Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mokushita Hyuuga ❯ Chapter 21
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Moghedian 
Disclaimer: Naruto and all related characters belong to Kishimoto, not me.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.14.2007 | Updated On: 02.11.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 571 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: Naruto and all related characters belong to Kishimoto, not me.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.14.2007 | Updated On: 02.11.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 571 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 21
Hinata rubbed her hands together, and held them out to the small fire, trying to soak up as much warmth as possible. It was unusually cold out, and raining to boot. Every few minutes, a bolt of lightning would light up the sky, followed by a large clap of thunder.
Everytime she saw the flash, Hinata would start, and Katoki would grab her hand, or slide his arm around her waist. Hinata would blush and be glad that she was wearing her brand new ANBU mask.
The Raikage had deemed her trustworthy after only a month, and after being recommended by Katoki, she was allowed to join ANBU. Her examiner was pleased that she had skill in the medical area, as not many nin did.
"Katoki-kun...how far are we away from the rendevous point with Konoha?" Katoki looked at Hinata, who was shivering slightly, and said,
"Saa...well, It's supposed to be halfway from Konoha and the border of Grass country." Hinata gave a quick nod. They were currently camping right on the border of Fire and Rice country. Katoki had warned Hinata to tread lightly on Rice. Their hidden village, Otougakure, had a grudge against Konoha, since their founder had been so dead set against them. They hated tresspassers, and not to mention all of the raids that they had been doing on the border of Lightning country.
Flash. BOOM. Hinata jumped, and let out a squeak. Katoki tried to hold in a chuckle, and slipped his arm around Hinata's waist, pulling her closer. Hinata shivered for a few moments before quietly saying into Katoki's chest,
"This is gonna be a long night." Katoki grimaced slightly under his mask, and hugged his blue haired friend tighter.
"Can you beleive those Iwa bastards?" Temari said, as she, Shikamaru, Sakura, Neji, and Kakashi skimmed the tree tops on the way to the rendevous point with the Kumo nin. Shikamaru sighed, and Kakashi followed suit.
"Yes. We can. The Iwa have always been bastards, and always will be." Neji said, trying to get Temari to shut up. She had been complaining about them since Tsunade told the group what their mission was.
"Mm. Sakura, Sasuke seemed a little, vexed, that he couldn't come." Sakura smirked and said,
"Some one has to look after Oshi and Sara-chan. Ino can't handle 7 children at once." Temari looked away guiltily. She realized after they left Konoha, that she could have dumped Shikazai and Tayoumaru on Tenten's lap, but she trusted Ino more.
"Are you ok leaving Sara-chan with Sasuke?" Sakura nodded.
"Of course. She's nearly two weeks old. And Sasuke adores her, she's gonna be such a daddy's girl." Temari, Kakashi, and Neji laughed. Shikamaru sighed.
The group, at a loss of words, skimmed the trees in silence. Neji noted the thin layer of fog below them, and was about mention rain, when the fog reminded him of something.
"Oh. Kakashi. Keep your student away from my daughter, please." Kakashi blinked, and everyone turned their heads towards Neji.
"What?" Neji narrowed his eyes.
"Your student, the dark one, I saw him holding hands with my daughter!" Kakashi's only visable eye twitched.
"A little protective are we? Aiko is 12, now, is she not? A genin as well?" Neji moved his head slightly.
"I am not overprotective. When she turns 21, she can have a love life. Before that, no. Never." Temari and Sakura coughed at the same time, and Shikamaru whistled. Kakashi nearly tripped on the branch he just took off from.
"A..alright. Whatever you say, Neji-kun." Neji narrowed his eyes and jumped ahead a few feet.
"Well, that was troublesome. Let's hurry up. The rendevous point is a few hours away, and we want to get there before the Kumo negotiators do." Shikamaru said, hiding a grin behind his ANBU mask.
"Two shinobi are heading this way. 3...no, 4 kilometres away." Neji announced. He stood up from his place at the fire, and looked towards the sky, which was streaked with dawn.
"I presume they are the Kumo negotiators. Temari, you are the only one here who can cook with flair. Can you prepare a meal for them?" Shikamaru said, pulling his deer mask down so it covered his face. Neji pulled his mask down as well. Temari nodded and grabbed the rations from the large bag Sakura had brought.
By the time the two Kumo ANBU made themselves known, Temari had a small and hot meal of rice and meats.
"Hajimemashite, Kumo ANBU. As I see, you have probably been travelling all night, I invite you to a hotmeal and a few hours rest before we head to Sunagakure?" The taller anbu nodded, and both of them bowed.
"I thank you for your hospitality. This will not be forgotten." The tall ANBU took his mask off to reveal a mop of dark gold hair, and a completly scar-free face. His eyes were a startling shade of green, and he had a pleasent smile. The shorter ANBU took her mask off and revealed platinum blonde hair, and stunning blue eyes. Shikamaru noted that she resembled Ino.
The tall man held out his hand to Neji, who was standing closest, and said,
"My name is Katoki, please to make your aquaintance. I again thank you for your hospitality." Neji shook his hand and bowed his head. Katoki moved on to the next person while the blonde ANBU approached Neji.
"I am Kasumi, pleased to meet you. I also thank you greatly for your hospitality." Sakura's eyebrows rose.
"Oho! Kasumi? I thought I recognized your masks. Are you two the ANBU that escorted Sasami-chan?" She blurted out, from the opening of the tent she had slept in.
Katoki bowed and grinned.
"That was us...Sakura-san was it?" Sakura beamed and said,
"Ah, I'm glad you remembered my name!" Katoki blushed slightly and moved over to the blonde Hinata.
"Ah! Breakfast is finished! You two are right on time. I am Nara Temari, by the way. Nice to meet you. I hope you like my food." Hinata smiled and bowed her head as she took a bowl. Katoki did the same, and when everyone had a bowl, a chorus of 'itadekimasu' was heard and the group started to eat.
"Ah! Temari-san, this is delicious!" Katoki exclaimed. everyone else nodded. Temari blushed and waved her hand in front of her face.
"It's not that great. Neji-san's wife cooks much better." Katoki scrunched his nose up, before looking at Hinata, who gave a shrug.
The group didn't leave the small camp untill the sun was halfway up, and the night's chill was fully gone. Rested and full, the group of 7 made their way quickly and silently to the through the small country that separated the Fire country and the Wind country. When the lush forests of the small country abruptly ended, turning into a desert, the sun was on the horizon, and Neji decided to camp.
"Is sand harder to run on than trees, Temari-san? I have never been to Sunagakure before." Hinata said, as they were packing up the camp the next day. Temari stopped for a second before saying,
"Well, It's kinda like using chakra to skim tree tops, but sand is looser. It's second nature to me. I was born and raised here. I live in Konoha 6 months at a time because my husband lives there." Hinata nodded, and tested out Temari's theory on the sand. True to her word, Hinata had never actually been to the Wind country, but she had come close to the border on a mission with Shino and Ino once.
After 10 minutes of running back and forth on the sand, Hinata finally got it to the point where if she pushed off to take the next step, her foot didn't leave more than a slight imprint, and the sand felt like hard dirt, which was easier to run on.
"Alright, Kasumi-san can run on sand, that means we are ready to go." Kakashi announced. Hinata blushed, she didn't know she had been holding them back.
"A..ah...sumimasen. I did not know I was delaying you. It will not happen again." Hinata said with a bright red face and bow. Kakashi looked horrified and waved his hands by his face.
"Oh no! You weren't, I was just telling everyone that you were a quick learner, in a way..." Hinata was still red in the face, and Kakashi grimaced.
"Er...well, I guess that didn't make much sense...Just, just dont worry! I wasn't...Just dont worry. I meant that in a good way." Kakashi scratched the back of his head, and Hinata blushed harder before walking over to Katoki. For the rest of the three hour sand-skim to Sunagakure, Hinata tried to hide herself behind Katoki.
"Thanks for that jutsu, by the way. It's really useful! Where did you learn it?" Katoki said to Hinata. Hinata scrunched up the nose of her partial inversed henge and said,
"Well, all it really is, is an inverted basic henge. I read a theory once, in my clan's library. I kinda made up the rest. I was good at figuring things out on my own." Katoki chuckled under his mask and said,
"Well, I'm glad you warned me that they would never leave me alone if I showed up as is." Hinata was silent for a second before saying,
"Neji probably know something is up. He may not be able to see through it, as I specially tweaked it, but he can see that we have concentrations of chakra on our faces and hair." She looked ahead at Neji who had his byakugan active. Hinata knew that he was staring at them, and she bit back the urge to stick her tongue out.
"Saaa....That old man with the silver hair is staring at us with that weird eye of his!" Katoki whispered loudly to Hinata. Hinata hit the sand with her foot, and used chakra to propell herself forward.
"I know...That's his sharingan. It can see through minor genjutsu and see gathered chakra, but not how it flows." Even though Katoki was wearing a mask, Hinata got the impression that his eyebrows were raised.
"Sharingan? Is he an Uchiha?" Hinata shook her head.
"He isn't, but I dont know how he got it. His student's might know, but I dont." Katoki nodded, and continued to sand-skim.
Hinata nor Katoki said anything much for the rest of the three long hours before they got in sight of Suna.
"Oi! I see civilzation!" Shikamaru said loudly. The tired group perked up and picked their pace up.
Slowing to a stop on the edge of the tents and wagons, Temari said,
"...What is this? These people are not from Suna...their clothes are odd. Oh! Look, a shinobi...from Smoke! What's going on!" Kakashi cocked his head and said,
"Maybe we should wait until we speak to your brother. He will have all the answers." Temari sighed.
Stacking his papers, Gaara looked around at his small and empty office. Well, not completely empty, in the far corner was a small pile of toys for his daughter and her cousins to play with when they visit.
Sighing, Gaara stood up and faced the window behind him, overlooking most of the village. Matsuri wasn't even here to keep him company.
Tat tat tat. Gaara smiled, finally, some company! Even for a few moments. The doors swung open, and much to Gaara's surprise and delight, Temari walked in, followed by the rest of the negotiations group.
"Gaara! Why are all of those people there!" Temari demanded. Katoki gawked at the rudeness of Temari, and Hinata grabbed his arm.
"Ah, Temari ne-san...Those are the smoke village refugees. Two nights ago we held a formal gathering celebrating the peace treaty between us. I would have invited you, but it there wasn't enough time. You would have had fun, there were some...intresting characters there." Gaara inwardly scolded himself for saying that, but showed no emotion on his face.
"Are you planning on attending, Jiraiya-san?" Jiraiya took a drag from his pipe and grunted.
"Probably not. I plan on leaving soon. I just wanted to buy supplies here before we head off to the Village hidden in the Waterfall." Kouden stood up, scaring Aki who he had been petting. Pointing his finger at his white haired teacher, Kouden yelled,
"WHAT! Ero-sennin! We are so going to that party! We helped the civilians yesturday, we deserve to go! You are not getting out of this! I want to go!" Jiraiya just grunted at the boy.
"I have to agree with the young Uzumaki here. You did help." Gaara said. Kouden nodded furiously. Jiraiya grimaced and took another drag of his pipe. Kouden crossed his arms and turned to the side.
"Besides, there might be some hot Suna chicks there. You never know." Gaara's tattoo on his forehead crinkled as he raised his brow. Jiraiya coughed a bit on his smoke, and his cheeks turned a slight pink.
"After much deliberation, I have decided that we will attend. Now, Gaara-sama, what kind of formal wear should work?" Gaara was taken back at how quick he changed his mind, but finally said,
"Nin clothes will work." Jiraiya nodded and as Gaara turned to leave he heard the younge blonde mutter,
"Bah. Ecchi jii chan." Gaara let out a chuckle as he closed their apartment door.
"A..ah...I suppose that makes sense. I'm glad everything went well. But we are here for the peace treaty concerning the Iwa-nin, correct?" Temari said. Gaara gave a curt nod.
"Well, they aren't supposed to arrive untill tommorrow, so I have rooms prepared....Not enough for each of you. I wasn't aware that I was going to receive more than 4 visitors." Temari spoke up again.
"Sakura is here to help with any injuries the Smoke need." Sakura nodded.
"I plan on going to the hospital after this meeting." Gaara nodded.
"But me and Shikamaru can stay at our house...as usual, that leaves enough rooms for everyone but one. Does anyone mind sharing?" Sakura put her hand up and said,
"I can share with Kasumi, if she agrees." everyone looked at the shorter, and still masked ANBU. Hinata shrugged and said,
"I..I guess. I don't mind." Temari nodded.
"That settles that." Gaara stared at Hinata a moment longer, and then up at Katoki.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Sabaku no Gaara, Godaime Kazekage. And as you might have realized, Temari ne-san's younger brother. Pleased to meet you, and I'm glad you came. This meeting means Kumogaure still holds Suna in either neutral or good light." Gaara bowed slightly. Katoki and Hinata both bowed back.
"I am Katoki, and this is my partner Genkakku no Kasumi." Katoki took off his mask, revealing the smooth face and green eyes, and Hinata, blushing slightly, revealed her platinum hair and deep blue eyes. Gaara did a double take.
"Ah. Kasumi-san, you remind me of an aquaintance from Konoha." Hinata blushed more and inclined her head.
"You all must be exhausted from the three day trip. In Kasumi-san and Katoki-san's case, four days. Please have the guards escort you to your rooms." Temari and Shikamaru bowed, and walked out, followed by the rest of the group.
Reaching their respective rooms, Hinata was glad that Katoki's was right next to hers. Dropping her bag on her bed, Sakura was laughing at an unheard joke when she walked in.
"Ah, Kasumi-san! I'm glad that us girls have time to get to know each other. This will most defintly have a positive effect on the treaty between our villages." Sakura looked at the clock on the wall and gasped.
"Ah...I have to go. I promised to go the hospital. Do you by chance know any medical ninjutsu?" Hinata slowly nodded. Sakura squealed.
"Great! You can come with me, that way we can spend even more time together!" Hinata's mouth dropped.
"Can I tell Katoki first...he may want to know where to find me." Sakura quickly nodded and fished in her bag for her medical supplies. Hinata walked to the next door and knocked. Katoki opened it and brighten when he saw Hinata's fake face.
"A-ano...I let Sakura-san talk me into going to the hospital with her...if you need me, I'll be there...Uhn...bye.." Katoki nodded and waved at her as Sakura pulled her down the hall.
As soon as the sand coloured doors were open, Hinata blinked and rubbed her fake blue eyes. The lobby was bright white and pale green. Following Sakura up to the reception desk, She stood slightly behind the taller pink haired girl.
"Sumimasen, but we are medic nins...Gaara-sama told us to come here to help with the wounded...?" Sakura said. The nurse widened her eyes and smiled.
"Ah! Thank goodness! We're running low on staff. Can I have your names first?" Sakura waved her hand over towards Hinata and said,
"This is Kasumi, and I am Sakura." The nurse started and said,
"Sakura? As in Densetsu Sakura?" Hinata blinked, and Sakura blushed and nodded.
Wow...Densetsu? Hinata thought.
As the nurse led them to the intensive care unit, Hinata scooted closer the pink haired medic.
"Sakura-san? Densetsu?" Sakura turned around and blushed even harder.
"A-ah...Me and my husband are the two remaining Densetsu Sannin. The third, my genin teamate, Uzumaki Naruto, was named the Gama Sennin little less than a week before his death...Its kind of a long story, I can tell you tonight?" Hinata slowly nodded, and with another grin, Sakura turned around and walked through the ICU door.
Gama Sennin? What! Why didn't he tell me this! Hinata thought with angered eyes. But her anger was soon forgotten as She and Sakura stepped into a large and blindingly white room filled with moaning civillians and shinobi alike. Sakura let out a small sigh and turned to the blonde Hinata behind her.
"Well, Kasumi-san, shall we start?" Hinata smiled back and nodded.
Four exhausting hours later, and Hinata found herself nearly completly drained of chakra, and knocking quietly on Katoki's door. Katoki answered and let Hinata in. Hinata, without a word, stumbled into the small room and flopped down onto the tall man's bed.
"Tired, much?" Katoki said, as he made his way to the small fridge in the corner. Hinata rolled over and groaned.
"I haven't used that much chakra in so long! I barely have any left! My fingers hurt too...I think I might have burnt them." Katoki grunted as he pulled out two cans of juice and tossed one at Hinata.
Catching it, Hinata mumbled a thanks and sat up.
"How was your day?" She said as she opened the can and drank from it. Katoki sat down beside her and shrugged.
"It was fine. I went out looking for places to eat, and saw that they have ramen stands here! Not that I dont love dango, I get tired of always having it."
"Maybe if you let me cook for you more..." Katoki waved his hand in front of his face.
"Saa...I dont want to waste your time..." Hinata giggled and downed her drink.
"That pink haired lady that's travelling with us...Uchiha?" Hinata nodded and Katoki continued. "She...I thought they had all died?" Hinata's nose scrunched up.
"She married the only survivor. They have a son, and Sakura-san told me today that they have a daughter too." Katoki nodded and let his head rest on the wall behind him.
"Coming, coming!" Katoki called out as someone knocked on his door.
Opening it, he saw that it was the Pink Haired woman that they had travelled with.
"Katoki-san, do you mind if I--ah...who are you?" Katoki shifted his feet as the woman in front of him tensed up as if ready for a fight..
"S..Sakura, was it? It's me, Katoki from Kumo...Oh! That's right. Earlier I had a fake face on because people in Suna and Konoha tend to stare at me too long..." Sakura blushed and looked up and Katoki flinched as he saw unshed tears starting to form in her eyes. Putting her hand to her mouth Sakura stepped back and said,
"S..sorry...I wasn't expecting that...So do you always wear the fake face? You look like...well, you remind me of a friend..." Katoki scrunched up his brow and invited Sakura in. She nodded and sat on his bed.
"Im really sorry to bother you. I just needed to see if Kasumi-san had mistakenly packed her other shirts in your pack. I couldn't find them in her bags. The one she is wearing is covered in blood." Katoki's eyes widened as he nodded and searched through his bag.
"Saa! Here, I found them." He said as he tossed a few neatly folded black tops with no sleeves and netting over the neck." Sakura stood up and thanked Katoki. As she was walking out the door, Katoki called out.
"Ne...Sakura-san, what friend do I remind you of? Not that you have to answer, of course...I'm curious." Sakura turned her head and smiled.
"He was my genin teamate. Uzumaki Naruto." Katoki shifted and his knee jarred the floor. Falling forward his forhead hit the floor and his vision exploded into a million points of colour.
NNNZZZZZBBZZZZZZZTTTZZTT! Katoki shouted and grabbed his head. The last thing he saw before his vision turned black was Sakura's pink hair, and when she touched his shoulder, all he could feel was a searing pain.
"I heard from Sakura-san that you had another episode...as you call them." Katoki rolled his head on the wall so he face Hinata.
"Yea. I get them every so often. But that one seemed to be the worst. I can't ever remember having a searing pain in any other place than my head. I suppose I hit something." Hinata sat up and leaned on Katoki's shoulder, running her finger along the small tattoo that represented his connection with ANBU. Hinata's own still tingled.
"Why do you get them?" Hinata asked, and then blushed. "Sorry! I wasn't trying to be nosy..." Katoki laughed.
"You weren't being nosy. It's ok. Actually though, I'm not quite sure why. I've had some really skilled medic nin look at it before. All they can say is that in the back of my brain, there is a section that is different." Hinata blinked and looked up.
"Different?" Katoki reached up and rubbed the back of his head, making Hinata's heart twang.
"It's kind of hard to explain. I dont fully get it myself. But they had said that two small parts were completely reversed. But I got re-examined last year, and they said that the parts were slowly going back to how a normal person's should be. They told me that the episodes were probably from the shifting." Hinata nodded slowly.
"Is that the reason why you cant remember your childhood?" She said. Katoki turned to her, and started to play with a lock of indigo hair. Hinata blushed slightly, but kept her attention rapt on Katoki.
"I think. Everytime I get an episode, I think I start to remember stuff." Hinata's eyebrows rose.
"Really? Like what?"
"Usually just flashes of colour and sounds. Nothing substancial. Today, after I woke up, I tried to see if I remembered anything of use, but all I got was a sound. More an impression of sound...Some one, a girl I think, was screaming. Very loudly, but it was muffled...Like something was covering my ears. But the screaming made me want to reach out and hold the girl. It broke my heart." Hinata frown and cuddle closer to Katoki.
"But! On other notes, since I just told you a bunch of things about my past, I wanna know something." Hinata frowned again, but playfully.
"Okay...what do you want to know?"
"If it doesnt bother you, I would like to know who your husband was. I mean, if you grew up in Konoha, he must have too. Maybe i've heard of him." Hinata paused. She considered not answering, but he was right. Hinata had told nearly nothing about herself.
"...He wasn't my husband. He died when I was 17. I took his name so that our son could live a normal life, as Hyuuga was a very famous name. His name was Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." Katoki raised his eyebrows up high.
"Him? Sakura-san mentioned him earlier today, when she was getting you a shirt. She said that I resembled him. Do I?" Hinata sat up straight, away from Katoki's shoulder.
"You do...somewhat, but not much. A-aano...Dont think that that is why I was attracted to you...Ah!" Hinata squealed, and her face shone a bright red. Katoki laughed.
"You're attracted to me, are you?" Hinata squealed louder, and tried to covered her face with her hands as Katoki leaned towards her.
"I-I'm s-sorry...I..I mean, th-that was s-s-so forw-ward of m-me..." Hinata stuttered out. Katoki was leaning in closer, and Hinata's face got redder.
Bang Bang
"Kasumi-san? Are you in there?" Katoki, whose face had been less than in inch from Hinata's, sighed and drooped. Hinata took a few seconds to calm herself, and silently curse the door.
"Uh, yea, Sakura-san?" She called.
"Are you all right? You looked a little faint when you left the hospital." Hinata blushed again and gathered her bag. Waving to Katoki she opened the door to a concerned Sakura.
"I was just visiting before I called it a night." Sakura tilted her head and put her hand on Hinata's forehead.
"Are you all right? Your face is flushed." Hinata blushed harder and said, trying to hide her face,
"A-aa, I'm alright...Im tired though...let's go to sleep?" Giving Katoki one last wave, she shut the door and pulled Sakura along to their room right next door.
End Chapter 21
In case anyone noticed, I changed Matsuri, Gaara's wife a bit. Her name used to be Seiko, and she used to have blue eyes, now they are black. ~Mog
Hinata rubbed her hands together, and held them out to the small fire, trying to soak up as much warmth as possible. It was unusually cold out, and raining to boot. Every few minutes, a bolt of lightning would light up the sky, followed by a large clap of thunder.
Everytime she saw the flash, Hinata would start, and Katoki would grab her hand, or slide his arm around her waist. Hinata would blush and be glad that she was wearing her brand new ANBU mask.
The Raikage had deemed her trustworthy after only a month, and after being recommended by Katoki, she was allowed to join ANBU. Her examiner was pleased that she had skill in the medical area, as not many nin did.
"Katoki-kun...how far are we away from the rendevous point with Konoha?" Katoki looked at Hinata, who was shivering slightly, and said,
"Saa...well, It's supposed to be halfway from Konoha and the border of Grass country." Hinata gave a quick nod. They were currently camping right on the border of Fire and Rice country. Katoki had warned Hinata to tread lightly on Rice. Their hidden village, Otougakure, had a grudge against Konoha, since their founder had been so dead set against them. They hated tresspassers, and not to mention all of the raids that they had been doing on the border of Lightning country.
Flash. BOOM. Hinata jumped, and let out a squeak. Katoki tried to hold in a chuckle, and slipped his arm around Hinata's waist, pulling her closer. Hinata shivered for a few moments before quietly saying into Katoki's chest,
"This is gonna be a long night." Katoki grimaced slightly under his mask, and hugged his blue haired friend tighter.
"Can you beleive those Iwa bastards?" Temari said, as she, Shikamaru, Sakura, Neji, and Kakashi skimmed the tree tops on the way to the rendevous point with the Kumo nin. Shikamaru sighed, and Kakashi followed suit.
"Yes. We can. The Iwa have always been bastards, and always will be." Neji said, trying to get Temari to shut up. She had been complaining about them since Tsunade told the group what their mission was.
"Mm. Sakura, Sasuke seemed a little, vexed, that he couldn't come." Sakura smirked and said,
"Some one has to look after Oshi and Sara-chan. Ino can't handle 7 children at once." Temari looked away guiltily. She realized after they left Konoha, that she could have dumped Shikazai and Tayoumaru on Tenten's lap, but she trusted Ino more.
"Are you ok leaving Sara-chan with Sasuke?" Sakura nodded.
"Of course. She's nearly two weeks old. And Sasuke adores her, she's gonna be such a daddy's girl." Temari, Kakashi, and Neji laughed. Shikamaru sighed.
The group, at a loss of words, skimmed the trees in silence. Neji noted the thin layer of fog below them, and was about mention rain, when the fog reminded him of something.
"Oh. Kakashi. Keep your student away from my daughter, please." Kakashi blinked, and everyone turned their heads towards Neji.
"What?" Neji narrowed his eyes.
"Your student, the dark one, I saw him holding hands with my daughter!" Kakashi's only visable eye twitched.
"A little protective are we? Aiko is 12, now, is she not? A genin as well?" Neji moved his head slightly.
"I am not overprotective. When she turns 21, she can have a love life. Before that, no. Never." Temari and Sakura coughed at the same time, and Shikamaru whistled. Kakashi nearly tripped on the branch he just took off from.
"A..alright. Whatever you say, Neji-kun." Neji narrowed his eyes and jumped ahead a few feet.
"Well, that was troublesome. Let's hurry up. The rendevous point is a few hours away, and we want to get there before the Kumo negotiators do." Shikamaru said, hiding a grin behind his ANBU mask.
"Two shinobi are heading this way. 3...no, 4 kilometres away." Neji announced. He stood up from his place at the fire, and looked towards the sky, which was streaked with dawn.
"I presume they are the Kumo negotiators. Temari, you are the only one here who can cook with flair. Can you prepare a meal for them?" Shikamaru said, pulling his deer mask down so it covered his face. Neji pulled his mask down as well. Temari nodded and grabbed the rations from the large bag Sakura had brought.
By the time the two Kumo ANBU made themselves known, Temari had a small and hot meal of rice and meats.
"Hajimemashite, Kumo ANBU. As I see, you have probably been travelling all night, I invite you to a hotmeal and a few hours rest before we head to Sunagakure?" The taller anbu nodded, and both of them bowed.
"I thank you for your hospitality. This will not be forgotten." The tall ANBU took his mask off to reveal a mop of dark gold hair, and a completly scar-free face. His eyes were a startling shade of green, and he had a pleasent smile. The shorter ANBU took her mask off and revealed platinum blonde hair, and stunning blue eyes. Shikamaru noted that she resembled Ino.
The tall man held out his hand to Neji, who was standing closest, and said,
"My name is Katoki, please to make your aquaintance. I again thank you for your hospitality." Neji shook his hand and bowed his head. Katoki moved on to the next person while the blonde ANBU approached Neji.
"I am Kasumi, pleased to meet you. I also thank you greatly for your hospitality." Sakura's eyebrows rose.
"Oho! Kasumi? I thought I recognized your masks. Are you two the ANBU that escorted Sasami-chan?" She blurted out, from the opening of the tent she had slept in.
Katoki bowed and grinned.
"That was us...Sakura-san was it?" Sakura beamed and said,
"Ah, I'm glad you remembered my name!" Katoki blushed slightly and moved over to the blonde Hinata.
"Ah! Breakfast is finished! You two are right on time. I am Nara Temari, by the way. Nice to meet you. I hope you like my food." Hinata smiled and bowed her head as she took a bowl. Katoki did the same, and when everyone had a bowl, a chorus of 'itadekimasu' was heard and the group started to eat.
"Ah! Temari-san, this is delicious!" Katoki exclaimed. everyone else nodded. Temari blushed and waved her hand in front of her face.
"It's not that great. Neji-san's wife cooks much better." Katoki scrunched his nose up, before looking at Hinata, who gave a shrug.
The group didn't leave the small camp untill the sun was halfway up, and the night's chill was fully gone. Rested and full, the group of 7 made their way quickly and silently to the through the small country that separated the Fire country and the Wind country. When the lush forests of the small country abruptly ended, turning into a desert, the sun was on the horizon, and Neji decided to camp.
"Is sand harder to run on than trees, Temari-san? I have never been to Sunagakure before." Hinata said, as they were packing up the camp the next day. Temari stopped for a second before saying,
"Well, It's kinda like using chakra to skim tree tops, but sand is looser. It's second nature to me. I was born and raised here. I live in Konoha 6 months at a time because my husband lives there." Hinata nodded, and tested out Temari's theory on the sand. True to her word, Hinata had never actually been to the Wind country, but she had come close to the border on a mission with Shino and Ino once.
After 10 minutes of running back and forth on the sand, Hinata finally got it to the point where if she pushed off to take the next step, her foot didn't leave more than a slight imprint, and the sand felt like hard dirt, which was easier to run on.
"Alright, Kasumi-san can run on sand, that means we are ready to go." Kakashi announced. Hinata blushed, she didn't know she had been holding them back.
"A..ah...sumimasen. I did not know I was delaying you. It will not happen again." Hinata said with a bright red face and bow. Kakashi looked horrified and waved his hands by his face.
"Oh no! You weren't, I was just telling everyone that you were a quick learner, in a way..." Hinata was still red in the face, and Kakashi grimaced.
"Er...well, I guess that didn't make much sense...Just, just dont worry! I wasn't...Just dont worry. I meant that in a good way." Kakashi scratched the back of his head, and Hinata blushed harder before walking over to Katoki. For the rest of the three hour sand-skim to Sunagakure, Hinata tried to hide herself behind Katoki.
"Thanks for that jutsu, by the way. It's really useful! Where did you learn it?" Katoki said to Hinata. Hinata scrunched up the nose of her partial inversed henge and said,
"Well, all it really is, is an inverted basic henge. I read a theory once, in my clan's library. I kinda made up the rest. I was good at figuring things out on my own." Katoki chuckled under his mask and said,
"Well, I'm glad you warned me that they would never leave me alone if I showed up as is." Hinata was silent for a second before saying,
"Neji probably know something is up. He may not be able to see through it, as I specially tweaked it, but he can see that we have concentrations of chakra on our faces and hair." She looked ahead at Neji who had his byakugan active. Hinata knew that he was staring at them, and she bit back the urge to stick her tongue out.
"Saaa....That old man with the silver hair is staring at us with that weird eye of his!" Katoki whispered loudly to Hinata. Hinata hit the sand with her foot, and used chakra to propell herself forward.
"I know...That's his sharingan. It can see through minor genjutsu and see gathered chakra, but not how it flows." Even though Katoki was wearing a mask, Hinata got the impression that his eyebrows were raised.
"Sharingan? Is he an Uchiha?" Hinata shook her head.
"He isn't, but I dont know how he got it. His student's might know, but I dont." Katoki nodded, and continued to sand-skim.
Hinata nor Katoki said anything much for the rest of the three long hours before they got in sight of Suna.
"Oi! I see civilzation!" Shikamaru said loudly. The tired group perked up and picked their pace up.
Slowing to a stop on the edge of the tents and wagons, Temari said,
"...What is this? These people are not from Suna...their clothes are odd. Oh! Look, a shinobi...from Smoke! What's going on!" Kakashi cocked his head and said,
"Maybe we should wait until we speak to your brother. He will have all the answers." Temari sighed.
Stacking his papers, Gaara looked around at his small and empty office. Well, not completely empty, in the far corner was a small pile of toys for his daughter and her cousins to play with when they visit.
Sighing, Gaara stood up and faced the window behind him, overlooking most of the village. Matsuri wasn't even here to keep him company.
Tat tat tat. Gaara smiled, finally, some company! Even for a few moments. The doors swung open, and much to Gaara's surprise and delight, Temari walked in, followed by the rest of the negotiations group.
"Gaara! Why are all of those people there!" Temari demanded. Katoki gawked at the rudeness of Temari, and Hinata grabbed his arm.
"Ah, Temari ne-san...Those are the smoke village refugees. Two nights ago we held a formal gathering celebrating the peace treaty between us. I would have invited you, but it there wasn't enough time. You would have had fun, there were some...intresting characters there." Gaara inwardly scolded himself for saying that, but showed no emotion on his face.
"Are you planning on attending, Jiraiya-san?" Jiraiya took a drag from his pipe and grunted.
"Probably not. I plan on leaving soon. I just wanted to buy supplies here before we head off to the Village hidden in the Waterfall." Kouden stood up, scaring Aki who he had been petting. Pointing his finger at his white haired teacher, Kouden yelled,
"WHAT! Ero-sennin! We are so going to that party! We helped the civilians yesturday, we deserve to go! You are not getting out of this! I want to go!" Jiraiya just grunted at the boy.
"I have to agree with the young Uzumaki here. You did help." Gaara said. Kouden nodded furiously. Jiraiya grimaced and took another drag of his pipe. Kouden crossed his arms and turned to the side.
"Besides, there might be some hot Suna chicks there. You never know." Gaara's tattoo on his forehead crinkled as he raised his brow. Jiraiya coughed a bit on his smoke, and his cheeks turned a slight pink.
"After much deliberation, I have decided that we will attend. Now, Gaara-sama, what kind of formal wear should work?" Gaara was taken back at how quick he changed his mind, but finally said,
"Nin clothes will work." Jiraiya nodded and as Gaara turned to leave he heard the younge blonde mutter,
"Bah. Ecchi jii chan." Gaara let out a chuckle as he closed their apartment door.
"A..ah...I suppose that makes sense. I'm glad everything went well. But we are here for the peace treaty concerning the Iwa-nin, correct?" Temari said. Gaara gave a curt nod.
"Well, they aren't supposed to arrive untill tommorrow, so I have rooms prepared....Not enough for each of you. I wasn't aware that I was going to receive more than 4 visitors." Temari spoke up again.
"Sakura is here to help with any injuries the Smoke need." Sakura nodded.
"I plan on going to the hospital after this meeting." Gaara nodded.
"But me and Shikamaru can stay at our house...as usual, that leaves enough rooms for everyone but one. Does anyone mind sharing?" Sakura put her hand up and said,
"I can share with Kasumi, if she agrees." everyone looked at the shorter, and still masked ANBU. Hinata shrugged and said,
"I..I guess. I don't mind." Temari nodded.
"That settles that." Gaara stared at Hinata a moment longer, and then up at Katoki.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Sabaku no Gaara, Godaime Kazekage. And as you might have realized, Temari ne-san's younger brother. Pleased to meet you, and I'm glad you came. This meeting means Kumogaure still holds Suna in either neutral or good light." Gaara bowed slightly. Katoki and Hinata both bowed back.
"I am Katoki, and this is my partner Genkakku no Kasumi." Katoki took off his mask, revealing the smooth face and green eyes, and Hinata, blushing slightly, revealed her platinum hair and deep blue eyes. Gaara did a double take.
"Ah. Kasumi-san, you remind me of an aquaintance from Konoha." Hinata blushed more and inclined her head.
"You all must be exhausted from the three day trip. In Kasumi-san and Katoki-san's case, four days. Please have the guards escort you to your rooms." Temari and Shikamaru bowed, and walked out, followed by the rest of the group.
Reaching their respective rooms, Hinata was glad that Katoki's was right next to hers. Dropping her bag on her bed, Sakura was laughing at an unheard joke when she walked in.
"Ah, Kasumi-san! I'm glad that us girls have time to get to know each other. This will most defintly have a positive effect on the treaty between our villages." Sakura looked at the clock on the wall and gasped.
"Ah...I have to go. I promised to go the hospital. Do you by chance know any medical ninjutsu?" Hinata slowly nodded. Sakura squealed.
"Great! You can come with me, that way we can spend even more time together!" Hinata's mouth dropped.
"Can I tell Katoki first...he may want to know where to find me." Sakura quickly nodded and fished in her bag for her medical supplies. Hinata walked to the next door and knocked. Katoki opened it and brighten when he saw Hinata's fake face.
"A-ano...I let Sakura-san talk me into going to the hospital with her...if you need me, I'll be there...Uhn...bye.." Katoki nodded and waved at her as Sakura pulled her down the hall.
As soon as the sand coloured doors were open, Hinata blinked and rubbed her fake blue eyes. The lobby was bright white and pale green. Following Sakura up to the reception desk, She stood slightly behind the taller pink haired girl.
"Sumimasen, but we are medic nins...Gaara-sama told us to come here to help with the wounded...?" Sakura said. The nurse widened her eyes and smiled.
"Ah! Thank goodness! We're running low on staff. Can I have your names first?" Sakura waved her hand over towards Hinata and said,
"This is Kasumi, and I am Sakura." The nurse started and said,
"Sakura? As in Densetsu Sakura?" Hinata blinked, and Sakura blushed and nodded.
Wow...Densetsu? Hinata thought.
As the nurse led them to the intensive care unit, Hinata scooted closer the pink haired medic.
"Sakura-san? Densetsu?" Sakura turned around and blushed even harder.
"A-ah...Me and my husband are the two remaining Densetsu Sannin. The third, my genin teamate, Uzumaki Naruto, was named the Gama Sennin little less than a week before his death...Its kind of a long story, I can tell you tonight?" Hinata slowly nodded, and with another grin, Sakura turned around and walked through the ICU door.
Gama Sennin? What! Why didn't he tell me this! Hinata thought with angered eyes. But her anger was soon forgotten as She and Sakura stepped into a large and blindingly white room filled with moaning civillians and shinobi alike. Sakura let out a small sigh and turned to the blonde Hinata behind her.
"Well, Kasumi-san, shall we start?" Hinata smiled back and nodded.
Four exhausting hours later, and Hinata found herself nearly completly drained of chakra, and knocking quietly on Katoki's door. Katoki answered and let Hinata in. Hinata, without a word, stumbled into the small room and flopped down onto the tall man's bed.
"Tired, much?" Katoki said, as he made his way to the small fridge in the corner. Hinata rolled over and groaned.
"I haven't used that much chakra in so long! I barely have any left! My fingers hurt too...I think I might have burnt them." Katoki grunted as he pulled out two cans of juice and tossed one at Hinata.
Catching it, Hinata mumbled a thanks and sat up.
"How was your day?" She said as she opened the can and drank from it. Katoki sat down beside her and shrugged.
"It was fine. I went out looking for places to eat, and saw that they have ramen stands here! Not that I dont love dango, I get tired of always having it."
"Maybe if you let me cook for you more..." Katoki waved his hand in front of his face.
"Saa...I dont want to waste your time..." Hinata giggled and downed her drink.
"That pink haired lady that's travelling with us...Uchiha?" Hinata nodded and Katoki continued. "She...I thought they had all died?" Hinata's nose scrunched up.
"She married the only survivor. They have a son, and Sakura-san told me today that they have a daughter too." Katoki nodded and let his head rest on the wall behind him.
"Coming, coming!" Katoki called out as someone knocked on his door.
Opening it, he saw that it was the Pink Haired woman that they had travelled with.
"Katoki-san, do you mind if I--ah...who are you?" Katoki shifted his feet as the woman in front of him tensed up as if ready for a fight..
"S..Sakura, was it? It's me, Katoki from Kumo...Oh! That's right. Earlier I had a fake face on because people in Suna and Konoha tend to stare at me too long..." Sakura blushed and looked up and Katoki flinched as he saw unshed tears starting to form in her eyes. Putting her hand to her mouth Sakura stepped back and said,
"S..sorry...I wasn't expecting that...So do you always wear the fake face? You look like...well, you remind me of a friend..." Katoki scrunched up his brow and invited Sakura in. She nodded and sat on his bed.
"Im really sorry to bother you. I just needed to see if Kasumi-san had mistakenly packed her other shirts in your pack. I couldn't find them in her bags. The one she is wearing is covered in blood." Katoki's eyes widened as he nodded and searched through his bag.
"Saa! Here, I found them." He said as he tossed a few neatly folded black tops with no sleeves and netting over the neck." Sakura stood up and thanked Katoki. As she was walking out the door, Katoki called out.
"Ne...Sakura-san, what friend do I remind you of? Not that you have to answer, of course...I'm curious." Sakura turned her head and smiled.
"He was my genin teamate. Uzumaki Naruto." Katoki shifted and his knee jarred the floor. Falling forward his forhead hit the floor and his vision exploded into a million points of colour.
NNNZZZZZBBZZZZZZZTTTZZTT! Katoki shouted and grabbed his head. The last thing he saw before his vision turned black was Sakura's pink hair, and when she touched his shoulder, all he could feel was a searing pain.
"I heard from Sakura-san that you had another episode...as you call them." Katoki rolled his head on the wall so he face Hinata.
"Yea. I get them every so often. But that one seemed to be the worst. I can't ever remember having a searing pain in any other place than my head. I suppose I hit something." Hinata sat up and leaned on Katoki's shoulder, running her finger along the small tattoo that represented his connection with ANBU. Hinata's own still tingled.
"Why do you get them?" Hinata asked, and then blushed. "Sorry! I wasn't trying to be nosy..." Katoki laughed.
"You weren't being nosy. It's ok. Actually though, I'm not quite sure why. I've had some really skilled medic nin look at it before. All they can say is that in the back of my brain, there is a section that is different." Hinata blinked and looked up.
"Different?" Katoki reached up and rubbed the back of his head, making Hinata's heart twang.
"It's kind of hard to explain. I dont fully get it myself. But they had said that two small parts were completely reversed. But I got re-examined last year, and they said that the parts were slowly going back to how a normal person's should be. They told me that the episodes were probably from the shifting." Hinata nodded slowly.
"Is that the reason why you cant remember your childhood?" She said. Katoki turned to her, and started to play with a lock of indigo hair. Hinata blushed slightly, but kept her attention rapt on Katoki.
"I think. Everytime I get an episode, I think I start to remember stuff." Hinata's eyebrows rose.
"Really? Like what?"
"Usually just flashes of colour and sounds. Nothing substancial. Today, after I woke up, I tried to see if I remembered anything of use, but all I got was a sound. More an impression of sound...Some one, a girl I think, was screaming. Very loudly, but it was muffled...Like something was covering my ears. But the screaming made me want to reach out and hold the girl. It broke my heart." Hinata frown and cuddle closer to Katoki.
"But! On other notes, since I just told you a bunch of things about my past, I wanna know something." Hinata frowned again, but playfully.
"Okay...what do you want to know?"
"If it doesnt bother you, I would like to know who your husband was. I mean, if you grew up in Konoha, he must have too. Maybe i've heard of him." Hinata paused. She considered not answering, but he was right. Hinata had told nearly nothing about herself.
"...He wasn't my husband. He died when I was 17. I took his name so that our son could live a normal life, as Hyuuga was a very famous name. His name was Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." Katoki raised his eyebrows up high.
"Him? Sakura-san mentioned him earlier today, when she was getting you a shirt. She said that I resembled him. Do I?" Hinata sat up straight, away from Katoki's shoulder.
"You do...somewhat, but not much. A-aano...Dont think that that is why I was attracted to you...Ah!" Hinata squealed, and her face shone a bright red. Katoki laughed.
"You're attracted to me, are you?" Hinata squealed louder, and tried to covered her face with her hands as Katoki leaned towards her.
"I-I'm s-sorry...I..I mean, th-that was s-s-so forw-ward of m-me..." Hinata stuttered out. Katoki was leaning in closer, and Hinata's face got redder.
Bang Bang
"Kasumi-san? Are you in there?" Katoki, whose face had been less than in inch from Hinata's, sighed and drooped. Hinata took a few seconds to calm herself, and silently curse the door.
"Uh, yea, Sakura-san?" She called.
"Are you all right? You looked a little faint when you left the hospital." Hinata blushed again and gathered her bag. Waving to Katoki she opened the door to a concerned Sakura.
"I was just visiting before I called it a night." Sakura tilted her head and put her hand on Hinata's forehead.
"Are you all right? Your face is flushed." Hinata blushed harder and said, trying to hide her face,
"A-aa, I'm alright...Im tired though...let's go to sleep?" Giving Katoki one last wave, she shut the door and pulled Sakura along to their room right next door.
End Chapter 21
In case anyone noticed, I changed Matsuri, Gaara's wife a bit. Her name used to be Seiko, and she used to have blue eyes, now they are black. ~Mog