Chapter Text
“I’m surprised you asked me to be here.” Natsume murmured as she closed the file she’d been pretending to read, pinning Yuhi with an assessing look.
Natsume was more than aware of her reputation around the Village. Though Yuhi had never said anything to her outright, the younger kunoichi had never bothered to hide her distrust either. And while it had been Yuhi who had brought the Hyuuga heiress to Psych in the first place, her who had signed off on Natsume being the girl’s primary therapist when it became apparent that Hinata would need recurring visits if she were to stay alive long enough to actually live up to her potential, Natsume knew that Yuhi took the ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to what Natsume’s sessions with her precious student actually involved.
So getting a visit from the woman with a quick overview of a move that would not only be incredibly unethical but also unimaginably dangerous if Yuhi were to make even the slightest mistake had not been something that Natsume had ever expected.
At least Natsume had been a little more prepared for the clone that Yuhi had sent a few days later with an address and a ‘come now’, though actually watching over the procedure as Yuhi essentially overwrote Hinata’s memories with seemingly no concern for the consequences had had Natsume fighting with every instinct she’d ever developed as a psychologist.
At her words, Yuhi sighed, finally looking away from her student’s sleeping face and meeting Natsume’s gaze with her own tired one.
“I may not like you, but I respect you, and you are the best person to be here in case something goes wrong.” She told Natsume frankly, and Natsume felt her lip curl slightly at the other woman’s frankness. “Plus, Hinata trusts you, and you and I both know that there are maybe a handful of people in the Village who have earned that questionable honour.”
Despite the undercurrent of amusem*nt that surged through her at that blunt assessment, Natsume felt the need to point out;
“If something does go wrong, I will not hesitate to report you.” she said flatly, matching the other woman’s bluntness. “I understand why you’re doing this, Yuhi, and I know that Hinata was the one to ask you, but that is where my sympathy ends.”
Yuhi considered her for a few seconds, then inclined her head, a wry, humourless smile pulling at her painted lips as she admitted; “I expected nothing less.”
At that, Natsume couldn’t help but scoff, though she felt the grudging respect she held for the younger woman grow the slightest bit.
“You play dangerous games, Yuhi.” She huffed, and Yuhi just shrugged, her expression never changing.
And then Hinata twitched, pushing herself into a sitting position with a quiet groan, and Yuhi’s attention was immediately on her student, for all that she managed to restrain herself from touching the girl before Hinata fully recovered her bearings.
A startled Hinata could and would send someone less careful to hospital. A startled and disoriented Hinata could kill them, and it seemed the Hyuuga's sensei was more than aware of that fact.
“S-sensei?” The girl murmured, blinking rapidly, and her expression was briefly so open and lost that Natsume was, not for the first time, forcefully reminded of the fact that her patient was a child.
A serious, competent, motivated child who was spearheading a Clan-wide revolution, but a child nonetheless.
“Hinata.” Yuhi sighed, visibly sagging with relief at whatever she saw on Hinata’s face, “How are you feeling?”
“F-fine, thank you.” Came the reflexive response, but then Hinata winced, a hand rising to rub at her temple. “I-I think I have a headache.”
Yuhi stilled briefly, but her expression didn’t change, her smile still warm and relieved as she laid a light hand on the Hyuuga’s arm and announced; “I’ll get you some aspirin.”
And as she rose and headed for the kitchen, Natsume caught the exact moment Hinata noticed her presence, the girl’s posture going from loose with sleep to tense as a bowstring to relaxed again.
“Kagane-san.” she greeted, polite as ever, though with confusion audible in her voice, but the concern Natsume expected to find in her gaze was rather tellingly absent, “What are you doing here?”
“Your sensei told me something interesting.” Natsume replied, keeping her face blank and voice even, as she asked that which she'd never asked before, a test and an absolution all in one; “Who put that seal on you, Hinata?”
And Hinata paled, then winced, her hand pressing into her temple more insistently, but her words, when she spoke, were sure: “Elder H-Hideki.”
There was no lie to her demeanour, and though Natsume had no doubt that the headache was a direct result of the technique Yuhi had pulled off, the memory alteration must have worked, because Hinata seemed to wholeheartedly believe her words.
So Natsume offered her a stern look but softened her voice a little as she ordered; “Don’t keep things like that from me in the future.”
Perhaps it was unethical of her to take advantage of Hinata’s disoriented state to drive a message home, but it was never a bad idea to remind her patients that they should not keep things from her.
“Okay.” Hinata murmured, and they lapsed into a brief silence before Hinata seemed to rally herself and broke it again.
“Kagane-san?” she whispered, gaze briefly flickering to wherever Yuhi had disappeared to before it settled back on Natsume. “I… I might do something reckless soon.”
Natsume carefully kept her reaction to herself, only allowing a single eyebrow rise to escape her. “How soon?”
And Hinata met her gaze, a stubborn tilt to her mouth even as the expression in her eyes was beseeching. “Whenever the next Council of Clans meeting is.”
“Ah.” Natsume allowed, wondering whether there was anyone she should notify, or whether she could allow herself to look away just this once. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Because even if she didn’t know what Hinata had planned, the sheer fact that the girl was finally ready to act meant that they were in the endgame now, of that Natsume had no doubt.
She almost couldn’t wait for the fallout.
Jiraiya stared at the message he’d unwrapped from the crow’s leg, his mind completely blank.
‘Three days from now, meet me at the teahouse by Kannabi.’
In his six years of communicating with Itachi, the boy had only asked to meet face-to-face once before, and it had been to demand that his brother be assigned to Kakashi’s genin team when he graduates.
So for Itachi to demand a meeting now, when the only thing that changed was Jiraiya sending him a copy of the Sharingan pattern the Hyuuga had drawn for him-
-well.
It was as good a confirmation as any.
“Hinata!”
Hinata’s head jerked from where she was talking quietly with an older kunoichi, her eyes snapping to Sakura and widening slightly with clear surprise before her expression fell back into that eerie, distantly polite mask Sakura sometimes saw on the older shinobi.
“Sakura-san. Good morning.” Hinata greeted quietly once Sakura neared her table, and Sakura didn’t have to be Ino to know that the Hyuuga had no idea what she’d sought her out for.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Sakura replied, her mother’s voice screaming in her head about manners while she shot the unknown kunoichi an assessing look, not having seen her around before despite the rather recognisable hair-colour. “Can I talk to you?”
Hinata glanced at the other woman and raised a hand to scratch her nose, her expression hardly changing, but her companion must’ve understood the wordless question because she huffed and pushed away from the table.
“Go on.” She waved Sakura towards the seat she’d vacated, her face unreadable. To Hinata, she added; “I’ll see if I can drag Kimiko out for lunch.”
Then, just as Sakura thought that the woman would leave without another word, she turned to Hinata and rested a hand on the Hyuuga’s nape, her eyebrow hitching up slightly, “Spar tomorrow?”
“Yes, please.” Hinata sighed, looking relieved at the question, and shot the kunoichi a tiny smile. “Thank you, senpai.”
And as Hinata watched the other woman leave, Sakura watched the Hyuuga’s blank mask return and couldn’t help but wonder if Hinata ever allowed herself to relax and simply be.
Then, Hinata’s attention suddenly shifted to her and Sakura twitched, having been caught staring, but the other girl just blinked slowly, seemingly considering her next words. “What do you need, Sakura-san?”
And Sakura had come with a plan, a strategy, but something about seeing the other girl so composed and unruffled, stoic in a way even her cousin wasn’t, not really, made her forget all of her carefully-crafted plans.
“Naruto has started throwing these around.” She announced instead and dug into her pouch, throwing a crumpled handful of Naruto’s used tags onto the table between them, complete with all their wobbly lines and dripping ink and ripped edges, yet all of which she’d personally witnessed work perfectly in practice.
Hinata studied the tags for a beat, then glanced back at Sakura, expression still even.
“Are they working well?” she asked idly, and Sakura snorted before she could bite the sound back.
“He told me that you’d been the one to teach him, but I didn’t believe it.” she threw back, grabbing the tags and stuffing them back into her pouch and trying not to glare at the girl before her. “Hinata, he doesn’t understand the basic fundamentals of fuinjutsu and you taught him trigger mechanisms!”
And Hinata, instead of cowing, of recognising the error of her choice, of apologising, frowned back at Sakura and asked; “Does he need to understand the fundamentals?”
“Does he need-?! Of course!” Sakura sputtered, indignant and disbelieving, and she didn’t like the pitying glint that passed through Hinata’s eyes at her response, her own guard immediately going up, her next words far sharper; “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You said that Kiba and Ino-san learn by doing, but you need more explanation.” Hinata replied, and it took Sakura a few seconds to place the conversation, and Hinata was kind enough to wait before she finished; “How do you think Naruto-san learns?”
He doesn’t, was on the tip of Sakura’s tongue, but she bit back the rude reply, knowing that it stemmed more from her frustration with her situation than any genuine annoyance with Naruto, for once.
“By doing.” She ground out after a few seconds, hating the fact that Hinata didn’t even look pleased by her admission. “But it’s one thing to recognise that he’s a hands-on learner and another to allow him to blow himself up with fuinjutsu he doesn’t understand!”
Finally, Hinata’s expression changed, but Sakura quickly realised that the change wasn’t a good thing.
“I would have never let him test anything that could have hurt him.” The Hyuuga murmured, her voice icy, and it was only because Sakura had heard the tone before from someone else that she noticed the genuine offense that lay beneath the seemingly calm words.
“I didn’t mean to imply- sorry.” She backpedalled, belatedly remembering that Hinata wasn’t like Ino or Kiba or Naruto, wasn’t like any of their graduating class, and Sakura had to tread carefully. “I’m just- can you- he shouldn’t be able to use them so easily.”
“Sakura-san-” Hinata began, her voice less glacial, but the look in her eyes guarded, and suddenly, it was like the words were pouring out.
“I’ve been studying fuinjutsu for six months.” Sakura blurted, pulling out her notebook from her other pouch and throwing it on the table between them, trying not to snarl when Hinata reached out to curiously page through her hard work. “Calligraphy, history, how to arm and disarm them, all the different varieties- and I drew my first barrier seal last month. The easiest thing there is. Then Naruto comes to training a few weeks ago and starts throwing around smoke bombs and explosive tags and chilli bombs and says that he drew them.”
Hinata didn’t even look at her while she paused to catch her breath, and Sakura didn’t know if she loved or hated the girl for it.
“And then, to make it worse-” Sakura wanted to hide when her voice cracked, her emotions getting the better of her, but Hinata barely blinked, “-he’s been messing around with putting elemental ninjutsu in his seals. Nearly burnt Sasuke’s hair off when he triggered the fire one.”
At that, Hinata finally looked up, but her expression was more assessing than anything.
“You’re jealous.” She murmured consideringly, and Sakura couldn’t even disagree because Hinata wasn’t wrong. She just hadn’t expected to hear it put so bluntly.
“It’s not fair.” Sakura finally sighed, the fight draining out of her as she sagged against the seat, the wave of anger that she’d ridden to get herself to find Hinata finally fizzling out.
“No, it’s not.” Hinata agreed quietly, and Sakura felt a spike of irritation break through her resignation because no.
“You don’t get to do that!” She snapped and tried not to notice how Hinata’s hand twitched for her weapons pouch at the sudden change in volume. “You don’t know what it’s like to have to work for even scraps of attention or instruction from your teachers! To have to work twice as hard as your teammates just because you come from a civilian family, and still have all your achievements questioned or explained by luck. And you know fuinjutsu!”
Not like Kiba, not like Ino, Sakura reminded herself again when she paused for breath, struggling for calm and adding a no less accusative but a little quieter; “I heard from Kiba that you drew a seal that worked like the Nara Shadow Possession.”
“I did.” Hinata confirmed, as if that wasn’t completely insane to even consider, the momentary sharpness that had entered her gaze at Sakura’s jab hidden once more, “And you’re right, I don’t know a lot of your struggles, I apologise. But even if I understand fuinjutsu, I will never be a fuinjutsu mistress, not like you could be.”
Not with that attitude, Sakura thought mulishly, wondering how Kiba had managed to remain the same loud, optimistic kid he’d been in the Academy with Shino and Hinata as his teammates.
But he’s not the same, the voice in her mind reminded her sharply, drawing forth memories of Kiba looking more like a hound on a trail than a boy, sharp canines bared in threat more than friendliness, medical facts falling from his lips the way insults and dirty jokes once had, they all changed.
“Why not?” Sakura forced herself to ask instead of acknowledging Hinata’s backhand compliment or dwelling on Team Eight’s trajectory since Graduation. Nothing good lay down that route, she’d had Shikamaru confirm that for her already.
“I don’t have the creativity for it.” Hinata admitted easily, and Sakura was certain that if the girl had been anybody else, she’d have shrugged. “Or the passion for the art.”
Then, while Sakura was busy contemplating how easily Hinata admitted her faults, the girl added, still in the same tone; “It’s the same reason why I will never be a genjutsu mistress.”
“And you don’t mind that?” Sakura inquired, staring at the Hyuuga and trying desperately to understand the way her mind worked. “Your teacher is a genjutsu mistress.”
“She is. And I love Kurenai-sensei.” Hinata confirmed, and Sakura found herself jealous yet again of the ease with which Hinata said that. “But we are very different kunoichi.”
Then Hinata frowned at her, tilting her head as she seemed to consider Sakura. “Do you want to fight like Hatake-san?”
“Not Kakashi.” Sakura immediately denied, and she would’ve felt bad for how vicious and vehement her words came out if not for the fact that Hinata didn’t even twitch. And, for the second time since she’d sat down opposite Hinata, the words tumbled out almost without her conscious input;
“I want to fight like Shizune-senpai, Tsunade-sama’s assistant.” She found herself confessing, smiling absently when she remembered their last training session. “But senpai isn’t a combat kunoichi, and with Naruto and Sasuke, I would have to be.”
And Hinata just hummed, still looking at her with that unreadable expression, before she sighed and Sakura suddenly felt like prey under that unassuming gaze.
“Sakura-san. What do you need from me?” Hinata repeated, and this time, the change in phrasing was undeniable. Hinata was clearly too kind to say it outright, but Sakura had no doubt that Hinata still didn’t fully understand why Sakura had come to her.
“Advice, I guess.” Sakura confessed, trying not to sound like she was forcing the words out.
Shikamaru had said Hinata had helped him sort himself out, had called her wise. And yeah, Shikamaru was probably more than a little biased, but Sakura still trusted his opinion in this matter more than she trusted Kiba’s.
“You know what type of specialisation we’re going for.” She continued, and it wasn’t a question; Hinata had made that more than clear the last time they had all-but cornered her for her input on how to get their teacher to teach. “I’m smart, sure, and good at strategy. But in the field, all I have are poisons, basic fuinjutsu, the Academy Three, and good chakra control. It’s not enough.”
Not enough to stand as Naruto and Sasuke’s equal.
She wasn’t sure how much Hinata could put together of that last part, but the other girl just stared at her in silence, clearly deep in thought.
“Have you thought about learning medical ninjutsu?” she finally asked, and Sakura would only feel guilty later for the immediate, derisive: “I don’t want to be a medic.” that escaped her.
“Sakura-san,” Hinata sighed, and that perfect blandness cracked for the first time since Sakura had sat down opposite her, the girl sounding and looking almost exasperated, “I’m not talking about you becoming a med-nin. I’m talking about you learning medical ninjutsu.”
There’s a difference? Sakura wanted to ask, but when Hinata just continued looking at her, she was forced to voice the thought, though slightly edited – “What’s the difference?”
And Hinata blinked, looking almost surprised that Sakura wasn’t following, and Sakura found herself flushing in embarrassment even though Hinata hadn’t even said anything yet.
“Do you know what hunter-nin are?” the Hyuuga finally asked, and Sakura fought the urge to scowl.
“Of course.” She shot back, because she had graduated as the top kunoichi in their class, she wasn’t-
And then the real reason Hinata was likely asking registered, and Sakura found herself blinking owlishly. “You mean- that thing that Kiba does sometimes? Learning to hit pressure points and nerve clusters?”
“Yes.” Hinata confirmed quietly, her eyes warming slightly though her expression didn’t change. “And there’s a medical technique that lets you sever muscles and tendons.”
“You’re telling me to weaponize medical ninjutsu.” Sakura murmured, the realisation slow to sink in, but now that it had, she couldn’t help but gape at Hinata as more pieces fell into place. “More than that- you’re telling me how to- how to reverse-engineer your Clan jutsu.”
And Hinata-
Hinata just smiled.
“And there you have it.” Genma grinned, clapping Kakashi on the shoulder and trying not to think about the last time they’d eavesdropped on a conversation between Kakashi’s genin and the Hyuuga heiress.
Kakashi was doing miles better with his team compared to back then; Genma had to believe that he would take this in stride rather than beat himself up for failing to support them yet again. But at the same time, one never knew with Kakashi, so maybe it was better to give Gai a heads-up, just in case.
“Don’t look so smug.” Kakashi grunted even though he hadn’t even looked at Genma once since Sakura had sat down. “You had no idea what little Hyuuga-chan would say.”
“Maybe not.” Genma agreed, because it was one thing to have a hunch that Hinata would find a way to get Sakura to open up about what was really bothering her, and another to claim that he knew precisely in what direction she would direct her.
Still-
“But if anyone was going to get Sakura to spill what’s been bugging her, it was going to be the kid who’s spent the last year and a half with Kurenai as her sensei and Kagane Natsume as her primary shrink.”
Kakashi snorted, turning to eye Genma consideringly, though he still shook his head. “Kagane would sooner die than pass on her techniques.”
“She wouldn’t have needed to actively pass anything on for Hinata to have picked it up, you of all people should know that.” Genma replied, because he’d been made aware of Kakashi’s ‘sessions’ with Hinata and knew from personal experience how both of them worked.
Kakashi fought like a bastard, and Hinata soaked in every little bit of wisdom or advice he dropped with the voracity of one who never took anything for granted.
And then, as Genma was contemplating inviting Kakashi to the dinner Kotetsu and Izumo were throwing, a voice suddenly rang out-
“Did you tell Sakura-san to come to me?”
Genma wasn’t proud of his instinctive reaction to the sudden question, but a glance at Kakashi proved that the Copy-nin had also reacted with the ‘act first ask questions later’ strategy, if the kunai that lodged itself into the building on the opposite side of the street was any indication. But it spoke to just who Hinata had been training with since she graduated that the girl was able to dodge both Kakashi’s kunai and the senbon Genma had instinctively spat.
Which was still less concerning than the fact that she had snuck up on the two of them.
“What makes you say that?” Genma asked at the same time as Kakashi demanded, “How did you know we were here?” because Genma had still not told the Copy-nin that Hinata had known he’d been there the last time she’d met with his team.
And Hinata took them both in, expression more guarded than Genma was used to seeing directed at him, and uttered a blunt; “Past experience.”
Genma and Kakashi let the admission hang between them for a few seconds, then Genma sighed, throwing Hinata a smile and hoping she wouldn’t hold their unorthodox problem-solving against them.
“Yes.” He admitted honestly, answering the Hyuuga’s original question, but if anything, the confirmation only made Hinata frown.
“Why?” She asked tightly, and it was only then that Genma realised Hinata was nervous. “We’re not friends.”
And Genma felt himself soften, felt fondness for the girl before them swell in his chest, but Kakashi spoke up before he could, and Genma quickly realised that the Copy-nin’s interpretation of the Hyuuga’s uncharacteristic bluntness had gone in a different direction to his own.
“Harsh.” Kakashi commented idly, drawing a flinch from Hinata though her frown never faded. And then, in a move that had Genma whipping his head to the side to stare at the man disbelievingly, Kakashi asked, still in that same tone: “What do you want for your help?”
Genma just stared for a second, then glanced at Hinata, but it seemed that the Hyuuga was somehow less thrown by Kakashi’s less-than-stellar social skills than Genma himself, despite having had years more exposure to the man.
“A spar.” Hinata finally decided, and there was an intensity in her eyes Genma had only ever seen a few times before. “My jounin Skill Evaluation will be soon. I w-want you to spar with me, and to tell me where I’m l-lacking.”
f*cking Hyuuga Clan, Genma sighed inwardly. It was hardly a new thought, but every time it rolled through his mind, it felt more emphatic.
“That’s a fair deal.” Kakashi replied, and Genma was immediately suspicious of Kakashi’s easy agreement. And then, as if sensing his eyes on him, Kakashi turned to Genma, eyebrow raised in wordless challenge. “Genma?”
But Hinata cut in, and Genma didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the words that left her mouth: “Genma-san doesn’t owe me anything.”
Which only proved to Genma that Hinata knew precisely what she was doing.
“How transactional.” Kakashi muttered, but Genma knew the Copy-nin well enough to detect the hint of amusem*nt beneath the bland words, and knew that he only needed one more push to break the odd tension that had hung between Kakashi and Hinata over the whole conversation.
So he stepped closer to Hinata, hands carefully in her field of vision, and offered the girl his usual grin.
“Am I invited to this spar?” he asked teasingly, and was rewarded with Hinata’s eyes widening and her cheeks flushing, as if embarrassed that her butting of heads with Kakashi could have given Genma the impression that he wasn’t wanted.
“O-of course!” she stumbled over the words, but the vehemence with which she reassured Genma was touching, some of that earlier iciness abating.
Genma couldn’t help but lift an arm in a now familiar gesture, smile softening around the edges when Hinata jumped on the invitation and melted into his side, hands fisting in the fabric at his hips, the tension he hadn’t even noticed riddling her frame melting away.
“Good.” Genma replied, then added in a quieter voice, only for Hinata to hear, “Thank you for helping Sakura.”
“It was nothing.” Hinata murmured, pressing the words into Genma’s chest, seemingly also not wanting Kakashi to overhear, “I was just surprised.”
And Genma knew that explaining that it was not nothing, not to him, and certainly not to Sakura, was not the right thing to do in that moment, no matter how much he itched to do it. So he just stood there, his arm around Hinata’s shoulders, letting the girl breathe, knowing how rarely Hinata allowed herself to ask for what she wanted.
When she finally pulled away, Genma ignored Kakashi’s raised eyebrow, and the Copy-nin rolled his eyes, seemingly understanding that he was not going to be allowed to joke about the shift in the Hyuuga’s demeanour that a mere hug and some gentle words had been able to bring about.
“Team 7’s training grounds.” Kakashi announced after a few more seconds of silence, throwing Genma a meaningful look that Genma did not understand, “Go and warm up, I’ll be there in a bit.”
Genma was more than familiar with Kakashi’s definition of ‘in a bit’, so he caught the Copy-nin’s sleeve and glared.
“If you take more than twenty minutes to get there, I’m telling your team where you live.” He threatened, and he knew by the way Kakashi tensed that the man understood that this wasn’t an idle threat.
“Damn.” Kakashi whistled, even as he tapped ‘understood’ on Genma’s forearm. “And they say I’m the ruthless one.”
And then he was gone, disappearing in a sealless Shunshin so fast that Hinata twitched, but Genma didn’t give her a chance to be embarrassed about her reaction, frowning at her concernedly.
“You know you didn’t have to pull an IOU with Kakashi to prepare for the Skill Assessment?” he checked, finally voicing the nagging worry he’d had since Hinata had stated her ‘payment’. “Kurenai, Yugao and I would’ve done our best to help you.”
“I know, Genma-san.” Hinata replied, and the look in her eyes was so fond that Genma wondered what he’d done to deserve it. “But you and senpai, and Kurenai-sensei- you like me.” Hinata continued, and Genma fought a sad smile at the genuine bafflement in the Hyuuga’s voice. As if she couldn’t fathom that someone might do more than tolerate her presence. “You’d be nice. Kakashi-san isn’t- he wouldn’t- I need-”
“-Kakashi’s a bastard and he won’t care if he hurts your feelings?” Genma cut in, filling in what he reckoned Hinata was getting at, and the girl blushed but nodded, looking away in embarrassment.
Genma sighed, then reached out and rested his hand on the crown of Hinata’s head, drawing her eyes back to him.
“I understand your reasoning.” He assured the girl, and he both felt and saw the way she sagged with relief.
And Genma- Genma had no choice but to pull her into another hug, his hand dropping from Hinata’s head to the nape of her neck as he pulled her close.
“Alright, princess.” He grinned once Hinata moved to pull away, shooting her a conspirational grin. “Ready?”
“Thanks Suzume, you can come out now.” Kakashi called once Hinata had left the clearing - with strict orders from Genma to stop by the hospital - and winced at the sharp pain in his hip.
Suzume dropped down from the treeline, startling Genma judging by the man’s twitch, and obligingly ambled closer, handling the clipboard over with minimal fanfare.
“A check-up would do you well too, sir.” He pointed out absently, eyes sweeping up and down Kakashi’s body as if he could see the damage Hinata had done on him. “Kid didn’t hold back.”
And wasn’t that an understatement.
Kakashi wondered how long Kurenai was going to avoid him when she inevitably found out that he’d not only changed the date of her precious Hyuuga’s Skill Assessment but also passed her.
With flying colours, knowing Suzume.
Kakashi didn’t even need to look at the notes the man had made, already knowing he would find a big ‘RECOMMENDED’ and a lot of exclamation-point riddled notes on the Hyuuga’s lesser-known abilities.
Regardless, Kakashi accepted the clipboard from Suzume, mirrored the absentminded salute the man offered him, then met Genma’s disbelieving gaze unflinchingly once Suzume took his leave.
“Tell me that isn’t what I think it is.” Genma demanded flatly, but they both knew that Genma knew him too well to be truly surprised.
“That depends on what you think it is.” Kakashi retorted, because he was, occasionally, an asshole.
“Hinata’s Skill Evaluation.” Genma snapped back, his patience for Kakashi’s nonsense far shorter than usual.
“Ah.” Kakashi hummed, smiling his most bullsh*t smile at the man. “Then I cannot tell you that.”
“Kakashi. For f*ck’s sake.” Genma groaned, raising a hand to run it down his face in obvious frustration. “She didn’t even know you were doing it!”
“Isn’t that for the better?” Kakashi threw back, genuine this time, throwing in a shrug for good measure. “For a ‘more accurate reflection’ of her abilities?”
Genma just stared at him for a beat, then- “Let’s have a look, then.”
And as Kakashi turned to the notes Suzume had made, he found that he’d been right about the man’s enthusiasm levels, but he hadn’t been prepared to see a breakdown of his spar with the Hyuuga in quite such detail.
“…Damn.” Genma whistled, echoing Kakashi’s thoughts. “I knew Hinata was good, but seeing it all in one place like this…”
Then, Genma tensed, and next thing Kakashi knew, he was on the receiving end of an uncharacteristically serious, accusative look.
“You knew.” Genma breathed, sounding as if he’d just been struck by some kind of epiphany, and Kakashi heard alarm bells go off in his mind.
“I know many things.” He retorted, needing to buy himself time to figure out what precisely he was being accused of.
“You knew that she’d go all out.” Genma accused, eyes narrowing on Kakashi as he worked it out. “Knew that she wouldn’t think anything of you throwing everything under the sun at her in what was meant to be a casual spar.” The brunet laughed briefly, though it was sharper than it would’ve been if it had been in genuine amusem*nt. “Hell, you pressed her with your tanto even though I’ve never seen you use it when not in uniform.”
Sometimes, Kakashi hated that his friends knew him as well as they did.
“I knew little Hyuuga-chan would fight to kill, if that’s what you’re asking.” He admitted, because there was no point in hiding it anymore.
“Because she was fighting you?” Genma checked, proving to Kakashi that they were both thinking of what Hinata had told Kakashi's team the last time she’d been asked about using lethal force in a spar.
“…Yes.”
Genma laughed again, more genuine this time, and dug his elbow into Kakashi’s side lightly, his earlier sharpness turning into exasperated fondness. “You’re a sick bastard.”
And Kakashi couldn’t help but snort at that, pushing Genma’s arm away and jabbing his finger into the man’s ribs in retaliation as he shot back; “But an efficient one.”
Genma chuckled, then kicked at Kakashi’s ankle at the same time as he wrapped an arm around Kakashi’s shoulders. “Kurenai is still going to kill you.”
And that, well. That, Kakashi couldn’t deny.
Tsunade stared at the Copy-nin, feeling her eye twitch, the temperature in her office having dropped a good ten degrees since Hatake had barged into their final strategy meeting and dropped his bombshell.
“Her Skill Assessment was scheduled for next week.” Shikaku pointed out flatly, clearly none-too-pleased by this development, but Kakashi had the nerve to shrug.
“Change of plans.” He replied cheerfully, though to his credit, he was still standing at attention at Tsunade’s desk, clearly aware he wouldn’t be getting praised for his initiative.
“You’re too involved to evaluate her objectively.” Shikaku threw back, not quite angry, not yet, but showing telltale signs of nearing the end of his patience.
Signs which Kakashi either didn’t see or chose to ignore, and Tsunade wasn’t sure which option was worse.
“I didn’t evaluate her, Suzume did.” He replied blithely, clearly restraining another shrug, and Tsunade found herself glad Inoichi chose that moment to step in, because her eyes were still glued to the actual report Kakashi had handed over, not quite able to believe what she was seeing.
“You did her Skill Evaluation during a spar. Who on earth uses lethal force in a spar?” The Yamanaka demanded, having glanced at the report long enough to catch sight of the techniques Kakashi and the Hyuuga had thrown around, as well as the numerous mentions of -aimed for the eyes- aimed for the liver- threw sand in eyes- to know that Kakashi hadn’t gone and done a standard evaluation. “I don’t know if this says more about Hyuuga-chan or you, Kakashi.”
Yet again, Kakashi shrugged, and Tsunade didn’t have to look at Shikaku to feel the way his chakra spiked in irritation.
“Alright.” She finally called, ending the stand-off between the three men even as she felt a headache build in her temples. “Shikaku, add her to the list for the next Jounin Spar. Hatake, since this was your initiative, you get to tell the kid she’s got two months to prepare for it instead of six.”
Kakashi blinked at her, and for all that he had been the one to drop the paperwork on her desk, he looked almost- worried, all of a sudden.
“You’re fast-tracking her?” he asked tightly, and oh, the brat really was worried. Imagine that. “What about the five recommendations?”
“Done already.” Tsunade replied, watching Kakashi intently, having become more than familiar with the Hyuuga’s file over the last few months, but Kakashi’s reaction to that news was interesting. “Asuma, Shikaku, Utatane Koharu, Inuzuka Tsume and Kurama Kimiko have already independently recommended the kid for the Jounin Spar.”
When Shikaku and Inoichi visibly twitched at the Elder’s name being on the list, Kakashi stood frozen, looking, for the first time since Tsunade had met him, like he just realised that he had severely miscalculated.
She didn’t know where that unexpected panic was stemming from, but she was officially out of patience. She opened the bottom drawer of her desk, pulled out the appropriate scroll for the Copy-nin to pass on, and pressed it into Kakashi’s chest, using a bit more force than strictly necessary if the way the Hatake winced was any indication.
“Dismissed, Kakashi.” she told the man bluntly, giving a little push with the tips of her fingers, and as Kakashi stumbled back, he finally, finally got moving.
It wasn’t until he was out the door – and Tsunade privately reckoned that this was the biggest indicator of the man’s state, that he had actually used the goddamn door for once – that Shikaku spoke.
“I imagine this was at least in part meant as a slap on the wrist for Kakashi,” he muttered, a frown creasing his brow as he studied Tsunade thoughtfully, “but is it wise to fast-track her?”
And- therein lay the crux of Tsunade’s problem.
“The kid is the Hyuuga heiress.” Tsunade sighed, sitting back in her chair and raising a hand to press green-glowing fingers to her temple, killing the headache before it had a chance to properly become one, “But in her spar with Kakashi, she didn’t use the Hyuuga Jyuuken a single time.”
She let the words sink in, saw by the way Inoichi’s eyes widened that the man understood what she was getting at, but she needed to put it out there, if only to prove to herself that she wasn’t dooming the kid.
“To reiterate, there’s a fourteen-year-old kunoichi in the ranks who is good enough to spar with Hatake Kakashi and not have to rely on her Clan jutsu to survive.” She summarised flatly, levelling Shikaku with a tired glare. “You warned me about her brain, Shikaku, but I wasn’t prepared for her to be an actual prodigy.”
But Shikaku didn’t laugh.
If anything, he was frowning even harder than before, an odd look in his eyes.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” he muttered, and Tsunade-
-Tsunade laughed.
“Welcome to politics.”
“Hello, Tsume-sama.”
Tsume didn’t twitch, having sensed the girl’s approach, grateful that Hinata never scent-blocked around the Inuzuka Compound, despite Hana confirming that the girl possessed the skill.
“Hinata.” Tsume greeted, offering the girl a sharp grin. “What have I said about the -sama?”
The girl huffed, freer than she allowed herself to be outside of the Inuzuka Compound, but folded surprisingly fast and corrected; “Hello, Tsume-obasan.”
“That was quick.” She teased, then noticed the way the Hyuuga was tenser than a bowstring, her eyes flickering around the kennel anxiously. “What do you need, kiddo?”
Hinata took a deep breath, seemingly steeling herself, then breathed out; “Can I come with you to the Council of Clans meeting tomorrow?”
Tsume stumbled, not having expected that to come out of the girl’s mouth. She recovered quickly, grabbed the Hyuuga by the elbow and all-but marched her out of the kennels and into her house, not stopping until Hinata was sat comfortably on her sofa, though Tsume remained standing as she studied the girl.
“You’re actually doing it.” she finally muttered, arriving at the most logical conclusion given what Hana, Yuhi, and Hatake had dropped here and there and what Tsume herself had been able to put together. At Hinata’s puzzled look, she elaborated; “Moving against Hotaru.”
If possible, Hinata tensed even further, but then sighed and released most of the tension along with the exhale.
“Yes.” She confirmed quietly, eyeing Tsume seriously. “I am beyond grateful for all that you’ve done for my family, but- I cannot put this off any longer.”
“Kid.” Tsume sighed, giving in and sitting down beside Hinata and resting a warm hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “I don’t like Hiashi much, I’ll admit, but even he is more reasonable than your grandfather.” She told the girl frankly. “Are you certain this is a risk you’re willing to take?”
Yet instead of backing down, the Hyuuga smiled, and the expression was more bitter and jaded than anything Tsume had ever seen on the girl’s face in the almost two years she’d known her.
“I will not be appealing to my Grandfather’s reason.” Hinata replied quietly, meeting and holding Tsume’s gaze as she explained; “I will be accusing him.”
Tsume blinked, the final pieces that she’d been missing slotting into place. When she next spoke, her words were more a statement than a question: “And you want the other Clan Heads there as witnesses.”
To her credit, Hinata didn’t even think to lie. “Yes.”
Tsume sighed, dropping her hand from Hinata’s shoulder in favour of pinching the bridge of her nose, wondering why it was always the younger generations who took it upon themselves to right the wrongs of the past.
“Hinata, they might be your blood, but if you fail, your Clan will try to bury you.” She told the girl quietly, her eyes intent on Hinata’s, needing her to understand the severity of the situation. “They did it to Hizashi, they did it to your sensei – just because you’re the heiress doesn’t mean you will be spared.”
But her words had the opposite reaction to what she’d expected – instead of backing down, Hinata’s eyes narrowed, her chakra signature snuffing out, and for the first time, Tsume understood why Kiba had called the Hyuuga his ‘scariest’ teammate.
“My sensei?” Hinata asked, her voice perfectly, eerily even, and Tsume felt a chill go down her spine. “What did my Clan do to Kurenai-sensei?”
It was then that Tsume realised she’d f*cked up.
“She hasn’t told you?” escaped her, but when Hinata’s blank expression didn’t clear, she resigned herself to being the bearer of bad news and sighed.
“f*ck, kid, your uncle was her sensei.” she revealed, grimacing in sympathy when Hinata froze, but carrying on before she lost her nerve: “When he was killed, her, Asuma, and Raido made a little too much noise for Hotaru’s liking, so your Clan stepped in.”
Despite the way her body was perfectly still, a hollow emptiness where her chakra signature should’ve been, Hinata still managed to ask, her lips barely moving; “What happened?”
And, well. Tsume had already revealed so much, she might as well go for broke:
“Asuma was sent to the Fire Temple, Raido got rank-blocked at tokubetsu, and your sensei had to fight years for her jounin promotion even though she could’ve taken the Spar and wiped the floor with the others at eighteen.”
Having said what she’d wanted to say, Tsume sat back, watching as Hinata absorbed the new information.
For long seconds, the girl sat perfectly still, her chakra signature and her expression betraying nothing, too blank by half to be healthy. But because Tsume could still smell her, she could tell just how angry Hinata really was, how much violence was contained in that deceptively-fragile build, how the quiet fury really was more dangerous than if she had let herself rage freely.
“Thank you for telling me, obasan.” Hinata murmured, her voice quiet, words perfectly polite, but Tsume didn’t miss the glint in her eyes, and she fought back a vicious, victorious smile.
You could always trust a wolf to be a wolf. Domesticated or not, Inuzuka or Hatake, at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. Nobody ever really forgot that the Inuzuka had wolf DNA, or if they did, they only made that mistake once.
Hinata, though?
Tsume reckoned Hinata’s grandfather probably assumed his granddaughter was a sheep. Hinata’s meek, polite demeanour really was too convincing.
Unluckily for Hotaru, he was about to find out that his granddaughter was the closest to a wolf in sheep’s clothing Tsume had ever met.
Shikaku knew that he should have been happy: after almost a year and a half, they finally had nigh-unshakeable evidence to take Shimura down.
Torune had done exactly what they had needed from him, managing to coordinate his infiltration of Danzo’s office with the time when the man had been in the Council of Elders meeting, and his insects had allowed him to take down and incapacitate the guards Danzo had left without the need for open bloodshed.
Kakashi and Yamato, the only other people who had access to ROOT HQ, had transported the unconscious ROOT agents to T&I, then had helped make sense of the code Shimura had used in his private files, delivering their notes, the files, and Torune to the bowels of ANBU, where Bear had helpfully offered his office as the neutral place to store all their evidence against the Elder.
If Kakashi were to be trusted, Bear had somehow managed to go through all in-Village agents in less than three days and been pissed afterwards at finding fifteen ROOT plants in the place of his agents. Considering that Shikaku had never seen the ANBU Commander be anything other than coldly civil and dispassionately professional, he found himself glad that Tsunade had ordered Kakashi to be the one to assist with the ‘inventory’ of ANBU personnel. The fifteen ROOT imposters were being kept in ANBU barracks, guarded by Bear's personally-vetted rotation of agents; the best 'temporary' solution to keep them out of Danzo's claws and out of Tsunade's plans.
And yet, there had been a nagging feeling in the back of Shikaku's mind ever since they’d stolen the evidence from right under Danzo’s nose that told him he was missing something.
But it took him sitting in the Council of Clans meeting, his father and the Nara civilian representative at his back, for the realisation to finally sink in.
Because when Tsunade asked if anyone had any questions or if the meeting could be concluded, Tsume stood up, an unexpectedly serious expression on her face, one of her Clan’s representatives heading for the door.
“Yeah, actually. There’s someone who’d like to use this Council’s floor for its lesser-known purposes.” She announced casually, the picture of relaxation, then nodded to her clanmate to open the door.
“Tsunade-sama, honoured Clan Heads, Clan representatives, meet Hyuuga Hinata. Hinata, the floor is yours, kid.”
Shikaku froze, the nagging feeling in the back of his mind turning into alarm bells.
This was what he had been missing, the final piece they had all failed to account for in their hunt for Danzo.
f*ck.
