Disguised Curses

Hello y'all! I'm back, with a rough 3K words worth of chapter. I have a pretty raw idea of what's happening from here out, but I'm also fighting horny whining muses and real life. I may or may not be moving later this summer (depending on if a job goes through) so if it happens there may be a temporary lull (worse than usual) depending on how things go. Just remember I love all my readers, this is written for you!

 

Warnings:  Maybe not too unexpected plot twist (that took me by surprise when I first thought of it). Also, passing references to torture and abuse but .. nothing descriptive. Veritable PG compared to the last couple chapters.

 

Chapter 43

 

 

 

Naruto woke the next morning when his clone was dispelled, an hour after dawn. It brought the news that Hanabi had been declared safe and well and was being released from the hospital, and memories of long hours spent in surveillance and holding Hinata. He closed his eyes and hugged his arms tight around his empty chest, making the memory real for a moment and centering himself. When the stress of memories brought back with his shadow clone balanced with the several hours of sleep he'd managed, he finally rose from bed and shoved Sasuke off the mattress. The raven went sprawling, for just a second and then was on his feet and glaring. "Breakfast. Tsunade's office. Errand to the Hyuga clan." He didn't wait for Sasuke to respond, stalking out the door toward the kitchen.

Sasuke rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shuffled for the shower. By the time Naruto was done stuffing food down the never- ending stomach, he could at least be clean, warm, and fed. He'd leave some hot water for the blonde hurricane. Maybe.

****

 

Tsunade returned to her office in a slightly better mood than she'd had in the last twenty- eight hours or so. Ibiki was busy down in the T&I rooms with the man Neji and Hana had brought back, trying to discover the source of all this mess. She wanted to know the identity of the mastermind just as much as anyone else involved in this mess, but her place was here, at her office. Controlling the chaos as close to the ground level as possible before the whole village devolved into panic and fear. Tsunade was very pleased that Hanabi was healthy, safe, and within the care and watchful eyes of her family. She could only hope the preteen girl would survive this with better luck and sanity than some ninja over the years.

She paused outside the closed doors of her office, the muted flicker of chakra within her room definitely not Shizune's. Barely a start into her day and already someone was waiting to talk business with her. Hopefully it wasn't the council, demanding answers for the fiasco of yesterday.

She hadn't been expecting to see Sai standing in the center of her office, blinds drawn tight over the windows, and even in the muted light she could make out the man leaning heavily against Sai's shoulder. Tsunade closed the door behind her and sealed it against intrusion.

"Report." She ordered, approaching the man listing drastically listing to one side. A bloodied blindfold came off, and she inhaled sharply as she looked into Hiashi Hyuga's face. "Sai."

"He went too far, this time." Sai helped her settle the barely conscious man in one of the chairs. "There was a genjutsu on Hyuga- sama and the room he was in. The left eye isn't Hyuga. I healed what little I could but had to smuggle him out under pressure. I can't say who or where or why."

Tsunade had a very clear idea of the answers to that, but poured her attention and chakra into healing the man before her. His left eye had been surgically removed, a normal hazel orb in the socket to replace it. A little chakra delving revealed the eye itself hadn't been healed into the nerves, but Hiashi's original nerve network was still alive. If they could find his Byakugan eye, undamaged, she might be able to give him his full sight back. As it was, he would be at least partially blind on that side. She would have to see if the nerves could be attached and healed without rejection of the eye itself. "What was the genjutsu?"

"Something that kept him docile. He didn't start fighting until after I disrupted both illusions." Sai softly explained. "Mild suppressants took him down long enough to get him out of there and part of the way here."

There were traces of the suppressants in the bloodstream, along with a mild, mostly inert toxin. Tsunade suppressed the rage she felt growing and worked to remove both from the elder Hyuga.

“I know you want to arrest Danzou.” Sai spoke just above a whisper, and Tsunade turned part of her attention to that soft, empty voice. “I cannot help you in capturing him. But this man is believed to be disposed of by my master and we who work under him. It is all I can offer at this moment, Hokage- sama.”

Hiashi’s own eye was slowly focusing on her, and she leaned him into the chair and walked back toward her desk, a small ball of the poison swirling over her hand.  It took but a moment to secure it in a small bottle and seal it, before sealing the bottle into a scroll. She stood at her desk a moment, hands braced wide as she looked between the Root agent and the man suddenly in her care.

“One last question. Have your flowers bloomed?” She kept her voice normal, asking about his non- existent garden. Tsunade knew Sai couldn’t say certain things, that parts of this conversation had to be coded. He knew what she was really asking. If he was ready to lift himself out of the roots of the trees and into the sun, to be one of her ninja instead of Danzou’s puppets. It was a question she’d asked him before.

“It’s barely spring, Hokage- sama. But soon.” Not time yet. There was a flicker, a barely- there smile. If she hadn’t been looking directly at Sai’s face, she would have missed it, there and gone in a moment before he bowed. “I must go. I don’t care what you do now.” I can’t risk knowing what you will do with him,  if I’m caught.

“Thank you, Sai.”

He made a dismissive gesture with his hand and slipped out her window, closing it after himself. Tsunade checked on Hiashi, still drug- dazed, and stepped out of her office to secure a pair of jounin to provide cover for her office. She sent a bored genin running down to find Ibiki, secured the whole hall leading to her office, and stationed a trustworthy ANBU outside her window. Hiashi was far more lucid when she returned, rubbing at his eyes and frowning.

“Leave your eyes alone, Hyuga- sama.” He looked at her sharply, tipping his head slightly to catch her better with his good eye. His eye.  But the words that accompanied the slight glare weren’t about his sudden decrease in vision. “Where are my children?”

“I discharged Hanabi from the hospital not an hour ago, and she left with Hinata and Neji. They are well and as safe as they can be given the last day and a half.”  She held up a hand to deter further questions before continuing. “I don’t know how much you remember, but I will need all the memories and data you can provide. I will also try my best to heal your vision but there is a high chance you may be partially or completely blind on that side.”

“Try anyway.” He held still for her as she drew a chair close, to sit while she tried to mend as many of the nerves together as possible. “It was only yesterday morning?” Tsunade nodded, listening to Hiashi explain what had happened when Hanabi went missing, fitting pieces together with what Neji and the others had told her. She coaxed the nerves and blood vessels to stitch together as he continued about reaching the meeting place and his surprise at finding an old man he recognized from the council standing over a dead body. “He told me that he’d been tracking a suspicious ninja the last few blocks and had had to take out what he believed to be an enemy ninja. I was suspicious but he is one of our council members. Surely he had merely taken out the person waiting for me.”

“What happened?” Tsunade prompted when he’d gone silent for a minute. The optic nerves were healing and connecting better than she’d expected; he was likely trying to sort out the new distortion in his vision. He shook his head slowly before she stilled him and continued her work. “I don’t remember much. I offered my help in moving the body, but he said it was handled, and then things are fuzzy after that.” He turned to look at her when she finally pulled away, both eyes locking onto her face as she leaned back. “I don’t trust him. I can’t prove anything but I don’t trust him.”

There was complete conviction in his face, and Tsunade felt something inside settle. Another piece of the puzzle against Danzou, if only she could find proof that would stick. If only Sai didn’t have that abominable jutsu to bind his words against his master, he would be a strong source for her cause. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ibiki letting himself in at the door. “Ibiki- san. Welcome.”

Ibiki was pristine, clothes clean and smooth, handkerchief tight on his head. He looked nothing like he might have been delayed in interrogations with a certain suspect. The only tell was the tightness in his eyes, the hard gleam reserved for when his work was interrupted. “Hokage- sama.”

Tsunade  waved him in, pulling her chair away to a more respectable distance from Hiashi’s chair before securing the door herself. She looked from one scarred face to a pair of mismatched eyes and felt the familiar coldness overtake her. It was proof that every ninja gave up much in their life, but it wasn’t always within the course of the job.  “We don’t have long, gentlemen. There are things to address and the safety of the village to ensure. I will need your full cooperation if we’re going to keep everyone safe.”

The steely determined agreement from both of the men only strengthened her resolve. She had to end this. Soon.

 

***

 

Hinata was nearly in his arms, sitting closely together in a quiet reception room as she ate with her cousin and sister. Naruto had contented himself with sticking as physically close to her as possible while trying to not be clingy, a novelty for him. Sasuke and Neji sat on the other side of the low table, a scattering of cups all lingering from breakfast, and Hanabi leaned against the wall mere feet away. After the last two days, it seemed everyone was reassuring themselves by being within close reach of each other.

“She’s probably doing political clean-up after yesterday.” Neji murmured, after Sasuke had shared that they were turned away from approaching Tsunade’s door. “She’ll be asking for those mission reports later, but some things take priority. If she had found the people responsible and needed to contact any of the other nations, it could take all day.”

“I never liked politics and having to deal with everyone else.” Naruto grumbled before laying his cheek against Hinata’s shoulder for a moment. She sneaked a hand into his hair and rubbed soothingly between his ears. “I like having allies, but on a nation- to- nation scale, it’s too easy to offend someone and start a war over something stupid. Or having to worry about outsiders- allies or not- striking at your weak points.”

Hinata tugged a fingers-full chunk of hair at his nape, causing Naruto to roll his head and look at her. Only he saw Hanabi’s pasty-white complexion on Hinata’s far side. “I’m sorry,” he offered quietly. She tried giving him a smile but it came up empty and forced. She excused herself moments later.

Naruto moved around to hold Hinata in his arms in a loose hug after Hanabi left the room. “I really didn’t mean to upset her.”

“Hanabi will need a few days to sort everything out. She’s strong, she’ll manage.” Neji didn’t smile, but there was an undercurrent of pride in his voice. His cousins were growing into fine women, even if he hadn’t wanted to see it for so long. “Hinata, have you told Naruto about your fight?” It was time to turn the topic off the stress, something they should have done earlier.

“No,” Naruto answered for her, nuzzling along Hinata’s neck. She squirmed at the tickling sensation. There was a hint of curiosity and worry in his voice. “Who did you fight?”

“Kimi- san.” Naruto tensed around her, then focused to unlock his arms before he squeezed her. He would not willingly harm his Hinata.

“This was not a sparring fight, was it?” Neji would not have mentioned it if the fight had been something so trivial, Naruto was certain. No, this had to have been something bigger.

“She implied that I was weak, that I hid myself among stronger friends in a fight and yet dared be alone walking through the village. It is true, that many of my friends seem stronger. But I accepted her words as a challenge.” Hinata turned her head to rest her cheek against Naruto’s chest, feeling the rhythmic pounding of his heart under the shirt. “It was only a couple days after Kimi fought nii- san, though, so I let her have time enough to heal.”

Naruto stared over her head at Neji as he listened. Was the hawk- girl really so stupid? “Did you at least show her the error of that?”

“Kimi was in a state similar to yours from the Chuunin exams, before Kyuubi flooded your pathways open again.” Neji spared his cousin a small, genuine grin. “Hinata has grown much stronger the last couple years.”

Naruto grinned wickedly as he turned his face back to her hair, inhaling her scent. “So proud.” He was happy, so damned pleased and he tried to put all that into his voice and the hug, until her scent came up happy and mellow.  “I love you,” he whispered.

“Hey lovebirds.” Their happy bubble flickered as Naruto lifted his head, red eyes spearing Sasuke for his interruption. His attention lasted but a moment, frowning at the look on Neji’s face as he scanned the walls. “We have visitors?”

“Tsunade’s here.”

The tension thick on Neji’s voice had Naruto growling low against Hinata’s back, squeezing her tightly before slowly standing up. He’d missed his chance at seeing the Hokage this morning and now she was paying the clan house a visit? His clone’s memories recalled Tsunade signing out Hanabi just a few hours ago, wouldn’t it be too soon for a check-up?

Sasuke circled around the table, dropping to one knee at Naruto’s side. He put one hand on Naruto’s arm, and the other on Hinata’s shoulder. Naruto’s tension pulled back to crawling just beneath his skin, the eerie flicker of his illusion snapping back to solid cover.

It was how Tsunade found them moments later, escorted in by one of the many guards patrolling the premises. The ninja left quickly, and Tsunade closed the door behind her, adding layers of seals. Privacy anti-spy jutsu, proximity alarms, things that would usually be layered at her office. It automatically altered and increased the tension. Sasuke squeezed Naruto’s arm when the blonde started trembling.

“I have good news and bad news. Sit.” The only one that actually complied was Neji- Hinata was already sitting, Sasuke was close enough to not bother, and Naruto too tense. Tsunade stepped forward herself and took an empty seat. “We have discovered who we believed to be the mastermind behind the incidents of yesterday morning, or at least one of the people in charge. We are working on finding and apprehending them. However, I have also been notified that Hiashi Hyuga has been missing since just after the attack yesterday morning and is now considered MIA until further notice. I am not considering him in any way responsible for any part of the abduction of Hanabi. But right now he is missing, and so far all attempts to locate him locally are coming up futile. There are no indications that he has been killed or abducted, either.” She pointedly ignored the rumbling growl from Naruto, though Tsunade spared a sympathizing glance for the two Hyuga in the room.

“I will be authorizing continued surveillance and protection on the Hyuga compound and immediate areas until further notice. I have already have a few people who can be spared out looking for Hiashi- san, but he is a grown man and a proven ninja. I am obligated at this time to focus on wiping out the immediate threat before daring to assume anything about Hiashi- san’s current situation.”

The group was silent for lingering minute, broken by the soft, deep sounds from Naruto and the tiny, pained ones from Hinata. Neji stood and stretched out a hand. “Thank you, Hokage- sama. We will figure out what needs to be done from here.”

“If you need anything, contact me. If the situation gets worse I do have retreats and sanctuaries that will protect you all until the perpetrators can be caught and taken care of.”

“The hideouts in the mountain?”

“Those as well. But most anyone that is old enough to remember the last attack on the village knows about those. So they would not be a first choice in this situation, currently. Let’s not hope we are given reason to use them.”  Tsunade fixed her attention back on the tangled trio. “Sasuke, Naruto. You both just got back from a mission and I don’t have any other jobs for you at the moment. I’m reassigning a few people around here. Both of you can be slotted in as personal escorts for Hinata and Hanabi. I expect you’d rather do that than being ordered back home for R-and-R?”

Sasuke answered, Naruto still wound up enough all he could do was nod vaguely. “We’ll do it. Thank you, Hokage.” There wouldn’t be any rest and relaxation if they had to stay apart, and everyone in the room knew it.

Tsunade turned toward the door but before she took the protective jutsus down, she imparted a last couple words.

“I expect to talk to all three of you further when things settle.”

 

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A/N:  Yes. I am an evil, evil author. My thanks for reviews goes out to Sneakyfox and Djargo, as always, and to my newest reviewer, Aingyl. I feel very proud you left me a solid, comprehensive review. It means so very much to me. And dear me, all of you are loving my Hinata, and that makes me ecstatically happy. She seems to be forming up to how I wanted her to be- strong, careful, but the gentle- souled woman I always imagined she should grow into being. Thank you all!!!!!