Hinata's Journey

Hinata and Lee both blanched when they got a good look at their surroundings.





“Lee is this hell?” Hinata asked quietly looking at the smoky sky.





“No this is Lightning country.” Lee whispered shivering slightly at all the static in the air. Everything about the place seemed gray and dangerous.





“How do people survive here?” Hinata queried walking forward slowly but stopping when she got shocked.





“They don’t.” Lee responded his face turning grim. “Promise me something.”





“No.” Hinata retorted. “I am not leaving you if something happens. We came together we leave together.





“I don’t think…” Lee never finished his sentence. The streak of lightening hit him squarely, temporarily blinding Hinata. When she could see, she just barely managed not to scream. Lee’s body was burnt into the ground. Hinata immediately went into a crouch and tried to gauge her surroundings. Another bolt of lightning struck the tree next to her.





“This is what I have been training for.” Hinata pep talked herself, trying to push Lee from her mind. Hinata shook like a leaf as tried to figure out a plan, anything at all. “Ambition, passion, hate and rage.” The words sprung into her mind without biding. “Fanning the flames towards the sun.” Hinata felt a roaring inside her very being. “The old man inside you…”





“Whoever you are come out. I know you are there.” Hinata screamed into the sky. Lightning flashed overhead but the atmosphere set into a strange calm.





“Who are you to call me out?” A voice boomed seemingly from the sky. A man’s craggy face formed in the clouds. The eyes were the sun and the moon. His hair was the lightning streaks. “Mortal you have no place here and yet you stay.”





“I want the last piece of the sword.” Hinata yelled back, her legs threatening to betray her.





“The sword is dead.” The voice replied.





“If it was dead I would be too.” Hinata retorted, her eyes flashing between Rinnegan, Sharingan and Byakugan.





“You cannot die if you have the Rinnegan eye. You only come back to life in another body.” The voice boomed in a bored voice.





“Could I bring someone back from the dead?” Hinata questioned stealing a glance at Lee’s dead body. Tears began to form but she held them at bay with a force of will she did not know she possessed.





“It is possible.” The voice replied drawing closer to Hinata seemingly curious. “It would seem that the Rinnegan has been greatly abused.”





“How can I bring Lee back?” Hinata asked quickly.





“The Rinnegan you have doesn’t belong to you.” The voice drew back smugly. “It won’t obey in its abused state; your friend will remain dead. Looks like you are as helpless as you thought you were.”





“What are you God?” Hinata retorted her Sharingan coming to the fore. Hinata took a step forward. “You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do. If I want Lee to live then he will live.”





“So sure of yourself aren’t you.” The voice responded the clouds covering the moon and sun temporarily before he reopened them smiling. A hand reached out of the clouds and the tree that lightning struck healed. The hand withdrew and the man smiled smugly. “The last piece of the sword you have had with you all along. Use it well.”



“What do you mean it has been with me all along?” Hinata roared. “I have gone almost to the ends of the Earth to find the pieces and I have always had it!”





“The heart is the most important part of any weapon. When you hold it in your hand your heart leads, while your head understands.”





“That makes sense.” Hinata snorted derisively.





“I like you mortal.” The voice responded. “So I will ignore your trespass and do you a favor as you will undoubtedly soon be doing me one. I will make the sword complete again. As I gave the first the sword I will make it the same.” The shot of lightning hit Hinata squarely and laughter filled the air. “Release.”





Hinata sprang up, both eyes watering. She was lying flat on her back. The landscape had changed drastically. There was no more acrid smell or static atmosphere. It was eerily calm. The sword was lying completely on her chest. Hinata stared at it briefly before she looked to where Lee had fallen. Nothing was there.





“Lee.” Hinata whispered her hand reaching for what was not there. Steeling herself, she rose and tied the sword to her back. Her dirt covered body shook with fatigue and weariness. Quickly Hinata set off for Konoha, her senses screaming to go faster even though it would still take her four days to get there.





“Orochimaru is on the move.” Sasuke stood in the shadows speaking to a seated figure. The bar was crowded and seating was at a premium. “Naruto whatever happens be careful.”





“I am not the one who needs to worry.” Naruto responded gruffly his eyes scanning the room, as he sipped his drink and listened to Sasuke’s report.





“I am not strong enough to defeat him on my own.” Sasuke spoke again his hand reaching out to ghost over the golden spikes of Naruto’s hair.





“Teme.” Naruto growled. “Now is not the time for you to be getting nervous we planned this well. You will survive this and come back. After all you are the prodigal son.”





“See you in three days, Dobe.” Sasuke responded fading into the shadows while Naruto continued to drink.





“Drinking alone means you are bad company.” Gaara spoke quietly sliding into a chair next to Naruto.





“Drinking period tends to be an invitation for company, whether it’s good or bad depends on the day of the week.” Naruto responded smiling wirily.





“Agreed.” Gaara responded. The two sat in silence for a while taking in their surroundings.



“You love him don’t you?” Gaara asked raising a hairless eyebrow.





“If only it were that simple.” Naruto retorted taking a sip from his drink before he turned piercing eyes on Gaara. “Why aren’t you married to Hinata already?”





“If only it were that simple.” Gaara mimicked and Naruto chuckled as Gaara continued. “She outmaneuvers me at every turn but then lets me catch up. She rewards me for it and then runs off again.”





“I think its love, Gaara. It’s not kind or fair but it makes you alive.” Naruto responded waxing philosophical.





“You are plastered.” Gaara observed.





“I can’t get plastered, remember?” Naruto laughed slapping Gaara on the back. “However I feel a depression coming on so how about we split and go do something dangerous.”





“Like…” Gaara commented.





“Seeing if we can kidnap Iruka-sensei, of course.” Naruto laughed. “Gai and Kakashi can’t sleep without their favorite cuddle toy.”





“Naruto if it is one thing I have observed you don’t mess with a ninja and their sleep.”





“So you aren’t going to do it?” Naruto raised an eyebrow in challenge.





“I need something to take my mind off of Hinata.” Gaara shrugged and followed Naruto out but neither of their hearts were in the game.





See you in a while readers and review please.