first mistake was underestimating us." Dosu kicked her in the jaw; she tried to get up using her elbows for support, but it was no use.

The loss of balance in her body was this really the limit of her abilities? No matter how much she thinks about it, she can't help but think if Sakura, the person she replaced, would have fared better in this position. Even in death, she can't escape her shadow; Sakura was always better than her in almost everything.

"Is this really the best you can do? Pathetic," said the girl as she lifted her up by her hair.

"What a joke! This is what I can expect from a kunoichi from Konoha. You should have stayed in that academy, girl. You are not ready for this," she punched Kagome in the stomach.

She spat out blood in the Sapphire village. She was lucky it wasn't for Ino, she would have been dead, just like Sakura. She couldn't help but think that there was a time when she, Sakura, and Ino, were friends, felt like a lifetime ago.

Earlier with Team 10

Ino was not having a good time; her team had been trying to avoid enemies, and they were lucky not to have their scroll taken from them.

"This is such a drag," Shikamaru said boredly.

"We should steal a scroll from one of the weaker teams instead of sitting on our ass doing nothing," she said with annoyance.

"I'm hungry," Choji replied as he took out a bag of chips.

"Are you kidding me? You just ate a few hours ago," Shikamaru replied dryly.

They heard a loud noise and voices, even though she knows it goes against her best interests, she looks at her team and instructs them to follow her as stealthily as they possibly could. They get close, they saw Kagome fighting three people; she was getting beaten up badly. "What a joke! This is what I can expect from a Konichi from Konoha. You should have stayed in that academy, girl. You are not ready for this." the black-haired girl said as she continued to pummel her to a bloody pulp.

The girl continued to punch her and kick her. Her face was bloodied. She was held by her hair.

"Such beautiful hair, such a waste; you should have focused more on training." She continued to punch her, why wasn't she fighting back? She wanted to scream, "This is not the Kagome I remember!" She always fought back, no matter what the odds were, not giving in to despair or giving up.

4 years ago

Ino watched as the girls at the academy ganged up on Kagome, the 9-year-old who wouldn't fight back.

"Not so brave, are you?" said a purple-haired girl. "Is that all?" Kagome said to them.

"Pathetic, really; that barely tickles," Kagome said mockingly. Ino didn't understand why she wasn't fighting back. Sakura was by her side, admiring her. She then looked at them, causing them both to recoil.

"Are you this girl's friend?" the short-haired brown girl asked.

"So what if we are? What are we going to do about it?" Sakura said, cracking her knuckles. The girls were not confident about dealing with both of them; Kagome, from what Ino knew of her reputation, was far more capable than the bullies. The main problem was that She was outnumbered.

"Come on Emi, what's always our time with these losers?" the blonde-haired girl said contemptuously, and they left. When it was safe, Ino went to Kagome's side. Sakura checked her injuries.

"You could have beaten those girls up. Why did you let them push you around?" Sakura asked angrily.

"Because they're small fry, they're not worth my time. When they are assigned to a three-man cell, they'll be one of the first to be dropped," Kagome said with a confidence she couldn't believe she held.

Then she noticed there was a girl who looked at her in gratitude.

"You didn't have to do that, Kagome San," said a 7-year-old student who had short light blue hair. "Mako Chan, they were picking on you. I couldn't let them do that, plus all the trouble you went through.

" She saw her give the girl back her teddy bear. "Thank you," the little girl said with a smile and left. Despite the girl being bruised on her right side of her face, she smiled.

"You went through all this trouble to help a girl get her teddy bear back? I don't understand why you had to do that," Ino asked her.

"I hate bullies, it's simple as that," she answered, as if it was already settled.

"You don't have any friends, do you?" Sakura asked her.

"No, my goal is to be a strong Shinobi. I think making friends can only get in the way," Ino replied, not believing that one bit. She believes the girl is hiding something.

"I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either," Ino said to her. The girl was shocked.

"I know what happened to your father. I'm sorry," Ino gave her condolences.

"Death is part of what it is to be a Shinobi, isn't it?" Kagome asked her.

"Well, it's not my Shinobi way, I can tell you that much. I have no intention of dying," said Sakura. "Neither do I," said Kagome.

"You know, if you stick with us, nobody will mess with you," Ino suggested.

"You mean be part of your friend group? I'm not interested in boys or any of that nonsense. I have my own reasons for wanting to be a Shinobi," Ino wondered. Why did she take her training as seriously as Sasuke? Unlike the other girls, she had no interest in him and showed no intention of doing anything but fighting him. She never won any of their bouts.

On that day, the trio became friends who would remain inseparable for years.

3 months earlier

Their teams were chosen. She wasn't too bothered by the outcome; she was disappointed she wasn't with Sasuke, not because Kagome had an interest in him, but because he was a competent shinobi in his own right, unlike the people she was stuck with.

"Sasuke's on my team, I guess I win," Sakura said with a smile to Kagome and Ino.

"This changes nothing; I'm going to defeat you someday, Ino," Sakura declared.

"I will definitely look forward to seeing that day," Kagome smiled at her friends

"No matter what happens, let's all be friends, no matter what," said Ino, Sakura, and Kagome. She knew what she was suggesting: a friendship pact in the tradition of Konoha. Kagome placed her right hand on the bottom, Ino in the middle, and Sakura on top.

"No matter what, we'll be friends to the end," said Sakura. "Friends to the end," Ino added. "Friends to the end," Kagome said. They stood there in silence, the girls smiling, little did they know this would be the last time they would all be together.

One month ago

Kagome was done with her training by Kakashi. They were looking for another team to put her on; her other teammates were dropped from the program, but her talents were too much to waste, according to what her mentor had told the Hokage.

She was looking forward to seeing her friend again. She looked at the necklace she made for her. it was in the shape of a cherry blossom it was Pink just like Sakura's hair. Sakura gave it to her on her 10th birthday. It was not anything special, but it was special to her. Sakura made it herself; it was her most precious possession. She would love to give Sakura something worthy one day. She saw Kakashi; he had a grave look on his face. The news was bad. She didn't have to ask him to know something horrible had happened. He had left a few days ago to go to the Land of Waves.

"Kakashi Sensei, what's wrong, something happened?"She asked him.

"Sakura Haruno was killed in action."she heard the words over and over again Sakura was gone.

"This isn't funny Kakashi sensei, stop joking with me." she was on the verge of breaking down it couldn't be.

" HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?"she screamed in anguish. Kakashi looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm afraid I can't say anymore. It's classified; it's on a need-to-know basis." She was trembling. She was gone. Sakura was gone. "It's the way of the Shinobi," she said emotionlessly. She didn't know how to cope. One thing she didn't know was who to blame. Hinata Hyuga made the wrong call, and that's why she's dead.

"You will be assigned to her team when she recovers," Kakashi informed her. She felt empty, there was so much left unsay, she wept. Cursing everything, the Shinobi system, the person responsible for everything, the only thing she had left to remind her that Sakura lived at all was the necklace she made for her.

The present

She was continuing to be beaten, her face completely covered in blood.

"Oh, what is this?" said Zaku with a sinister smile. He ripped the necklace from her neck. The girl and he were laughing.

"Give it back," Kagome whispered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that," Kin said mockingly. "Give it back or I'll kill you," she said with clenched teeth.

"Kill us; you're at our mercy," she looked at her pouch, reached for it, and got the Kanai from it. She held it with both of her hands. The girl looked at her in amusement, as if what she was doing was funny.

"What are you going to do with that?" Kin asked her foolishly.

"Didn't your master ever tell you to disarm your enemy before doing anything else, including gloating?" She cut her hair. The girl was caught off guard, then she jabbed her Kanai in the girl's abdomen. She kicked her and then went straight to Zaku. He tried to use his techniques, but she wouldn't allow him to; she used her hand signs and created two shadow clones; she threw a smoke bomb and created more to confuse her enemies.

Then, when she got close enough, she bit down hard on his hand. He dropped the necklace, which she held in her right hand like a precious heirloom. The shadow clones were quickly defeated when she was about to get up. He pinned her down.

"All of this just for a necklace? You stupid bitch, you should have killed me when you had the chance," he punched her, reveling in her suffering; he didn't even bother using his specialized jitsu. It didn't matter as long as the necklace was not in their hands.

She could barely see anything was this how she was going to die?

"Ino, are we going to sit there as they kill her? What would Sakura say?" asked Shikamaru, concerned about Kagome. She remembered the friendship pact. Zaku was continuously beating her; she was going to die if they didn't do anything. Why would she go so far for a necklace? She got up; she couldn't stand. What would Sakura think if she just stood there as their friend was being killed and did nothing when she could have? Without hesitation, team 10 came to team 7's aid.

Shikamaru used his shadow possession jitsu to hold Zaku in his place. Ino used her mind possession jitsu on Kin.

"What the fuck are you doing? Why are you in my mind?" the girl asked demandingly. Ino put her own Kanai towards her throat. "I mean it. I'll kill this girl if you don't walk away."

Her companions looked at her in amusement.

"Empty threats mean nothing, girl, unless you're able to back them up, you wouldn't be making such an obvious bluff."

Dosu went straight for her and knocked Ino's body back against the nearby tree. Her companions noticed immediately the injury to her body caused an injury to her own body. This was bad, really bad.

"Just as we thought, you should have stayed out of this. Now you all die, especially you, fatty." said Zaku

"I'm not fat; I'm big-boned," Choji did the human boulder and formed himself into a ball, trying to run over Dosu. He hit him with his jitsu, which pushed him back. Shakimaru's time limit for his shut-up possession was up; there was no way anyone could save them now.

She saw a boy in green spandex. She recognized him from earlier; he kicked Zaku to the side, knocking him over. He looked at everyone, turned around, and saw Kagome with her bloodied face.

She was never happier than at this moment when Rock Lee was here. "Are you all right?" he asked her. "I feel better now. How did you know we were here?" she asked him. She had a squirrel climb on her shoulder. He went on his knee and let the squirrel go, and it went to her.

"The red-haired girl behind you can heal you, right?" he asked, referring to Karin.

She felt completely powerless; she felt useless if only Karin was able to properly defend herself. She wouldn't have to constantly depend on others.

"I'll do it, but I'm not as good as an actual medical ninja," she replied. Kagome went to her, and Karin started using the abilities her mother taught her in order to heal.

"Stay back, I will protect both of you," Rock Lee said to them with confidence.

Lee undid his wrappings he had to go all out for in order to end this fight quickly."more freaks"said Zaku.

"You are not equipped to fight him. I'll take him." Dosu was about to land a blow on him. Lee knew his sound-based abilities would be a problem.

"Sorry, sensei, but I have to use this." He kicked Dosu in the air, wrapped his bandage around his opponent's body. This would do a lot of damage to him, but it was necessary to end the fight quickly.

He was speeding straight down, potentially killing his opponent. He doesn't normally use this technique, but he had no choice due to his desire to protect the girls in front of him. He succeeded in hitting the ground.

His companion Zaku used a jitsu to break his fall, lessening the damage. His opponent got up and looked at Lee. From what he could tell, his mummified face was relieved and angry.

"Unfortunately for you, my teammate saved me from what would have been a fatal blow. I can tell that jutsu did a lot of damage to you." He wasn't wrong; he tried to move but realized he felt disoriented.

"Didn't pay attention, did you? Sound travels everywhere, in every part of your body. Did you know the most sensitive part of your body when it comes to sound is your ears? It should be obvious. The blows we did to you were subtle on the surface; you didn't notice it until it was too late. You can't beat us; it was foolish of you to go at us alone. You should have walked away; you will pay for your foolishness." He felt completely helpless.

"I'm sorry, Neji and Tenten, for disgracing our team." He knew it was futile, but he got into his stance. If he was going to die, he was going to die standing tall, like Guy taught him.

At the same time in Sasuke's mind

Sasuke felt like he was falling deeply into the abyss. He kept falling and falling. As far as the eye could see, there was a trail of blood. Blood of his mother, his father, and neighbors he had once seen every day. He heard them all cursing his name.

"You weak boy, if you weren't so useless, we would still be alive," said an older woman.

"It's because of your brother we're all dead, and because of your weakness," said an older man whose name he could no longer remember.

"If you were a better son, we wouldn't be dead; it's your fault, Sasuke," his father said. His body was twisted, decomposed, and his face looked like something straight out of nightmares. His mother looked at him with the same hatred as his father had.

"You pathetic wretch, you don't deserve to live," she said, her voice cutting something deep, more than any flesh wound. He couldn't get the voices to quiet down; instead, they got louder and angrier.

"AVENGE US YOU WRETCH!" More voices than he could count, he tried to get them out of his head. No matter how much he tried, it wouldn't stop. The voices would only get louder when he tried to shut them out. "Foolish little brother!" Sasuke looked at his brother, the person he used to adore, the person he looked up to, the person he thought couldn't do no wrong.

"You bastard!" Sasuke tried to charge at him, but he couldn't move. He was swimming on a current of blood. Itachi slowly walked towards him, like some monster from a horror story, continuing to walk and walk

He put his fingers on his eyelids and ripped out his eye sockets. Sasuke screamed in pain unlike anything he had ever imagined.

"What would you do for power, Sasuke? What would you do to avenge us? Is any price too much?" asked his mother kindly, though twisted. He thought about his friends. If he can't protect them, he'll lose them, just like he lost his family and clan. He felt his body being engulfed in a purple aura.

This was bad, Karin thought, with Lee defeated and Kagome's friends from Team 10 also defeated, it was helpless. Then she felt something behind her; she looked, and a dark chakra was engulfing Sasuke. He got up and walked towards the sound ninja who killed her team. The amount of darkness in his chakra made her want to vomit. It was so sinister, so evil; this was not the chakra she felt from the boy who saved her; it was different.

He looked at his hands, he had a smile, it was unhinged, and it did not look like anything any sane person would have. It terrified her.

"Kagome, did they do this to you?" Sasuke asked her with barely controlled rage. He was like an animal waiting to let loose. Kagome said nothing.

"So you finally woke up," said Zaku, unaware of the kind of person he was about to go against. Karin looked at his companion, his leader, who had a look of horror on his face.

"Run away, you fool," he said. She did not listen. Sasuke was faster than her eyes could see. He was right behind her and backhanded her, knocking her down. She looked at him, enraged.

"You got lucky on that one. I'll kill you," he said. He was about to unleash his technique that killed her friends. Sasuke was right behind him and pinned him to the ground. He stomped on his back, and he screamed in pain.

"You must be really proud of these arms, aren't you?" Sasuke asked. He pulled and screamed in agony. The pain was greater than anything he could ever imagine. What she saw scared her.

In Naruto's mind space

Naruto opened his eyes. He looked around, wondering where he was.

"What happened with that strange woman I fought? How long have I been out?" Naruto asked Kyubi.

"For about a day, give or take," he answered.

"I can't waste my time here. I've got to help my friends," before Naruto could do anything, he was stopped.

"Don't know what that strange person has done, but there is a curse mark on your friend's neck; it is dangerous. I know these things; if left unchecked, it could potentially drive the user mad or kill them."Naruto looked at his friend, wondering what he was getting at.

"Wait, do you mean Sasuke has a curse mark? What are you talking about?"Naruto asked his friend.

"There is no time to explain; it's better that you go and see for yourself." Kyubi cut his contact. Made Naruto return to the material world.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw Sasuke beating his opponent senseless. He was pulling in his arms and screaming in pain. Naruto noticed other people were watching, but he didn't want to stand there as Sasuke killed the boy.

"He's beaten, stop," Naruto said to him. Sasuke laughed as he pulled even harder. Zaku screamed; the more he screamed, the harder Sasuke would pull. He would pull his arms off at the rate Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and spoke firmly.

"Sasuke, he's beaten stop." He wasn't sure if Sasuke listened, then he noticed Sasuke was looking at him, and the curse mark's hold on him started to reside. He let go of Zaku, who backed away from him slowly. Dosu picked up his companion, who didn't have the strength to move, and then looked at Naruto and his group.

"This isn't an over we will resolve this at a different time." He turned his back on Naruto's group, but Naruto had to know what their objective was.

"What was your reason for being here and why did you target Sasuke?" asked Kagome, whose face was badly bruised and bloodied, and whose hair was cut. "I don't know, but I will find out." He turned his back on them and left.

"Well that's a relief."said Shikamaru who was happy the ordeal was over."thank you for helping us"Naruto said thankfully to team 10. Then he looked at Lee.

"You as well, I hope we get to fight sometime under different circumstances, of course." Despite how injured and tired he was, he couldn't resist a smile.

"So that's where you've been the whole time," said Neji. Naruto looked at the boy he knew only by his description, which was given to him by Hanabi and Hinata. He looked at Naruto briefly before glancing at Sasuke.

"Considering the circumstances, consider yourself lucky. I hope for your sake we get to face each other in the exams, especially you, Sasuke. I've been looking forward to facing you for a very long time. I want to show the village the superiority of the Hyuga clan." He said arrogantly, something about him rubbed Naruto the wrong way. Lee and his companions left.

He saw the curse mark on Sasuke's neck; he was clenching it. Naruto didn't know why, but the feeling he had looking at that thing was bad news. He would have to ask Kyubi later if there was any way to remove it.

"You look like shit," Ino said to Kagome.

"I know it matches how I see myself inside." Ino could see it in her eyes: the deep sadness and grief that was from Sakura's death. It hit her hard, harder than anyone.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Ino asked her, as she cut her hair to make it look better. She saw her clench her necklace.

"What difference does it make if I did? She's gone, and if she wasn't, it was impossible." The pain in her voice whenever Sakura was discussed, she understood now how she acted when they first spoke after it happened during the sapphire village mission.

"I'm sorry for what I said," Ino said to her. It took some time before Kagome responded.

"I am too." There weren't many words between them; they didn't need to be. They both dealt with their grief in a different way. She was done cutting her hair. She went to her team, but not before saying one last thing to her.

"When the exam is over, we should visit her grave together." She was about to leave the area until she heard Kagome respond.

"I would like that." No more words were needed between them. She turned her back on her and headed out with her team.

"So what now?" Naruto asked. He didn't know who this girl was. They weren't formally introduced.

"You can complete the exams now; you have both scrolls, there's no reason for us to linger here," Karin said to the group.

"That's nice and all, but what happened to your team?" Naruto asked her.

"I would rather not talk about it," Karin almost shouted.

"I'm sorry; I just find it too convenient that we have both scrolls and essentially can complete the exam by the end of the day if we wanted to," he thought it was way too convenient.

"The simple fact of the matter is I'm safer with a group than I am alone. It's to both of our benefits that we get the hell out of here."

Naruto couldn't help but agree with that.

"First order of business, what's your name?" Naruto asked her.

"Karin Uzumaki," the girl answered.

"Wait, Uzumaki?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"You have the same last name I do?" Naruto couldn't believe it.

"Wait, what's your name?" The girl asked him. "Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto answered. This shocked everyone in the group.

"I can't believe it; we have the same last name. You wouldn't be the son of Kushina by any chance, would you?" Naruto couldn't believe the girl knew his mother's name.

"Yes," the girl looked like she was in deep thought. "Kushina was my aunt." Naruto froze; his world changed at that instant. This girl—she was his cousin, not just any cousin—his first cousin. The fact that he had met this member of his family but never knew she existed until now felt almost too convenient.

"Can we have this conversation somewhere else? This isn't the time for a family reunion or whatever the hell this is," Sasuke said with annoyance.

"I agree; this isn't the time or place," Karin agreed with Sasuke. One by one, the traveling companions got up. Kagome put both scrolls in her backpack. Whatever questions he has about Karin, he would find out after they're at a safer location.

"So he has the curse mark. This is unfortunate but not unexpected," said Kanna, sitting in her throne room listening to Momo's report about the battle.

"What should I do, mother? Sasuke, under the influence of Orochimaru, is dangerous. He's the last of the Uchihas, and we cannot let their line get corrupted." She understood what Momo meant.

"I have a new assignment for you. Since I know Konoha will keep an eye on Sasuke, they'll be useful with that instance for the time being. I want you to keep an eye on Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga." This caused Momo confusion.

"Mother, shouldn't Sasuke be a bigger priority?" Momo asked, confused, considering Sasuke was the priority earlier.

"I want you to observe Naruto I need you to be my eyes and ears I need you to observe and find out everything you know about Naruto Uzumaki and his Sensei Hinata Hyuga." The girl said nothing.

"But why is Naruto so important?" Mamo wanted to know.

"That's what I want you to find out, you are my eyes and my ears, Momo. I entrust you with this task; it is important that you do not fail me."she said to her follower then She noticed Momo wanted to tell her more that there was something else.

"Mother, there's something else you need to know. I meant a woman from your former clan who has the famous red hair of the Uzumaki clan. She's able to do what you and Hinata are able to do; she's another princess." Mama said this, surprising Kanna. It was rare for there to be more than one Byakugan princess at one time; it had happened, but not often. It only happened a few times in the clan's history.

"so a half blood is a princess how old is she?" Kanna asked, wanting to know.

"She's at least one year older than Hinata," Momo answered.

"She's a lost one, a child that has been abandoned. She belongs to neither the Hyuga nor the Uzumaki clans. Momo, stick to your mission. I will tend to this matter personally," Kanna said, shocking the girl, who did not expect her to physically leave her throne to go to Konoha itself to meet the abandoned woman who has the features of an Uzumaki and a Hyuga."

"before you go what is her name?" she asked Momo.

"Yui" Momo answered.

"That will be all," she said, cutting communication with her followers. She got up from her throne and walked outside, looking at the landscape around her. The abandoned fortress was surrounded by a forest. Her followers didn't know where she was, due to her not wanting only her most trusted followers to know her location.

She would pay a visit to the Lost One, Yui, and see for herself if the woman would be a worthy successor as the next Queen of the Hyuga.

Despite not having access to her eyes she can see far and Akatsuki will strike soon Naruto must be protected. Naruto,Sasuke and Hinata she would ensure their protection at any cost whenever it took the fate of the entire world could depend on it. She had been the guardian for humanity for centuries and would not allow anything getting her way of protecting her children from themselves.

Naruto noticed another person being beaten down by a group of ninja. Being the kind person he is, Naruto couldn't just stand by and let it happen, especially if the victim couldn't fight back. Despite protests from his teammates, Naruto rushed to help and punched the attacking ninja. After subduing them, he offered a hand to the person he had helped, and recognized him as Kabuto.

"Kabuto, where's your team? How did you get separated?" Naruto asked, concerned.

"I got separated, unfortunately. Thank you for coming to my aid when you did," he said with gratitude.

"Naruto, can you not do that again? This whole day has been hell," said Kagome, who was exhausted.

"Are you two heading to the Tower now?" Kabuto asked.

"Well, yeah, we have no reason to be here," Naruto said. His teammates weren't happy that he implied that they had both scrolls.

"Come with us; I'm pretty sure you'll find your team on the way to the Tower." Thank you; it'll be really troublesome to try to get around by myself." His friends didn't argue with Naruto; they decided it was better to travel in big numbers, nor did they think anything of it. He didn't notice the suspicious look on Karin and Sasuke's faces.

Karin did not trust Kabuto; something was off about him. He appeared almost out of nowhere, as if he knew they were heading in the direction they were heading. She had been around enough people in her years and her home village to know someone was playing a part. She didn't know who Kabuto was, but he was suspicious to her. She couldn't voice her suspicions openly, not without drawing attention to herself. She looked at Sasuke and noticed he had the same feeling. He didn't have to say anything; it was almost as if they were on the same wavelength.

He was a spy whom she knew for certain was not who she knew. It was as if he knew everything they were doing. How many spies are there from the sound village? She cannot voice these concerns openly; she would make sure to keep an eye on him and ensure her companions don't make a fatal error, trusting him is a mistake. Naruto was too naive; his naive nature would get him killed one day.

This is what she had gathered from the short time she had interacted with him. He may be a long-lost cousin, but other than blood, they had nothing in common, as far as she knew. Her sensei would be displeased if he saw her as the sole survivor of her squad, the only person left. Her fear and cowardice had gotten her team killed; if only she were stronger, her team would still be alive, and she wouldn't be forced to travel with strangers for protection. How humiliating is that?

They were at the gates, and she knew she couldn't progress further because she was only one in her squad.

"Come with us," Naruto said, trying to get her to come with them.

"I'll talk to them and explain your situation." "You know I can't do that," she said, trying to reason with him. "I heard how they treat people like you in the land of grass. I won't allow you to be beaten or something that was not your fault." Naruto wouldn't let it go, even though she was a stranger, he was willing to protect her.

"You better not complain if all your teammates get disqualified for not following the rules." Karin gave in, the chances were low, but it was better than facing her sensei and being beaten to the inch of her life. She did everything she could to survive; this was no different, and if being with Naruto and his team would increase her chance of survival, then she would take it. She couldn't help but think, "Another member of my family alive, I put those thoughts aside right now; my priority is getting out of here alive, not a family reunion that can wait if I even desire that at all."

"Thank you, Naruto. I wish you luck in the exams, all of you." He said with a smile that she knew was fake. They bid their farewells. She had to warn someone; Kabuto was obviously a spy for someone she did not know. It's the least she could do to pay back the people who saved her life.

Kabuto saw Naruto and his companions enter the building. He was waiting for his team, which would arrive shortly. Orochimaru spoke behind him.

"So, what do you think, my dear Kabuto?" asked Orochimaru. He needs to get his opinion about Sasuke's curse mark.

"Other than Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha, most of the others died within the first few hours. Only those two managed to utilize the power of the curse mark. As well, they have everyone else either died or went mad." Kabuto said, thinking about the whole encounter with Sasuke and the sound ninja that were sent to test his abilities.

Orochimaru chuckled. "I am curious, though. Why give Sasuke the curse mark? There are other ways to entice him," Kabuto wondered. The curse mark was powerful, but it was a double-edged sword. It put a lot of strain on the user's body and took a toll on the user's sanity.

"It's quite simple, Kabuto. The curse mark is an incentive Sasuke desires. Power giving him a taste in time will make Sasuke come to me willingly. I won't have to kidnap him; he will willingly join us." Kabuto had no idea if that was true.

"If you wish to stop me, you will have to kill Sasuke." Kabuto was caught off guard; was he testing him?

"I'm just kidding; your team is coming, so I'll cut this short. We have to keep up appearances, after all. I'm looking forward to seeing the next stages of the exams." He left Kabuto alone; Orochimaru did not fully trust him. He knew that Kabuto is a spy for the Akatsuki, which is something he highly suspects.

Soon he knew that Danzo and Orochimaru's partnership would end. Kabuto, with every intention of being on the right side, knows which side he will choose when the time comes.

Meanwhile at the same time At a undisclosed location

The trio sent to infiltrate the exams bowed before Danzo. They were done with their mission, considering team 7 had finished the second exam and there was no further use in observing them, considering their goal was reconnaissance, not participation. Danzo looked down at his subordinates and spoke.

"Report the results of your mission," he commanded. The leader, Sai, reported everything in great detail. He explained how everything went with Sasuke Uchiha using the curse mark and a red-haired girl named Karin being a close relative of Naruto Uzumaki.

"So there's another descendant of the Uzumaki clan. Where's the girl now?" Danzo asked. "She is with Naruto and his team. That is the last we saw of her. She gave them her scroll because her team was killed," Sai explained.

"Excellent work. You have completed your mission flawlessly. Now we shall get to the final phases of our plan, a plan that I have planned for decades. They were awaiting his orders. He had indoctrinated them well. Soon he will attain what he had always inspired to be: the Hokage. This time, there'll be nothing to get in his way."

There is one thing he regrets: not being able to get Hinata Hyuga to join his organization. She has the talent and all the makings to be a great asset. He also has another asset: the masked man who has been by his side for over a decade and has served him on many missions. He never speaks unless he is given permission; he is a silent killer.

The flash was what he called him, if only people knew the irony of calling him by that name. Then there was a woman on his left; he called her Red, another irony of sorts. He had them under his rival's nose. Thanks to Orochimaru's experiments, he managed to work a miracle.

"I apologize, Danzo. I wasn't able to complete my mission and kill Hinata Hyuga," Red said to him, ashamed of her failure.

"It matters not that Hinata's death can wait; we have a bigger prize next month: the finals of the Chunin exam will be held, the perfect opportunity to make our move. All his loyal subordinates, all the pieces are coming into place; there is only one loose end that has to be dealt with, all in due time. His patience for all these years will finally pay off; no longer will he deal with being in his rival's shadow, no longer will he tolerate weakness that has plagued the village for far too long.

"If I may make a suggestion?" He looked at one of his subordinates. He wasn't pleased by him speaking without permission.

"I did not give you permission to speak." His icy tone silenced his subordinate for being foolish to speak without permission.

"I'm sorry," the man in the bird mask said apologetically. "May I speak now?" He wondered what kind of advice his subordinate would offer if it was useful. He would overlook this clumsy act once.

"Naruto Uzumaki. I have observed his feelings for Hinata Hyuga; they are strong. I think we can use his feelings for her to make him one of us." Danzo smiled; he always wanted to use Naruto as a weapon, but to use his feelings for Hinata, he had suspected from his spies since the boy was taken under her wing that he was in love with her; it was obvious; he had seen those kinds of people before—fools that would do anything for love. Those fools were the easiest to manipulate and use.

Feelings of love were a weakness, but he could also be used as a weapon if he could successfully capture Hinata or severely injure her and promise her safety in exchange of joining the Root. He would have a powerful weapon of mass destruction on his side, making Konoha almost unstoppable, and Naruto could be a one-man army in the right hands.

"Change of orders: Red, you are to capture Hinata next time you encounter her. Do not kill her, but injure her enough where her life will hang in the balance." She acknowledged his order, saying, "Good. You are all dismissed. The final stages of our plan begin now."

The future of konoha would start soon; he only has to deal with the will of fire for one more month and he could toss it to the dustbins of History where it belongs.

Naruto and his companions entered the room, as the instructor had told them. They opened the scrolls simultaneously, and poof, Iruka appeared. He seemed pleased to see them, though he turned his gaze towards Karin and looked at them questioningly. "I know she's not supposed to be here technically, but I can't just leave her at the mercy of her sensei," Naruto explained, recounting everything that had happened. He looked at her with understanding. "I understand, Naruto, but she'll have to leave the room. these are words for the three of you alone."

With permission, she headed to the other side when the door was shut. Naruto waited for what his Sensei at the academy was going to say. "You should read what's above you before I tell you anymore." Naruto and his team looked at what was up there; it read.

"If qualities of heaven are your desire choir wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher if earthly qualities are what you lack train your body to the fields and prepare to attack when both heaven and Earth are open together at the path of peril will revert to the righteous path forever This is the secret way that guides us on from this place today." Sasuke read out loud.

What did it mean, and why are you here? Naruto wanted to ask. "The spell was designed so that we Chunin could grant the applicants at the end of the second exam. It was good luck that I got to be your messenger. I'm glad it was me that greeted you." Naruto wanted to ask more questions but he decided to hold out for now. "Congratulations, you've all passed the second exam. In some ways, this was the most difficult. Most of the candidates don't make it. You're here earlier than most. I wish we could celebrate, but considering the circumstances, unfortunately, that's impossible." Naruto hugged his sensei and mentor from the academy.

"Okay, Naruto, let me finish. There's still more that I need to say. You haven't slowed down, have you, Naruto?" Iruka asked him. "I do have a question, Iruka-sensei. What would you have done if we peeked at the scrolls before the exam was over? I'm just curious," Naruto was curious as well.

"Sasuke, you are as observant as ever," Iruka opened the scroll and started to explain. "As you seem to have, an important component of this exam was that you demonstrate the ability to remain within a mission's stated parameters. You were specifically instructed not to open the scrolls until you got here. If he had tried to read them too soon, our orders were specifically that anyone standing around an open scroll would be knocked out until after the second exam was over. Naruto couldn't help but be grateful that they managed to finish the exam sooner.

There Were a lot of people he knew wouldn't have the self control his team had but they were lucky had it not been for Karin they wouldn't be able to be here at the time that they were.

"Iruka sensei, what can you tell us about the wall scroll? It looks like moths have been added, and we couldn't even figure out what it means. I mean, I think I get the gist of it." Kagome asked, unsure if she understood completely.

"Part of why I'm here is to make sure you understand the message of the scroll, so read it again instead of the directive set down by the third Hokage for all potential Chunin." Naruto spoke. "Directive?" he asked, confused.

"That's right," Iruka replied. "In the text, 'heaven' refers to the human mind, and 'Earth' refers to the human body. If qualities of 'heaven' are your desire, choose wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher. In other words, if your area is weak in academic knowledge, you've got to study hard and learn the principles that will help you on missions. And if you're serious about being Hokage, Naruto, you will study more and take studying far more seriously." That made sense to Naruto; was similar to the lessons that Hinata had taught him for all these months. He felt like he understood these basic principles and had understood them before the exam started.

"If earthly qualities are what you lack, you train your body in the fields and prepare it to attack. Luckily, none of you have these issues; your Sensei has trained you well." He said, praisingly. "Once you have access to both, no mission, no matter how dangerous, will be a wrong path for you. You'll be walking a safe path even amidst the midst of perilous missions. That's it. I'm proud of you, especially you, Naruto?" Naruto blushed at his praise.

"Chunin are the unit Commander class responsible for leading their teams; they can only do so by a combination of intelligence and strength. I can't emphasize enough learn it live. Believe it from the bottom of your heart if you keep true to what I'm telling you you should have no problem passing the next exam. That's it, that's the entire message."

After he was done, Naruto thought about everything he had done in his training up to this point. He still had a long way to go. "Be careful, Naruto," he advised. "The next exam is the most dangerous of them all. Don't get carried away."

"I stopped being a kid the moment I got my headband, and I stopped being your student, so don't worry about me. This headband that you gave me is proof of my maturity, and I got it from you and Hinata sensei. I'm not a kid anymore." Iruka smiled proudly. "Good luck, all of you," he turned his back on his former instructor from the academy, opened the door, and saw Karin being beaten by a man.

Earlier with Karin

Karin went through the doors to let Naruto and his team have alone time with Chunin who would explain the point of the exam. Her Jonin instructor did not look happy to see her; in fact, he was fuming with rage.

"You dare show yourself here? You failure!" he slapped her hard across the face.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically, but he slapped her again, this time knocking her to the ground.

"You disgrace our village; you are a pathetic wretch. The Uzumaki clan is supposed to be powerful shinobi, but all I see is a pathetic girl. Your teammates were more talented than you, yet you live, and you let your rivals escort you here. You are a disgrace." She was terrified of him since he had always unleashed his wrath on her when she ever failed. Her teammates were usually around to protect her from the worst of it, but this time they weren't here.

"Our village has no use for worthless scum." He punched her in the stomach; he didn't stop. She spat saliva out of her mouth. She had a difficult time breathing and he wouldn't stop. She heard shouting from Naruto.

"What the hell are you doing?" The man looked at him contemptuously.

"Stay out of this, brat. I'm disciplining my student." "Naruto wouldn't move.

"You make me sick," she just lost her teammates and you're beating her, not even comforting her, not even saying anything to try to comfort her. You're doing this?" Naruto pointed at the bruise on her face.

"This is none of your business," he said dangerously. He was about to turn his wrath on Naruto next.

"I suggest you stop or your head's going to fall to the floor." The woman with long blue hair and lavender eyes had a cold voice. Karin saw the woman hi a Kanai at the man's throat; she looked like she would be the one to carry out her threat. She never made threats lately, she recognized the woman's features from her descriptions. The lioness of Konoha.

"First the blonde haired brat and now the lioness" he looked at her staring down.

"Do not ever return to our village girl you are not part of Kusagakure any longer."he ripped the headband from her forehead and stormed off she looked at the woman and then looked at Naruto she was thankful for both of them her beating could have gotten a lot worse she might have ended up dead.

"Hinata sensei unexpected to see you so soon"Naruto said smiling.

"I've heard you completed the exam early. I'm proud of you all of you." Hinata said with a warm smile. She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder. She noticed something about the woman and then at Naruto their chakra. There was a thread connecting them together, but she only saw it for a second. Hinata looked at her.

"You're Karin Uzumaki?" Hinata asked her.

"Yes, I have met an Uzumaki before, other than your student Naruto," Karin asked curiously.

"One of my mentors was an Uzumaki, but let's not have this discussion here; let's go someplace else." She suggested she escorted Karin and Naruto's team to a room where any candidate who got there early was able to rest.

"Sasuke, I need you to come with me," Hinata said to him, leaving no room for argument. She noticed something on her neck; she has a curse mark too. She felt it, took Sasuke out of the room, and left him alone with Naruto and Kagome.

She had no idea what to say to either of them, especially her newly discovered cousin.

"I have no idea what to talk about," Naruto admitted out loud.

"I have no idea either, in the span of a day I found out I have a long-lost cousin, I got exiled from my village. I'm basically homeless, yeah, it's overwhelming." She wasn't sure if she was ready to open up yet; she had just met Naruto today, even if he is technically family by blood, he is still a stranger to her.

"We should get some sleep we've had a long day"Kagome suggested. She wasn't going to argue that Karin laid down on her bed and closed her eyes but unable to fall asleep due to the memories being fresh in her mind about her teammates being murdered and she was powerless to save them.

Hinata took Sasuke to a room. Kakashi stood before them.

"I'll handle this, Hinata," Kakashi said to her. Sasuke looked at them both, confused.

"That thing you have on your neck needs to be sealed as soon as possible," Hinata said to Sasuke, as if she knew from experience.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked her. He wanted to know why he felt stronger than before.

"The curse mark you have gives you great power, but at a great cost. The toll it takes on your mind and body isn't worth it, Sasuke. You don't need it; you're better off without it. Unfortunately, we can't remove it. The best thing we can do is seal it and train you later to have better self-control." Sasuke looked at Hinata's neck, and there was a question that had been bothering him since she had first taught him and the rest of his team.

"You have one, don't you?" Sasuke asked. Hinata tensed; he was right. His guest was correct, wasn't she? No wonder she went out of her way to cover her neck on her right side.

"The curse mark is an abomination, Sasuke. This power on my neck is not my own. I have to constantly be on guard, even with the seals. It could control me, this power, just like it can control you. This power—the cost of it is not worth it. I would give anything not to have this damn thing on my neck. Not only do I have to depend on seals to keep its power at bay, but I have to train my mind to ensure that I don't lose myself to control. It is a lot more difficult with this on." Sasuke took everything his Sensei was saying to heart, but he still couldn't help but think, would it really be such a bad thing as long as Itachi is dead? What did it matter where the power came from?

"I know what you're thinking, Sasuke. I could see it in your eyes. It's not worth it. Do you want to kill Itachi using this power?" Hinata pointed at his curse mark with her index finger on her right hand. "That bastard should be killed by your own strength, not by this." Sasuke did not expect to hear such venom and hatred for his brother from Hinata of all people.

"Did you know Itachi?" Sasuke asked her.

Yeah this wasn't relevant but he had to know the very mention of Itachi the hatred in the venom that she felt it was different from his own.

"He's a traitor, nothing more," Sasuke said. "That's all you need to know about how I feel about him." That wasn't the answer Sasuke wanted to hear; there had to be more, much more. Her reaction, just hearing his name, was as if she was spitting out poison. What did he talk about? What did he do to his sensei to have such revulsion when he has never brought it up? He didn't get a chance to think about it for long when he heard Kakashi speak."

"Remove your shirt, Sasuke," Kakashi ordered. He did as he was told, because she placed her hand on his shoulder and started chanting. Sasuke felt a sudden pain. He lost consciousness. His last thought was, "What was my sensei's history with Itachi, and why was she reluctant to talk about it? Did she know him? If so, what was their history?

She went to her student's side. He was breathing far better than he had before, which was a good sign. The curse mark he had was nothing like hers. She heard cackling in the air, turned around, and saw Orochimaru standing there, daring her and Kakashi to attack him. She instinctively got into her stance, but he didn't feel threatened in the slightest. He was just standing there with his arms crossed, as if he was having a casual conversation with her and Kakashi.

." So you put the seal on Sasuke at least it's going to hold for a bit because unlike you, my dear Hinata. He doesn't have the second seal." orochimaru said.

"You bastard!" Hinata said, unlike the last time, she was ready. She was fully rested, even if she wasn't fully recovered yet, she was far better prepared with Kakashi by her side.

"Oh, Hinata, have you already forgotten?" He did a hand sign, and it caused Hinata to fall to her knees, using her hands to support herself to prevent her from falling to the ground. She coughed; the pain was exactly like the birdcage seal she saw it happen firsthand of what the effects were like it was more painful than she could possibly imagine. Orochimaru laughed at her powerlessness.

"So brilliant, you are my dear Hinata. Such a waste of talent, yes. This curse mark you have on your neck is a lot like the birdcage seal. Though unlike that seal, which exists specifically to control the branch members, this seal is useful as a contingency. After all, you've rejected my offer, and you are powerless to do anything to me as long as you have that seal on your neck." To demonstrate his point, he pressed harder with the seal, as if his hands were on her throat.

She coughed; she couldn't stop. Her muscles were spasming uncontrollably. She felt like a hand was squeezing her lungs. Her face was turning blue. She was struggling to stay conscious. She couldn't breathe.

"Isn't it ironic? No matter how strong you become, Hinata, you will never be able to kill me, even if you are stronger than me because this seal on your neck prevents that." She felt him squeeze even harder, as if she was being choked with his hands.

"Bastard," said Kakashi, who was preparing his lightning blade, but Kakashi was unable to move due to the fear he felt being near Orochimaru. It unsettled him seeing his mentor with a fearful look, which didn't suit him. It felt wrong, but that's what Orochimaru did to anyone near him.

"Oh, Kakashi, if Hinata can't defeat me, neither can you, after all, she's stronger than you," he said, she was unable to breathe. She felt like she was going to suffocate.

"What are your intentions, Orochimaru?" Kakashi demanded. "Oh, I won't spoil the fun," he replied, looking at Hinata. She still couldn't breathe .

"I'll let you have Sasuke for now, Hinata. He'll come to me just like you will. You can deny all you want, but the hatred you hold for Itachi is undeniable," he said, squeezing even tighter. As if to reinforce his power over her, he squeezed even tighter. She tried to break free, but it was in vain. An invisible force seemed to be choking her.

"Such a great experiment that curse mark was now you know how powerless you truly are, my dear Hinata. You will never be able to kill me as long as that curse mark is on your neck." He released her, and she breathed heavily, trying to take deep breaths. It was a struggle; she was wheezing, and she came really to suffocating to death. He brought her to the brink.

"Such a fragile creature, humans are, aren't we, Hinata?" She forced herself up, not bothering to get into a stance, as there was no point; she was at his mercy.

"Remember my words back at the forest, Hinata. Try to stop the exams, and I will kill Naruto in front of you. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your students' training; don't disappoint me." Before Kakashi can strike, Orochimaru vanished as if he wasn't there at all. He wasn't trembling that she had felt the entire time, even before he used the seal, it wouldn't stop. Her fear of Orochimaru had not gone away even after all these years; it was worse. He could kill her at any point.

She had no freedom at all; none, this curse mark was nothing but a curse. What good was the power it gave her when she was at the mercy of Orochimaru? No matter how strong she became, it would not matter when he could end her life with virtually no effort because of the damn mark on her neck she cursed the Hyuga clan for inventing such a seal.

"You should get rest, Hinata, you still have not fully recovered." What good did it do? What she thought she was weak, no amount of training would overcome this.

None of them understood that she didn't understand until that moment she would always be at Orochimaru's mercy. He only allowed her the illusion of freedom. He could kill her without a second thought, without even looking at her, that's how powerless she is.

"I'll get Sasuke in his room and then I'll get some rest," she said to herself, more than Kakashi she picked up her student and left the room. When she went to Naruto's room, he was asleep alone with Kagome and the redhead girl they met in the force of death. They all looked exhausted. She placed Sasuke on his bed.

Naruto, she looked at him, the light that brought hope to the world, the person who made her laugh and smile for the first time since Itachi tore her heart out and shattered it to pieces. This boy she saw visions in the Luna village of him becoming a monster. She doesn't want to think about the possibility of him becoming a monster. Naruto couldn't be anything like that; those visions had to be a lie, but she couldn't deny there was truth to them now. When Orochimaru repeated the same words to her, "Who would she choose between the two: Naruto or Sasuke?"

Naruto brought out a side of her she thought she had buried completely after Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, especially when she found out the truth about what really happened to Shisui, including the fact that Itachi killed him in cold blood.

Yui was expected to be a representative for the Hyuga Clan in the Preliminary rounds despite Hinata being present her presence was requested specifically by the elders they wanted her to witness first hand the progress of their ideal heir Hanabi She cared notfor the outcome who won whether was Neji or Hanabi They weren't her student therefore it did not concern her her students have already pasted the exams. She had looked at this very place that she was walking in It had been 6 years since she's been in this very building where she had proven herself when the fools and the clan looked down on her because of her uzumaki hair they did not believe she was a Hyuga she proved them wrong when she defeated the prodigy of that yeara girl that she no longer remembers her name due to her notcaring to remember the name of One of the main branch members looking down on her.

It didn't matter to her though That was a different time She heard footsteps and looked and it was none other than Hinata the woman that she Couldn't stand the side of despite being close in age She was her step daughte just like Hanabi she despised both of them and her husband as well.

"What business do you have here?" Hinata asked her.

"It's not really your concern," Yui replied.

"It concerns me because this is for people who have passed the exam, and for the sensei's to watch their students to support them. You don't have students, so what is your reason for being here?" Hinata pressed.

"Since you're not willing to represent our clan, I have to do it, and you're steadfast. Unlike you, spoiled girl, I actually do my duties." Yui said with barely controlled anger at the younger woman's presence.

"Do what you wish; it doesn't concern me," Hinata said dismissively.

She wanted so badly to slap that woman. Her arrogance was evident as she walked past, ignoring her existence. She surprised her in their duel by revealing she had her own Lion Fist. It didn't matter that she had Uzumaki ancestry; she wouldn't let herself lose control. It would only prove her detractors right about her and her place in the clan.

Hanabi was the first of her team to wake up. She needed to stretch when she got out of her room and into the hallway. She saw her sister who looked like she was in deep thought. She didn't know what to say to her. The experience she had when she saw Gaara brutally murdering his victims was horrifying. It was the scariest experience she'd ever encountered in her life. She thought she was never going to get out of there alive.

She was about to head back to leave her sister alone until Hinata noticed her.

"Can't sleep,?" asked Hinata, who looked like she couldn't sleep either. Maybe having a conversation with her sister would be a good way for her to get her mind off of what had happened, or at least talk about it with someone with experience.

"Were the Chunin exams as frightening for you as they were for me?" Hanabi asked her sister, who had a hesitant look on her face.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hinata said. Strainly.

" why?" hanabi asked.

"You wouldn't understand, and I don't want to be reminded of him," Hinata said, not wanting to elaborate.

"Then can I ask you something else? Have you ever felt so afraid that you couldn't move?" Hanabi asked her sister, hoping that she could at least answer that.

" Yes, the man I faced was so terrifying that my body couldn't even move. It wouldn't listen to my commands. If it weren't for my comrades who were with me at the time, I would have been killed. Fear happens to all of us, Hanabi. It's how we deal with that fear that makes us who we are." Hinata answered, as if she was thinking from her own experience of an early mission she went on.

"Does it ever get easier?" she asked. Hinata shook her head.

"It doesn't. Fear is natural for us. We have to learn how to face our fear and to control it, and not let it control us. We're not machines. Fear is a natural feeling. Anyone who's afraid but faces their enemy to protect themselves and their comrades is someone with courage and value. Those who let their fear control them are cowards, and are not the kind of people anyone should ever want to be. They're not the kind of people anyone should ever associate with. Cowards are the worst kind of individuals to ever deal with." Quinata said, pulling from her own experience of being a Shinobi since she was 12 years old. It was hard for her to believe that her sister could be afraid, but someone who has been a ninja for as long as her sister has learns to conquer their fear and control it. The same thing would apply to someone like Kakashi or the Hokage.

"Feeling like I'm not meeting the standards of what it means to be a Hyuga, being scared like I was, that's not our way," Hanabi said, trying to rationalize her fear, the primal feeling she had inside her when she saw the red-haired boy, Gaara.

"I don't think the standards of our clan are very high if I have to be truthful with you. Anyone who is so arrogant that they believe they're never afraid is lying to themselves. Most of these useless elders who set standards for everyone else but refuse to follow their own standards. The Hyuga philosophy is nonsense. Most real shinobi in our clan, the ones who are actually able to break out of our clan's stagnation, are ignored because we don't meet the expectations. You should stop caring what the clan thinks and focus on what works for you and for your team. That should be your focus, not to please useless fools," her sister finished. It was hard to think of any flaws in Hinata's words because Hanabi's experience has proven that her sister is right. As a shinobi, she has to break out of traditions that do nothing but hold the clan back.

"You made me consider much, big sister. I mean, I just don't know. I'd be like going against everything that I have ever known," Hanabi said, scared of the prospect of breaking away from her clan's traditions, even though she knows in her heart that her sister is right.

"I'm not saying everything in our clan has to be disregarded. There are some things in our traditions that are honorable, that I would love to keep, but the traditions of strength and weakness are what hold us back. There are talented individuals in our clan who have other skills that could make them great shinobi, but are deemed weak and useless because of our clan's ridiculous traditions of sticking strictly to the traditional style of the gentle fist. There's much about our style that could be a sight to behold, but adding anything to our style is considered blasphemy, so those kind of geniuses are dismissed. There's a good reason why most of the talented hugas come from the branch house; it's because they have to come up with alternative ways of fighting, as they don't have access to the same training that you and I have. It's a shame, but that's just how our clan is; it will never change." Hinata said. Hanabi thought it was bullshit. Why can't her sister do the thing that she believes would make the clan stronger? Why can't she teach those who are denied the same kind of training she and Hinata had? It doesn't make sense.

"If that's the case, sister, why can't you just be a teacher? Surely you could help change the clan that way, instead of doing what you're doing now. I don't get it?" Hanabi asked, perplexed.

"Get some sleep; you will have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, and you want to have all the energy for the next exam." Hinata said, avoiding Hanabi's question. No, she will get an answer when the time presents itself. But her sister was right; as much as she hated to admit it, she would have a difficult time keeping her eyes open.

"Thank you, sis; I will take what you said into consideration." Hanabi said as she left her sister alone. She went to her bed, lay down on her back, and before she fell asleep, she thought about the kind of future their clan could have if they gave everyone the equal opportunity to learn, rather than have it be a privilege for only a select few. Those thoughts occupied her mind as she fell to a dreamless sleep.

Hinata thinking about the futures that she saw when she went to the Luna Village the multiple futures ones where she became a monster ones when she opened herself up againIt didn't make sense she was still trying to decipherwhat she had saw and it didn't make sense now anymore than it didWhen she saw it it had been almost a month since she visited the luna Village and she was as confused now as she was then. She looked and felt foolish that she did not notice Hiruzen next to was nothing said for moments until he spoke..

"You have come a long way, Hinata, in the past few months. I made the right call making you the sensei of team 7." She said nothing; the conversation with her sister wouldn't leave her mind, regarding her teaching the clan. No, she had to concentrate on the man in front of her. She couldn't space out; she put that thought aside for the moment and focused on the old man.

"I know you're still angry with me, but you've got to understand I was doing what I had to to protect Naruto. Would you do any less?" the old man asked her. "He has changed you, Hinata. It was subtle at first; you're not cold like you were before; you have smiled for the first time in 5 years. He's had a positive impact on you and the people he's surrounded himself with," she noticed.

"I have failed completely. I was entrusted by his parents to look after him and I failed at that, Hinata. Someday you'll be wearing these robes that I'm wearing and you'll be making the difficult decisions I make daily. Could you do it?" he asked her, rhetorically.

She thought about the difficult decisions she should force herself to make. Could she do it? She had been put into many situations since becoming a Shinobi, where she was forced to make difficult choices—choices that led to the deaths of comrades, choices that caused her to choose which lives to save and which lives to take. It was one choice after another, and she knew that being the Hokage was far more difficult than any choice she had made up to this point. The choice was between the lesser evil, a choice she would have to make as the Hokage, which she was forced to do time and time again. Could she do it? She believes she could. She had to; someone had to change the system, someone had to make a more equitable society. It wasn't going to happen without difficult choices being made. That was something she understood when she was a little girl, when her hero inspired her.

"Being the Hokage is something I've dreamed of since I was a little girl, since Kushina San was denied. She's the reason why I want to make her proud and Minato San." Hinata said.

"There had been many who dreamed about being the Hokage, but very few were willing to make the choices required. I'm not going to say I've made the right choices every time. In times of peace, it's much easier to be a saint. It's much easier to make choices that benefit everyone in the best possible way. But one component that is important in being the Hokage is how well you'll be able to lead if there ever was a war. In wartime, I believe, is what determines someone's leadership ability. If they're incapable of making the ultimate sacrifice for the village, for your friends, if you're not willing to do that, I don't think you're Hokage material—at least that's what I believe. That's what my predecessor taught me." Hiruzen stopped and looks up at the ceiling as if he was thinking about the day that he was made Hokage.

" If you don't mind me asking, Hokage-sama, how did you become the Hokage?" she asked him, generally wanting to know. She heard the stories, but she wanted to hear it from the man himself.

"While we were in battle, my comrades, along with my commander, were surrounded. There was no way for all of us to get out alive. None of us had a chance to be a good decoy to buy enough time for our division to escape with our lives. A difficult choice was forced on us." Hiruzen paused. Hinata wondered why he was doing that.

"I didn't know this at the time, and neither did Donzo." He clenched his teeth whenever he mentioned his name, as if it were poison. She knew, along with anyone who worked with Hiruzen, that Hiruzen and Donzo despised each other. But part of her was curious: Were they friends ever in their youth? Because when he became Hokage, he couldn't have been any older than 21.

"He asked which one of us was willing to sacrifice our lives to save our comrades. I volunteered without hesitation because I believed it was our duty to protect our friends. And when I made my decision, Tobirama named me Hokage on the spot. I was shocked; I did not expect to be given that position. I expected to die; I was fully ready to die, but it was never meant to be. He was testing me and Donzo to see which one of us had a stronger resolve to protect our village. When I made my choice to sacrifice my life, he saw me as worthy." Hiruzen had a heavy look on his face revealing such a personal story about his fallen friend and mentor she couldn't imagine herself in that situation it was inconceivable.

"It's hard to imagine being suddenly promoted to Hokage in battle. I don't know if I would be able to accept such an honor so suddenly. It's." Hinata had no words. It was difficult to even put into words. She imagined herself in that situation. It was difficult for her to imagine accepting such an honor. But protecting her friends, that was something she could do.

"The reason many do not become Hokage is not because they don't qualify for the job; it's because most do not desire it. It's not for the faint of heart," Hiruzen looked in the direction where Naruto was.

"Naruto has the makings of a future Hokage; he has a ways to go, of course. He's a boy, but he already has one of the most important traits of what it is to be Hokage. You want to know what that is?" Hiruzen asked Hinata. She didn't know how this was relevant, but she decided to ask. Because she didn't want to be rude and she herself was curious. "The willingness to risk his life for the village and for his friends on the sapphire mission. He had rested his whole body to protect strangers. Another thing that is essential to be Hokage is the responsibility of protecting the weak and the innocent. Naruto has those traits." He stopped, letting Hinata absorb what he said.

"Though because of his rashness and his youth, he likes humility, which is important in my eyes for being hokage. We don't govern with our fists; we govern with compassion and love for our people, and we'll do anything to protect them. I believe in time he will learn these things." He looked at her as if he was about to say the next comment towards her.

"You have a lot of the traits that would make a Hokage who would be worthy. But there's one trait you lack that holds you back." Hinata wanted to protest. "There's no way! She has a lot to learn, but what is the component she's lacking?

"I'm sorry Hokage sama But what am I lacking?" Hinata asked hoping for an answer.

"I'm afraid you will have to figure that one out on your own. That is not something I can teach you. You have to learn yourself. You will know when you do find out what you lack. I have faith in you." Hiruzen said, not elaborating, as this conversation was at an end. She knew it was because of what he was about to say next would end the conversation.

"A new era is coming, Hinata. There will be another who will replace me as the Hokage. I should have stepped down years ago. I would have loved to spend my final years in peace, just looking at the hilltops of Konoha and advising the next generation. But circumstances, as you well know, prevented that from happening. She thought about it: What would the world look like today if Minato hadn't died the day Naruto was born?"

"It's time Hinata to enter the next phase of the exams, which are about to begin." They walked down the stairs, even years later, when she looked around her, she couldn't help but admire the architecture. The statue at the back of the room symbolized the coming of age of a warrior. She saw all of the contestants lined up at the center of the room; Naruto was looking at her, smiling warmly. Because the redhead girl wasn't allowed to progress, she couldn't join in. She was on the balcony, looking down at Naruto, who had a cousin. It was almost too good to be true.

She did not indulge in her thoughts as Hiruzen started to speak about the purpose of this phase of the second exam.

Hanabi stood next to her teammates and looked around to see who made it. She was relieved that Naruto's team made it. Her sister must be really happy about that. She noticed others as well, including the sound trio she heard nothing but bad news about. Rumors were that they killed an entire squad without remorse, without caring about the people they killed. It was probably just rumors, but she wasn't going to rule it out, considering the amount of psychopaths likely in the exam. She looked at the red-haired boy called Gaara; she still shivers in fear when she thinks about what she saw—the gruesome deaths of the victims and the her team's potential gruesome fate had it not been for his siblings' intervention.

She was tired, not physically but mentally. Then she looked at her cousin Neji; he was someone she was going to have to fight, no matter what. There was no avoiding it, and her father, if she even dared forfeit the fight, would treat her harshly. The clan was getting impatient when it came to failures, after Hinata rejected them again. She hated her stepmother, and there was a good chance she would have a son. Once that happened, Hinata and her futures were up in the air.

Males were prioritized over females in the clan, even if the eldest was a girl. She shut down her thoughts because right now she had to focus and learn what the next phase of the exams.

The Hokage began to speak. "For those of you who recently came out of the academy, I give you my praise. You're the first in many years to do as well as you have in the exams. Usually, a year or two is given before any candidate enters the exam. Your exceptional, all of you." He smiled kindly before continuing.

"I would like as much as the rest of you to rest and move on with the third and final part of the exam, but because of how many of you are left remaining, it is necessary to have an elimination round. Before the 3rd exam could commence, I will have to make one thing perfectly clear: it pertains to the underlying purpose of the exam." Hanabi was confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"What do you mean by 'what is the purpose of this'?" Hanabi wanted to know what he was getting at.

"Why do you suppose an examination of this nature is being jointly oriented by all of the nations in our mutual alliance to promote friendship among allied nations and raise the level of standards in the art of Shinobi? Hanabi had a very good idea where he was getting at. She has studied the history of the third great ninja Ward and the war that preceded it and the war States era."

"If you have studied our recent history, then you would know about a mutual and beneficial agreement between a group of geographically connected lenses whose previous existence was one of constant strife, with each eyeing the other openly and in secret for power and control of resources, they were perpetually depleted almost to exhaustion in the struggle until a better way was devised, the way of the exam that you see before you."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I thought the point was to select Chunin," Naruto said, annoyed by the exposition. Hokage continued, "Make no mistake, when the exam is done, it will have a side effect of weeding out the applicants that are unfit. Not anyone should or can be a Chunin. By performing in front of an audience of thousands, including Lords from various nations, you will show your skills and your valor, and we can determine based on how well you perform in mind and body if you are worthy of wearing the vest. It's possible for all of you to be promoted to Chunin, but make no mistake, it's also possible for none of you to be promoted. Any test you have been through up to this point will look easy by comparison. A Chunin is an individual who will lead squads on missions and teach others of your peers. There are many responsibilities, and the third exam will be the final test to see if you are ready for those responsibilities. Let me reiterate one last time." Hanabi gulped; she was prepared for this; she had trained all her life for this; she would not lose; she would not dishonor her family and clan. She would honor her mother, who was a brave Shinobi.

"What you risk in the final exam is not only your future, your dreams but the dignity and prestige of your home as well." A man appeared in front of them. He had short brown hair, dark-coloured eyes and dark markings under his eyes. Even though he was a young man, he had pronounced lines under his eyes as well as an unexplained chronic condition. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with a forehead protector that he wore as a bandanna, flak jacket and regular shinobi sandals.

"My name is Hayate," Uhhh, before we start the exam, I must ask all of you to do something for me. Um, you see, there are some primaries to the exam proper, and whatever you proceed to the main exam is how you perform in this portion. Everyone was surprised: "Another exam?" She wasn't surprised; there were too many people for the third and final exam. There wouldn't be enough time; they had to wait in order to have only the best. Hanabi understood this.

"Preliminary rounds? What?" Shikamaru asked, completely shocked. "Hayate-sensei, I don't understand. What do you mean by 'preliminary rounds'? Why can't all the applicants proceed to the third exam?" asked Kagome. It was a good question, Hanabi thought, though she knew the obvious answer.

"There aren't normally this many applicants left, not to mention there will be lords and guests from other nations watching. There wouldn't be enough time. It would take weeks, and there isn't that kind of time. So, in order to cut down on time, we only allow the best to proceed. You see, the third exam is basically a tournament. For those of you who want to back out, this is your last chance because the preliminary rounds begin now." Hayate finished. The room was silent. She started to see a few people leave, not surprising, probably traumatized by their experiences. This would cause the rounds to go faster with fewer people, which was good for her; she wanted to get this over with.

Kabuto knew this was the signal to leave; he was far too strong, and the mission was too important. He looked at Sasuke with the curse mark on his neck, then he looked where the Jonin was. He saw Hinata who was rubbing her right fingers on where her curse mark was. He had always wanted to face her in a battle; she was interesting, he had to admit.

"You're pulling out, Kabuto? Why?" Naruto asked naively. The fool didn't know that he was his enemy; he would feel pity for Naruto under different circumstances if he wasn't such a worthless wretch who wasn't good at anything without his precious teacher and demon fox inside of him.

"Unfortunately, I'm not up for it; the beating I received yesterday, I'm not completely recovered from it. There would be no point," the boy said, looking disappointed. He should be lucky, he thought; if he fought Naruto, he wouldn't have a chance to get to the finals.

"I'm going to fight Sasuke I know this you will lose your chance with him Kabuto."he didn't particularly care one way or the other this small fry that are Orochimaru recruited would be grounded to dust. With or without the curse mark Sasuke was more than a match for him he almost felt sorry for him. Said nothing and left the next phase of Orochimaru's plan would be enacted the wild card Red, perhaps Orochimaru's strongest experiment yet. She's a useful, strong powerful and easy to manipulate. She was proof that science could do things some would say is unnatural.

Then there was Donzo's mindless killing machine named Flash, another experiment by science that brought someone back from death. If only Naruto knew the people under Donzo and Orochimaru's control, this would affect his outlook on his own home. He pities him in a way, because of what happened to his own mother. Unlike Naruto, he actually understands a parent's love, though it didn't matter. What mattered was the mission, and he was going to complete it by any means. What happened in the exams meant nothing to him; his priority was the mission, and that was enough.

Momo was with the Jonin, in the form of one of the unnoticeable Shinobi, on the balcony as far away from Hinata as possible. She could easily spot her with her Byakugan if she knew where to look. She took out an orb and turned it on. Kanna appeared in front of her.

"They're all here, mother. You can see everything."said Momo.

"Good, my child, you have done well." Kanna praised.

"Put the golden orb that I have entrusted you in your eye so I can see everything that you see. I want to see you, any potential I don't want to miss one moment." Kanna said to her as a command, though she would have done it anyway because she is the mother of all.

She took the golden orb and put it in her eye. Her mother was able to see everything; she saw the exams, the battles of destiny, and the fate of the entire world would change forever in this room. She knew this; her mother knew this. All the important players were here.

Hayate started the selection. The screen went random until Sasuke's name appeared, along with some Shinobi she doesn't care to remember. She has a feeling that when this match is over, he will be dead. She would see all of them so her mother can know her enemy's strengths and weaknesses, and who she could recruit in the future to their cause, the cause of liberating mankind from their own foolishness.

Kanna was in a forest east of the border of the land of Fire. She sat cross-legged on the floor, in a spot where there was barely any light shining through the tree tops. She chose this specific location because no one would ever pay attention deep into the forest, to a woman who has no eyes on the surface. That's what it looked like, but it was anything but true. Her eyes were sealed; they weren't gone from her eye sockets. She wasn't able to open her eyes.

There are other forms of sight, an ability that has long since been forgotten by those of her clan. The higher stage of the Byakugan, its user can see even with their eyes closed. Even with her power sealed, she can still see the environment around her, though her full powers are unable to be used due to the seals in her eyes.

She looked and saw the children around her, so young, no matter how many years had passed, being still had not changed the foolish and idealistic vision of Hashirama, who was still sending children to their deaths, and disgusted her. How little had changed in the past 70 years, with these so-called Chunin exams? How many of these children would die before the exams are over, and how many of them have already died? It made her sick, considering the hollow words of keeping children from dying, given events like this.

One person who caught her eye more than any of them was not even the children but the redhead Hyuga that Momo told her about her long red hair was down to her back her features were mixed of the Hyuga clan and Uzumaki unlike the lavender eyes that most members of the clan have the woman's eyes were red. her posture was what to be expected from the Hyuga. when she looked at the woman's face she couldn't believe what she was seeing she looked just like her first born daughter exactly from the small cheeks her soft lips and her nose was slim. it was difficult for her to believe this woman was a near perfect replica of the daughter that she had lost but how was that possible? her interest in Hinata her descendant was secondary to the woman she was seeing.

Momo would notice her composure changing she had to maintain it at all cost she had to be strong for all of her followers she would see this woman personally. she would guide her to the light away from the doctrine of the Hyuga and embrace her true heritage as the long lost princess of Uzushiogakure the line of Menko was not extinguished by the five nations.

Now she was motivated more than ever. She was going to free this child, who had no idea of her true heritage. She would restore the nation of Uzushiogakure, home of the Uzumaki, its rightful queen with the blood of a Hyuga. She would be the first of a new era for the ancient kingdom that was destroyed 78 years ago, a few years before her imprisonment.

Another one of her descendants, the descendant of her firstborn, she would save her from the clan. Nothing in Konoha would stop her, even if she had to burn the village to the ground. Nothing would get in her way, but for now, the outcome of the exams was the priority. She had plenty of time; she would get there in time for the final exam. By then, she would meet Yui and free her mind from the indoctrination of her clan.

Through Momo's eyes, she would see everything and the battles of destiny, cousin against cousin. Naruto, the boy her descendant is tutoring, Sasuke Uchiha, among others, their destinies were tied together. The exams of destiny have begun.

He had to end this fight quickly, but he also couldn't overextend himself, or the curse mark would take hold. Sasuke told him to adopt his stance; he would end this fight quickly. He wouldn't let the curse mark control him if he had anything to say about it.

Everyone took their positions to watch the match. "May the match begin," the examiner said. Sasuke didn't waste any time. He didn't want this fight to drag on, so he jumped above his opponent and kicked him in the face. Yoroi didn't seem fazed by it; in fact, it didn't really do anything.

Sasuke saw a blue aura engulf his left hand. He knew that getting too close would be bad since he had no familiarity with the technique. Sasuke backflipped to get as far away as he could and put distance between him and his opponent. Despite Sasuke's attempt to create distance, his opponent was faster and almost caught up to him instantly. Sasuke then ducked and kicked his opponent in the knee, passing him in order to avoid the attack on his left hand. Yoroi continued to catch up to him and was only inches from touching Sasuke. To maintain distance, Sasuke kicked him in the stomach. He realized he had to come up with a plan quickly, as the longer he kept this up, the more he would exhaust himself.

He could use the fireball jutsu, but that would take too much time. His opponent would not give him enough time to use it, and it's a small area. No matter what, Sasuke was left at a disadvantage. With the curse mark on his neck, a technique that he wasn't familiar with, Sasuke had to come up with a way to end the fight quickly. He couldn't think for too long; if he did, he would lose. Then he remembered Rock Lee's technique. If he could knock him in the air and use his own variation of it, it would definitely end the fight.

But he would have to find an opening. He had to create one, but how? There was no time to think; he had to do it quickly. Right when Sasuke was about to make his move, Yoroi grabbed Sasuke by the head and slammed him to the ground. The blow left him disoriented. What made it worse was he felt weak, as if something was draining him, and then he realized that was what the technique was.

It drains chakra. If he didn't end the fight soon, he would have his chakra drained like a vampire drains blood from its victims. Sasuke knew he was short on time and had to act quickly. He kicked his opponent in the chin to get him off, which gave Sasuke enough time to get up.

He felt the curse mark. The seal wouldn't help if he didn't defeat his opponent. The curse mark would take over, and he would be disqualified. The seal may have helped reduce the effects of the curse mark, but it didn't suppress it entirely. It had to be him who did it.

He wasted no time; he went right behind his opponent and kicked him multiple times.

"lion's barrage!" Sasuke yelled. His opponent fell hard to the ground. If that didn't do him in, Sasuke would not be able to continue the fight. He waited. His opponent did not get back up. He lay still. He wasn't dead, as Sasuke could tell, but he was severely injured and would need medical treatment.

"Winner, Sasuke Uchiha," Hayate declared. Sasuke didn't really care; it was over. He noticed that the instructor was checking his pulse and instructing medics to haul his body out. He jumped over the balcony and was greeted by his teammates.

"That was awesome, Sasuke," Naruto said excitedly. "You were lucky to have fought him, or anybody else might have been in trouble," Kagome chimed in. He looked at his sensei, wondering what she was thinking. "It's a good thing that you didn't use the curse mark or give in to it. I'm proud of you, Sasuke, for having the strength to resist," Hinata said, glad that he didn't use the curse mark.

"Is it possible to know what the next match will be?" Naruto asked out loud. "We'll know soon enough. Be prepared. Any match could be your match, Naruto, and Kagome. Do not underestimate your opponent under any circumstances, no matter who they are. Even a weaker opponent can still beat you if you let your guard down. Remember that," Sasuke couldn't help but think about the fight that he had with his own opponent. Had he not ended the fight as quickly as he did, he would have lost despite being stronger.

He waited for the next match, but he couldn't help but think, would it hurt to use the power that he had to get his vengeance? His Sensei didn't approve, but he couldn't help but think how much better it would be if he could just simply use it once to kill his brother to avenge his clan. He couldn't help but think about that in the back of his mind as the next match was about to be announced.

He was disappointed that Sasuke did not use the curse mark; he would have to push a lot harder for it to work. The curse mark was the key to getting his pawn to get his future body and to get the power he had sought for many years—the Sharingan. With that power, he could learn every jutsu in the world. Sasuke was the key to this, the key to his success.

He would have to resort to other methods to groom Sasuke. He looked at Hinata; he could do whatever he wanted with her; he could kill her by using the seal if he wanted to, but he had no need for that. The curse mark on her neck was something special. He licked his lips in anticipation, waiting for the next match, waiting for all the matches to come; none of them particularly interested him. The next match was about to begin in a few moments.

Ino heard her name being called and saw the opponent she should be fighting against, Kin, the same girl she had fought against in the forest of death. It would be payback for what she did to Kagome. Both combatants walked towards the middle. The girl looked at her with amusement.

"Oh, I'm fighting you, that technique you used on me won't work this time," she said with a smile.

"I have other things in my arsenal besides my mind transfer jutsu. Don't underestimate me; it will be a huge mistake," the girl laughed, finding it amusing, as if what she said was stupid.

"On a one-on-one fight, you can't defeat me; your skills are pitiful. You may be efficient when working with a team, but not against me one-on-one; opponents are another matter entirely. You could save yourself a lot of pain and withdraw from the match." The nerve of this girl, Ino thought.

Ino got into her fighting stance. "I'm not some delicate flower," she said. "You will regret your words." Kin did the same. "May the match begin," Hayate said, giving the okay, and the match officially started.

Karin was surprised she was being allowed to observe the matches, despite the fact that she wasn't allowed to advance because her team was eliminated. She didn't know who was going to win because she had never seen the blonde-haired girl everyone called Ino fight before, but she knew her opponent was no joke. Kin got into her fighting stance and smiled.

This is not bold unless the girl could counter her genjutsu; there is no way Ino could win, especially with Kin's sound-based genjutsu. All of them had sound-based genjutsu. She could help, but since there was sinister chakra in the room, it had been bothering her since she arrived. Someone in the room was watching the match who had extremely dark chakra. She had no idea who it was, but it made her feel like she was drowning.

She wanted to run out of the room, but she couldn't; her legs wouldn't move. She saw the girl smile at her as if he knew what she was thinking. It also didn't help matters that one of the people responsible for the death of her friends was fighting in the match right now, the girl who killed Conjo. The memory of that day was something she could never forget.

Flashback at the start of the second exam

Karin couldn't move. Tashima's body was still on the forest floor. Kin was laughing after she ended his life. "So pathetic. Is this the best we can expect from the village hidden in the grass?" Kin said mockingly.

Conjo tried to get up; he tossed the scroll to Karin. "Run; it isn't worth dying for this," he said to her. She couldn't move; she was scared. She had no ability to fight; she had no ability to do anything. Her ability mainly was sensory; what good was it when she couldn't even defend herself?

"What a joke, don't waste your time. I will take care of him personally." Kin smiled sadistically as she took out her Senbons with her right hand. Conjo tried to defend himself from them, but it was no use; he couldn't see her, and he didn't know what she was about to do. It was too late.

Conjo, despite his best efforts, was not able to defend himself from her assault. She couldn't see how he saw the battle because she could only see things from her angle. She saw him get hit all over his body. The girl was fast, far faster than anyone she had seen. Then she saw more senbons appear on her left. It was a horrific nightmare. Kin was everywhere and nowhere at once. Her eyes couldn't keep up. The scene in front of her showed her teammate being cut all over his body. Blood stained the senbons. She wanted to scream. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. It felt like a nightmare.

Her teammate fell face to the ground. She didn't have to see him to know he was dead. She could recognize him; his face was cut all over. It looked like mincemeat. That's what his body looked like. She just couldn't believe it—the cruelty of it. It would be one thing to simply defeat him, but to go out this way—to mutilate his body like this—it was too much. She wanted to throw up at seeing this.

She had to run; if she didn't, she'd be killed. She took a smoke bomb out of her pouch and threw it, then ran as fast as her legs would take her. She felt shame, but she didn't want to die like that. She wanted to avenge her comrades, but how? She would survive and figure it out later.

She vowed to avenge her friends for being murdered by this girl. Whatever it took, she would avenge them. Karin would make sure of that; she would never be weak again. Her cowardice had cost her friends everything.

She hoped for Ino's sake that the examiner would end the match before it reached the point where she would be killed by the sadistic girl from The Sound Village.

Ino could not let her guard down when it came to this girl. She was a lot stronger than she appeared. She couldn't use her mind transfer jutsu; that would be dangerous. Her trump card was useless in a one-on-one fight. Other things she could use, though; she had other skills and decided she would put them to good use. She took a kunai from her pouch. She didn't want to do this, but it would be a useful weapon at the right time.

She vowed to avenge her friends for being murdered by this girl. Whatever it took, she would avenge them. Karin would make sure of that; she would never be weak again. Her cowardice had cost her friends everything.

"So, you're going to use flowers against me? Oh, you're going to make this so painful for yourself; you should have quit when you had the chance." She got into her stance. Ino was about to do another one until she felt her senses were being messed with. She saw not one, not two, not three, not four, but six Kin's. Was this Genjutsu? She was taught by her Sensei how to counter the effects of a Genjutsu. When she was done, she used her training to attempt to dispel the jutsu, but it didn't work.

She heard laughter as if her confusion was amusing. "You are under my genjutsu as soon as the match started. Do you remember hearing sounds when I took out my Senbons?" She recalled the sound of clinging against metal when she was rubbing her Senbons against each other. She thought it was just her imagination, but she was under its influence the whole time. How?

A basic sound is difficult to counter if you're unfamiliar with it. You should have withdrawn from the match because now I will put you through pain." Kin finished, but she had to find out where she came from. Where was she? She looked to her left, and she looked to her right. She felt the Senbons cut at her right side, then it cut on her right knee, then her left, then her forearm, then her abdomen, in her back. It was everywhere. She was like everywhere at once, and then she was close to her throat.

"You should have spent more time training instead of trying to look beautiful." She would make her regret getting closer to her; it would hurt her. Using this technique would cause pain, but as long as it hurt her enemy as much as it hurt her, it would be worth it. She cut her hair and then did the hand signs required, turning her cut hair into cutting blades that hit her and her opponent. When the dust settled, she saw her opponent was harmed, but not as much as she was.

"Damn it, my trump card," she said. In frustration, she had no other options. She cursed her lack of experience. Unlike Shikamaru and Choji, who were far more skilled than her in combat, her skills were more suited for support. She cursed not training in Taijutsu, which might have helped during this situation. In vain, she tried to fight Kin in hand-to-hand combat. It was no use; she blocked every blow as if she anticipated everything that she was throwing at her. She cut her again at her side and then again at her back. She fell face down.

"INO!" screamed Kagome. She couldn't get up; she had never been this badly beaten in any fight she'd ever had. She was bleeding all over. If she didn't get treatment soon, she could die of an infection. She didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't win. This girl was just far stronger than her. She wasn't equipped to deal with her abilities, her sound-based jutsu, and sound-based Genjutsu.

Kin charged straight at her when she was about to do it, the killing blow. She saw her sensei hold her in place with his right hand. "That's enough. You have won. If you want to continue this fight, you will have to deal with me." Asuma said threateningly. She was grateful; had he been a few seconds slower, she would be dead. She never felt such fear in her life. The girl took pleasure in killing her opponents. "Winner: Kin," declared Hayate.

A medical ninja appeared, and she was carried on a stretcher. She looked at her teammates, who were worried about her but relieved to know that she would at least survive. Her friend had a look of rage.

Kagome stared up at Kin; she enjoyed torturing Ino. She had a smug smile because she had won. If Kagome had fought her, she would not be smiling; she would be on the ground, crawling, begging for mercy. When the next match was announced, she saw her name along with Tenten's. She jumped off the balcony, and Tenten did the same.

Before the fight would begin, she looked at the balcony where Kin was and then spoke to the girl directly. "I vow that I will defeat you," the girl laughed. The idea of Kagome defeating her was ridiculous, of course, she thought it was ridiculous because of what happened in the Forest of Death, but that was a different situation. If it was a situation where they were both fresh, she is confident that she would win. "Big talk for a girl who hasn't even won your match yet. Say that nonsense after you've won, not before." She said dismissively. Yeah, she would win the fight. She would not lose. She would avenge Ino.

Hinata_secs was baffled by the brutality that she had just witnessed. What kind of person takes pleasure in doing what she did? This exam, this practice of having teenagers essentially fight death matches, is something Hinata thought was barbaric. Another thing she would change when she becomes Hokage is abolishing this barbarism. There's nothing to gain by allowing it.

Her colleague Asuma had a look of worry on his face over what happened. She didn't know what to do or what to say to comfort her friend. "She'll pull through. She's stronger than you know," Hinata said to try to comfort him. "That girl, such cruelty. I never thought I would see it in my lifetime. If I hadn't intervened..." She understood exactly what he meant. That girl had a look of bloodlust. How many people had she murdered? "This is a waste. There are far more effective ways we can test our students' skills than having them kill each other." "Surely there are more effective ways we could test our students' skills and have them in matches where kids don't potentially kill each other." She's been making her disagreements known more lately. Naruto has definitely helped. It was usually only in private that she voiced these disagreements. "It's been that way since the founding of the village. You know this, Hinata. You know this better than anyone." Asuma said, not necessarily disagreeing with her but not wanting her to discuss it openly.

"He's right, and even if you do become Hokage, things are not going to change overnight. It will take time," Guy chimed in. Hinata responded, "I know that you think I don't know how long it would take to change the system. I know it's going to take time to change it, but I'm looking at it now. How many potential Shinobi are we throwing away in a pointless contest like this? Ino is talented. Had you not intervened, Asuma, she would have been killed. This contest literally allows some of the worst kinds of people possible to enact their psychotic urges. How many psychopaths have passed through these exams?"

Her colleagues couldn't provide an answer; they knew she was right. The next match was about to begin. "Your student better not underestimate Tenten. She is a lot stronger than she looks. I hope for her sake you've trained her well," Guy said with a smile, despite the earlier conversation they had.

"She better not underestimate my student either. Kagome is much stronger than she looks. Don't forget she wasn't just trained by me but also your rival Kakashi," Hinata reminded him. "True, but your student is not familiar with Tenten's style of fighting," he replied.

Hin had full confidence that Kagome would win. There was no way she could lose. She didn't think this because she was biased, as she's her student; she strongly believed in.

"May the match begin," Hayate motioned his hand, signaling for the start of the match.

Kagome had no familiarity with Tenten's fighting style, so she could not underestimate her due to her lack of knowledge about her style. Team Guy was a mystery, with the exception of Rock Lee. Not much was known about how they fought or what their skills were. There was one thing Tenten had over Kagome: one year of experience. She had more experience in battle and training. Kagome had to approach her opponent carefully. One wrong move, and she could lose the match. She could not lose; she had to defeat that Sound Ninja, Kin. She couldn't bear the thought of Ino not being avenged.

She wasted no time. She took her sword from its scabbard. After what she had been doing for the past few days—disgracing her father by freezing in fear at the presence of Orochimaru and not protecting her comrades, and her inability to defend her cell for her comrades—she was going to prove to herself and to everyone that she is not weak. That she deserves to be here, that she didn't just luck out.

Things were tense; neither opponent made their move. Tenten had her hands on one of her scrolls. "It's unfortunate for you that you're up against a weapons master. I could summon many different kinds of weapons for close-range combat and even wield them with proficiency. That little toy you have in your hand is not going to help you in this fight." The arrogance, Kagome thought.

She summoned Kusari-fundo. The length of the weapon was enough for her to keep her distance from Kagome. She swung the chain towards her sword. Kagome blocked it, and it went back towards Tenten. Impressively, she did not lose sight of her weapon. She took out another scroll, and what came out of that one was a Bo staff.

She ran towards Kagome, who blocked the weapon. When she tried to strike at her side, she struck to her left, and she blocked it. She tried to strike to her right, and she blocked it again. She had been on the defensive up until now in the fight. She had to figure out what this girl's abilities were. But then, what baffled her was that the girl kicked her, knocking her off balance, and she summoned another weapon.

Two dual-blade katanas, the way she wielded the weapons was as if she were a master of them, but that was not possible, she thought. She was barely able to keep up; it was no joke. The girl wasn't just boasting about her skills; she actually possessed them. Out of all the opponents she had to face, it had to be someone who was a skilled weapons master. No, she would not think that way; that is the thinking of a sore loser and a coward. Her reasoning for entering the exams was so she could be promoted to Chunin, which would allow her to provide for her mother.

The girl was like in many places at once; it was impossible for her eyes to keep up. She recalls one of the lessons Kakashi taught her in the two months that he was her sensei, prior to her transferring to Hinata's team.

1 month before transferring to team 7

It was frustrating; it felt like Kakashi was everywhere and nowhere at once. They had done this for almost a week, and it felt like there was no progress. What was the point of this exercise? She thought she was fighting blindfolded. She was not able to see how she was supposed to fight. "Kakashi sensei, what is the point in this?" she asked in frustration. "To train you how to use your other senses. It is something that all of us are required to do, especially if you have any desire to become a member of the Abu Black ops."

She had no desire to become part of the Abu. All she wanted was enough money to provide for her mother. She had no interest in such a position. "I have no interest in being part of the Abu Black ops. It's like I'm blind; I can't see what I'm doing. How am I supposed to fight?" she asked her sensei.

"What happens when you get into a situation where you lose your eyesight? Anything can happen on a mission. We have to be adaptable to any situation, and that is a huge possibility. You may think this is tedious now, but when the time comes, you will need this training that I'm giving you, and you will thank me," Kakashi answered.

She did as she was instructed. She held her father's sword. She took a deep breath, trying to sense her opponent.

"Rely on your other senses. The eyes can only do so much, Kagome. There are situations that you will encounter where you will fight an opponent that is faster than you, and it will feel like you're fighting an army. To overcome this, focusing on the sound of their movements is important. You must understand this; otherwise, you will never become a Chunin," said Kakashi.

She focused hard, trying to sense the sound of her opponent's movements. At first, nothing happened. She was almost on the verge of giving up this exercise altogether until she noticed something—a faint sound. She heard it, turned her sword in the direction of the sound, and struck. Her opponent dodged, so she focused again on that same sound. She struck to her left and hit her opponent. Then, she heard another sound from behind her. She kicked her partner in the chest, knocking him down.

She removed her blindfold and saw Kakashi lying on the ground. From what she could see of his mask, he was smiling proudly, pleased that she had grasped the teachings he had given her. "You can do it, too," he said. "As you know, if you rely too much on sound, you could run into a situation where you may lose your hearing. There are other senses as well, such as touch and feeling the vibrations on the ground. Remember this lesson—it could save your life someday."

"Thank you, Sensei. I will take this to heart. I will not forget the lesson you have given me today." Kagome bowed respectfully.

She closed her eyes and put her sword in a guard position. She was patient. When she heard a sound of metal, she was about to strike. Kagome struck at her opponent using her right hand, knocking her down. "You're going to have to do better than that," Kagome said, not really impressed by her skills.

"Don't get cocky!" Tenten took two scrolls and jumped in the air. Was she really going to do what she thought she was going to do? The two scrolls hit the floor, and Tenten used her jitsu, "twin rising dragons." It was almost as if there was a storm, with hundreds of kunai and other weapons launching straight at her. She ran as fast as her legs would take her. Damn, she thought, this girl has a lot up her sleeve.

She would have to end this fight quickly, but she did not want to use that jutsu. Not here, not where everyone could be exposed to its secret. Not now. There has to be a way to win without using it, but she couldn't think of a strategy. Not while she was dodging hundreds of Kanai. She barely dodged them; she couldn't do it forever. Then, she saw something even worse. The girl threw strings all over the room, and the weapons came back to her like a boomerang. Like a puppet master, she threw them again.

She would lose in a war of attrition if she did not figure out how to counter this. She was definitely at a huge disadvantage. This was not a matchup she was ready for. There was one technique that could possibly counter it, but it was risky. She had used it against Sasuke before, when they sparred for the first time when she joined their team. The tip of her blade faced the ground. She did the hand signs for the jitsu. There was a gust of wind engulfing her and the weapons that were being thrown at her. They couldn't get past her. It was almost like a shield, but there was a price for using this. It used a lot of chakra. If she missed, she would lose.

"Wind style wind typhoon," she launched her attack. It knocked all of the opponents' weapons. The contestants had to move because the weapons went all over the room. Her opponent was about to be hit by her own weapon. Kagome jumped to her opponent and was able to get Tenten out of the way. It was done. The match was over. She held her blade towards Tenten's throat. Even if she saved her life, Kagome wasn't going to hand the victory to her.

"I hate to admit this, but I lost this one," Tenten conceded. She put her opponent down. Kagome looked at Tenten with nothing but respect. She was a worthy opponent, someone who pushed her; she was nothing like the others she had fought at this point. She shook the girl's hand, and the girl did the same.

"Winner, Kagome," Hayate announced. She looked at Kin, but couldn't tell what she was thinking. Yeah, she would make her pay if she had anything to say about it. Her teammates were cheering for her, and in a way, she felt like she had redeemed herself somewhat. However, she still felt like a disgrace because of the way she acted in the Forest of Death. She couldn't overlook what happened and knew she needed to train to overcome her fear so that she would never be powerless again against anyone.

"Your student is a one-of-a-kind, though it kind of put us all in danger with that technique of hers," Guy commented. Another thing she thought was problematic was the lack of protection. Thankfully, everyone had fast reflexes, but there was still a chance, even if unlikely, that one of those could have seriously injured someone, if not outright killed them. It was reckless, but considering the circumstances, there was no way she could have won.

"I wonder how Naruto will do in the exams?" asked Kurenai. Hinata had full faith that Naruto would win. She wasn't concerned at all; she trained him well, and she was confident that he would succeed. "Naruto will win. I believe in him," Hinata replied.

She saw the next names for the next round, and it was one of Kurenai's students. "I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard that's up against Shino," Kurenai said, smiling.

"May the match begin" Hayate said to initiate the start of the match.

Shino walked to the center of the room, facing his opponent Zaku. He had a cocky grin on his face thinking that hhe wasgoing to win this match the arrogance Shino thought. The thing that was ingrained toinim by his father as a tradition of his clan as a whole is to never hold back no matter how strong and weak your opponent is.

Underestimating your opponent was dangerous; even a weaker adversary can defeat a stronger one; history has proven this. It isn't the strongest Shinobi that wins; it's the smartest and the most clever. Though, from what he could tell about this opponent by the way he carried himself, he was overconfident and thought very highly of his abilities—too highly. He would likely overestimate himself and underestimate Shino; it was a foregone conclusion.

The Aburame clan infuses special breeds of insects at birth in order to develop abilities the Kikaichū haven't used for generations. He doesn't know the origin of what had caused his clan to start using them, nor did it concern him; it had always been part of him. There were a lot of misconceptions about his clan, such as the belief that they were insects and not human beings, but that wasn't the case. They actually had a symbiotic relationship with the Kikaichū.

His opponent looked bored the match had started and he had not made a move yet." it isn't the freak I'll squash you like a bug you're pathetic jutsus that you have at your disposal are nothing." I would advise you forfeit this match. I am the worst kind of opponent for you to go up against." Zaku thought it was ridiculous.

"You think that's going to scare me? You freak!" He lifted up his hands and fired air out of them, which was as fast as sound. Shino easily dodged his attacks. This was not the kind of opponent he would struggle with; his abilities were poorly suited to deal with someone from the Aburame clan.

He tried again and again to hit him, but it wouldn't work. Shino calmly dodged. Every single time he fired, the power of the air that came out of his hands got weaker and weaker the insects have entered tube if he was paying attention he would know that the amount of air that was coming out was lower and lower and eventually it would be clogged.

"I'm giving you one final chance to forfeit the match, or you will be permanently disabled," Shino said threateningly. He didn't take his threat seriously, a big mistake. He didn't bother moving anymore; the match would end in a few seconds. Zaku noticed nothing was coming out. He looked angry and frustrated. "What the hell's going on? My jitsu is unbeatable; no one can beat me." Such arrogance, he thought.

1 2 3 Zakus' attack that was directed at Shino now backfired on him his arms exploded blood was gushing everywhere he turned his back on his defeated foe it wasn't even that much of a battle then ag; then wasn't a surprise. He turned his back on his broken foe and didn't payignoredncer announcing his victory.

"Pathetic failure," Orochimaru said contemptuously. The boy was useless; he couldn't even be a good guinea pig for Sasuke to test his power on. She would make him pay for his foolishness. He had a Pacific fate in mind, oh yes, he would use him as a sacrifice when the time came. Looking at Hinata across from him, he couldn't help but relish in her discomfort at the scene in front of her.

Sasuke was the only one who did anything impressive so far. Everyone of these so-called pathetic Konoha Shinobi were weak and not worth his time, except for this one girl, the black-haired one called Kagome. He looked into her eyes, the girl's face. He could not help but see her father in her. "Interesting, so you're her father, aren't you?" referring to one of his old classmates. He recognized her mother's eyes as well. Was it a coincidence?

He decided to watch the matches for a little while longer to see if there's anybody of interest, though he highly doubts that only Sasuke and Kagome have caught his eye. He is drawn to Sasuke because of his Sharingan and to Kagome because of who her parents are.

The next match was announced.

"Looks like our students are fighting in the next round. No hard feelings, but Shikamaru is going to win," Asuma said to his girlfriend with a cocky smile. "I wouldn't write Kiba off; do not underestimate my student," Kurenai replied in friendly banter. "I have to agree with Asuma. I think Shikamaru is going to win, Kurenai-san. Kiba underestimates many of the opponents he's fought against. This will be a learning experience for him—not to let his guard down against opponents, regardless of how strong or weak they are," Hinata chimed in.

The sensei's watched as the fight began.

"This is such a drag," Shikamaru said as he got in the fighting arena. He didn't want to fight; he just wanted to relax. Out of all the things he did not want to do, he was confident he could beat Kiba; he just didn't want to do this stupid exercise. "You could give up now if you want. It could save you a lot of pain," Kiba said with an arrogant grin. He sighed.

"If I do that, I'll just piss off my team and my sensei. It's not worth it. Let's just get this over with," he said in a bored expression.

The match began.

Kiba charges straight at Shikamaru? Out of all the things? He thought he learned he tried to attack him by using his dog companion, Akamaru. He easily dodged, like it was nothing. He tried to attack him again, attempting to hit him with his claw-like hands, but Shikamaru dodged once more. Shikamaru didn't think this was worth extending effort. Why did he even have to bother with this?

He tried in vain to attack Shikamaru again, but every time he attempted to land a blow, Shikamaru dodged. People underestimated Shikamaru because he wasn't the greatest of fighters. That's the thing about his clan, baby: they focus on brains, not brawn. He was playing the long game; he couldn't physically beat Kiba in a fight, but he could outlast him. When he got in the right position in the room, he could use the Shadow Possession Jutsu without being vulnerable.

His opponent continued to attack in frustration. "Do something, coward," Kiba said in frustration. Nothing is worse for an enemy than them losing control. Just a little bit more, and this thought in this boring match can finally be over, and you could go back to relaxing. He continued to attack. "Screw this, I'm going to end this fight." Kiba did his hand signs, and just like Shikimaru predicted, he was going to use his technique on him. "Fang over fang!" Kiba, along with Akamar, sped fast towards him. Shikimaru smirked.

"Unfortunately for you, you fell for my trap," he said, looking around. He was close to the wall. "You know what my jitsu can do. I can manipulate all your movements, though I can't hold it for long due to me not being a master yet." He demonstrated his point by moving his body right, and Kiba did the same. "Damn you," Kiba said, disgusted that he had fallen for such an obvious trick.

Shikamaru put his right hand in his pouch and copied his movement. Kiba grabbed a kunai just like Shikamaru did. There was nothing he could do to stop the outcome of the match. He threw the weapon and ducked backward. He undid the Shadow Possession Jutsu, and Kiba's head hit the wall.

Everyone who was watching was shocked, with the exception of his teacher. Of course, his Sensei saw this outcome coming a mile away. He didn't care; he just wanted to relax.

"Winner Shikamaru"

Kurenai had a look of disappointment on her face at how easily Kiba was defeated by Shikamaru. Hinata knew from the start that Kiba would lose due to him being cocky and how he tends to underestimate his opponents. This would be a hard lesson for him to learn, but it was necessary. He had the advantage when it came to strength, but he was proof that a weaker opponent could overcome a stronger one with enough cunning. After all, the exams tested all aspects of a Shinobi: the body and the mind, and Shikamaru had both down.

"I am sorry that my student might have went a little overboard." Asuma Said apologetically to his girlfriend.

"I keep telling Kiba not to underestimate his opponents. I hope this is a lesson for him not to repeat this mistake. Again if ,this wereIn any other environment he would have been killed with his reckless behavior. " Kurenai SiSigned. Theext match was about to be again and it it would one of the Sand ninja. Hinata And her colleagues were going to pay close attention in this match because there's a good chance their students may go against him in the finals.

Kankuro saw his name and the opponent that he was going to go up against. He was not impressed. This would barely qualify as a warm-up. He wouldn't even need to use his best techniques. He could read him like a book. He would be able to make his opponent fall for the most obvious trick; after all, none of these so-called ninja that he surrounded himself with impressed him. This fool that he was up against—he didn't even bother remembering his name because by the time this match was over, it would leave his mind completely. He was glad to have a distraction for the time being. After what nearly happened with his brother, Gaara, it was relieving to be away from him, even if it was briefly.

He got to the center of the ring. His opponent. Not looking impressed by his stature. Oh, he would love to wipe that smirk from his face. Aldi's fools are the same.

"May the match begin," Hayate said with a hand motion, signaling for the match to begin.

His opponent wasted no time. He went straight at him, expecting a quick end to this fight. How foolish! He couldn't help but think to himself. When his opponent was about to wrap his arms around him and stretch them out, he switched positions with his puppet. It was brief. If his opponent had not been so focused on trying to snap his body in half, she would have known that the body she was crushing was not even his own. It was a puppet. She was falling right into his trap.

"Not so tough, are you?" Misumi said with arrogance. Kankuro smiled. Such a fool! He will not realize that he had fallen into his trap until it was too late. This was like taking candy from a baby, that's how easy this battle was, in fact. He felt sorry for his opponent. He might have had a chance if it was against anybody but him or his siblings. But destiny was cruel.

"What the hell?" Misumi said. He was no longer confident like he had been earlier. The face on his doppelganger, which was his puppet, collapsed. He didn't have a chance to scream as he heard his back snap. Things were silent until his opponent fell face down. Assuming he survived, he would be crippled for life—he might as well be dead. Misumi might have gone a little overboard, but he didn't care. This small fry wasn't worth his time. He had to end the match quickly without anyone knowing the full extent of his abilities. The last thing the village needed to know, especially for the operation, was about his secret weapon. The less people knew, the better. He was announced the winner and went back to where his team was, waiting to see what the next match would be. The person he saw was his sister, who had a bored look on her face because of the opponent she was about to fight.

Choji did not want to fight another girl, nor did he want to disappoint his sensei. When he saw his name pop up, he went to the arena immediately. The girl did not look at him as if she were taking him seriously; she appeared disappointed. Whatever that fan was on her back, he knew he'd have to be extremely careful. If he let his guard down even for a second, he would lose.

"I'm willing to go easy on you. I don't find it fun beating up on fat people." Temari said mockingly, which caused him to get angry.

"I'm not fat, you bitch, I'm big boned," he said as he was about to lunge at her, not giving a damn about the rules. But he remembered his sensei's words about letting people's insults control him. No, he had to stay calm; he couldn't lose the fight before it began.

Things were silent for a few seconds until the instructor, with a downward motion, signaled for the match to begin.

He wasn't sure about this woman's abilities. One thing he did know is that her team managed to clear the second exam in 40 minutes. He couldn't take her lightly. Though there was a lot he didn't want to reveal because he didn't want to reveal any techniques his opponents could use against him in the finals. No, he would not resort to his clan's secret techniques, not yet, especially to a Shinobi from a nation that isn't necessarily on the most friendly terms with Konoha.

He would end this fight with one blow. He did the hand signs for the technique that he believed would have ended the match.

He enlarged his body and went straight at Temari. She had a calm look on her face as he went straight at her. She didn't move. He was wondering why she wasn't even trying to dodge his technique. Before he could realize it, she moved slightly to the left of him and with her fan hit him hard. This caused his body to hit the wall. Before he lost consciousness, he felt like he disappointed his sensei for falling for such an obvious trap.

"That was bad luck," said Kurenai, looking at how Choji was defeated. The match didn't even last a minute. Hinata wasn't surprised by the outcome because of the way the girl presented herself. She was not an inexperienced shinobi at all. She took advantage of Choji's impulsiveness and used it to her advantage. Luckily, he had minimal injuries."

"His biggest mistake was holding back. He could have won if he wasn't afraid to use more of his clan's techniques," Asuma said, disappointed that his student lost if he fully had confidence in himself hecould have won that fight. Hinata didn't think it was that simple, considering the older girl was far more experienced than Choji, not to mention her team cleared the exams in 40 minutes.

Brute strength would not obtain victory against an opponent like that. Someone with cunning and knowing how to use their opponent's strengths against them would be the kind of person who could defeat someone like Temari.

One thing for sure, I'm glad none of our students are going to face that kid. " Said Kurenai, referring to the redheaded boy, Gaara. Something about him made Hinata feel uneasy. She hopes Naruto doesn't face him, at least not yet. She doesn't think Naruto, even with his training that she had been giving him since he became her student, could defeat him. He was too strong for Naruto as he is now.

Hinata looked at the next names that were appearing with her ability that she still cannot explain. She saw a glimpse into the future; it was only briefly, but she knew Gaara would be the next person to fight. However, who would be the second person? She hoped it wasn't Naruto—he wasn't ready. As if the gods answered her prayers, Naruto's name did not appear; instead, it was Dosu, who had a scared look on his face.

Seeing this fight firsthand would be a good way for her to learn how to teach countermeasures if Naruto were ever to face him in the finals. She looked at Kakashi. She had a strong feeling that Sasuke would be under his tutelage in the month leading up to the exams, so she had nothing to worry about when it came to Sasuke's training.

She stood there in silence, about to watch one of the last matches of the primary rounds.

Dosu was scared shitless of having to face Gaara of all opponents. He understood the redhead's reputation. He heard how he completed the exams in 40 minutes and how he ruthlessly dispatched his enemies. Dosu had to go all out; he could not afford to hold back. He wanted to get back at Sasuke; he wanted to get back at Orochimaru for using his team as guinea pigs for the Uchiha. Dosu was not going to lose to this twerp. He was going to get past this round, get into the finals, and kill Sasuke Uchiha. Dosu was not going to die in a place like this; he would get his revenge on Orochimaru by depriving him of this prize.

The two combatants got into the arena. Gaara looked bored of having to face someone like him. He would make that kid regret underestimating him.

He wasted no time as the man signaled for the match to begin. It was going to be a very hard fight. He knew it would be difficult to win, but he believed he could. He refused to believe this kid was as powerful as the rumors said he was. He was going to get out of this fight alive and get his revenge on Orochimaru. He would not let fear control him.

Without hesitation, he used his sound vibration technique on Gaara. He went straight at the kid's face, but Gaara looked unfazed. It shocked him: "No, it couldn't be?" He didn't even use a stronger version, which amplified the sound so loud that everyone in the room, including the instructors, plugged their ears. He was going to blow this kid's ear drums out if he had to. He was going to win by any means necessary, but the boy still wasn't phased.

"Is that all you have?" he asked coldly. Sand came out from his gourd. He quickly backed away, using the power of his sound techniques to give distance between him and his opponent. There was a look of a killer on his face. Dosu did everything in his willpower to suppress the fear he was facing with this monster in front of him.

Gaara can he possibly be human. There's just no way the look on his face as the sand moved on command with his right hand, as if he was controlling the sand like it was a part of his limbs, went straight at Dosu. He ran as fast as his legs would take him, using another sound technique that increased his speed, but it was useless. It was as if his opponent was able to read everything he was able to do. He was going faster and faster. He had to get out of this alive; he wasn't going to die in a place like this.

He would have to resort to his ultimate technique. There was no way he could get out of this alive otherwise, not with his bloodthirsty psycho in front of him.

He stopped and, with both hands, he started the incantation for the technique he had taught himself. In a situation where he needed a technique to instantly win a fight, this pure sound technique could be crucial. If it worked, it would shatter Gaara's veins, destroying everything in its path. The sound would be so powerful that it would work like needles.

As if everybody knew what he was going to do, a sound seal was placed in the surrounding areas to protect everyone's eardrums. This was it; he would destroy this kid. A sound wave came out of his metal arm and went straight at Gaara, who had an expression that was difficult to read. It shot directly at him. A sand shield surrounded Gaara; there was no way even that could stop this ultimate technique, he thought. Even that barrier was destroyed, knocking Gaara hard against the wall. He had a satisfied look on his face—he did it; he defeated this twerp. But when he looked at him, Gaara had that same expression. There was no shock, there was nothing.

"Is this the extent of your abilities? What a waste of time begone" Gaara said as a tidal wave of sand surrounded Dosu he tried to move but it was impossible because the sand below him grabbed his legs and crushed it he sc; heed in pain . He felt his entire body being engulfed his ar,ms were being crushed and the last thing he saw before his life ended was a bloodthirsty redhead boy as he crushed him whole by the time anyone would recover his remains there was nothing left.

"Orochimaru thought, such a disappointment, but not unexpected. The useless Dosu and Zaku served their purpose; they couldn't do anything to further his goals. Tools that had no further use to Orochimaru were disregarded without a second thought. He thought the last two matches would be interesting. He knew the sister of Hinata would fight, and so would Naruto, but who would their opponents be? A clash of destiny."

The son of Kushina had potential that Orochimaru couldn't ignore. Naruto, despite not being as interesting to him as Sasuke, possessed the power of the nine-tailed fox, which could potentially give him the strongest body possible. Being a jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox would make Naruto's body incredibly powerful, but this didn't interest Orochimaru. The Sharingan, however, did. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a contingency.

The boy's feelings for Hinata Hyuga, through his spies, had found something interesting. He would use that to his advantage if his plans with Sasuke failed. Orochimaru, after all, was always steps ahead of his enemies. It's how he got as far as he has. Danzo would be dealt with in due course.

He was extremely interested in the next two matches, the matches of destiny. How ironic, he smiled.

Naruto was highly nervous and excited he would be able to prove himself to everyone, but most importantly of all he would be able to show his Sensei how far he has come. There's techniques that Hinata doesn't even know about he wants make her proud.

He didn't know why, but he had a feeling the next match he would be fighting against someone, and he thought there were only three possible opponents: Hanabi, Hinata's sister; Neji, her cousin; and Rock Lee, the boy that humiliated Sasuke a few days prior.

Any one of those three would be his opponent. As if on cue, Naruto's name showed up. Everyone around him was wondering who Naruto would fight against. It is more accurate to say that he would lose against anyone because nobody except his team and his Sensei believe in him.

When he saw the name of his opponent, he was excited he wanted to fight him when he first met him and now he has a chance.

Before he eagerly went into the arena, Hinata put her hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her.

"I'll make you proud sensei I promise to win."Naruto said with his smile.

"Naruto, don't underestimate Lee. He's strong, much stronger than he appears. Just because he can only use taijutsu doesn't mean he's not a capable ninja. He's one of the strongest people here. I have faith in you. I know you can win," Hinata said with her reassuring smile, which caused Naruto to blush. Just seeing her smile, the smile that he had grown to love, he knew he had to bury that thought. He couldn't focus on that; he had to focus on the battle that was ahead.

He couldn't disgrace his sensei in front of everyone. He wasn't fighting just for his sake, but for Hinata's as well.

Kanna saw Naruto walk to his portion of the arena. The boy reminded her of someone she had once known in a different lifetime. He didn't look like the man she had forgotten because of the pain of her curse, but Naruto, the boy, his spirit reminded her of the man who was once dear to her.

"I want to change this world, Kanna-chan, iso our children can live in peace without fear of war. That's my dream," said a voice that has long been dead. She buried that memory; she couldn't think of him now. She had to focus on the present. She had to see for herself this Naruto Uzumaki, the child that could potentially change the world—the child of prophecy that had been foretold a thousand years ago.

She eagerly awaited the first match of destiny. She wanted to see this boy's resolve. What did her descendant Hinata see in him? That's what she wanted to know. That's what she was curious about. Could Naruto be someone who could be convinced to join her cause? That's what she was interested in seeing in this upcoming fight.