Hinata's Journey

Hinata could have kicked herself for her lack of foresight. For all the things her new eye afforded her, foresight had not been a part of the package. As such, she was suitably unnerved to be awakened by the sound of Lee swearing vigorously and a pair of Sharingan eyes staring down at her, emotionlessly.


She and Lee were passengers on a little passenger ship. They had both retreated to their shared cabin for a nap when a brief flair of chakra had announced the arrival of the Akatsuki members. Itachi was standing over her; Kisame was having a close quarter scrimmage with Lee, who was giving as good as he got considering the constant heaving of the boat.


“Greetings Itachi- sama...” Hinata started but felt rather than heard the raven-haired man tell her to shut up. The ship pitched wildly and Hinata found herself rolling off the bed. Landing on her feet she managed to brace herself as another wave broadsided the vessel.


“Damn storm.” Kisame grumbled as he took one of Lee’s hits.


“Enough.” Itachi commanded coldly, his eyes never leaving Hinata.


“Can’t you stop the storm?” Lee asked Kisame wearily.


“I could only make it worse.” Kisame responded.


“To my knowledge Naruto is in Konoha.” Lee said fishing for information.


“Good to know.” Kisame replied nodding.


“Is there a reason you are staring at me like that?” Hinata asked evenly. She felt her Sharingan eye starting to respond to some hidden pressure from Itachi so she blinked rapidly. Lee and Kisame neatly stood back watching the interaction between the two.


“You need to figure out how to wield that eye better if you have any hopes of getting what you want.” Itachi commented letting his three tomais show. Hinata just had enough time to put up a partial shield before Itachi’s jutsu took effect.
Hinata looked around inside of Itachi’s made up world of red, black and white. “Why are you doing this?” She asked the floating form of Itachi.


“You need to learn to use your eye better.” Itachi stated plainly walking around her slowly. Hinata didn’t move but watched him circling her and watching her with a hungry expression.


“So I can learn myself.” Hinata responded calmly.


“Lying gets you a special place in hell.” Itachi commented lazily scrutinizing her. “I should remove that old man from you. He has no business being in your body.”


“What old man?” Hinata asked damning herself for her curiosity.


“The one inside you right now, did it burn and rip at your insides when he entered you?” Itachi asked curiosity lighting his cold visage. Hinata glared quietly, she was sure there was a double meaning to that statement but she couldn’t figure out what it was.


“Should I ask you or your partner the same question?” Hinata responded hoping she could frazzle him long enough to get away. Itachi’s eyes blazed at her darkly and his aura became more menacing.


“Now you get quiet.” Hinata spoke calmly. “Just when things were getting interesting, you go all tight lipped.” Hinata winced as she felt a blade of chakra cut into her arm. Gathering all her mental strength to her she tried to keep him from attacking her too severely while she tried to think her way out of the situation.


“I could have helped you but now I think killing you will be the best course of action.” Itachi sneered.


“Are you going to kill me like you did your family?” Hinata asked stalling. She could feel her mind starting to break through his genjutsu.


“Don’t speak on something you know nothing about.” Itachi scrawled swinging another chakra blade at her with pinpoint accuracy.


“Yeah like everyone who has ever been marginalized in a large clan has no clue what you went through.” Hinata responded bravely before shutting her eyes so she would not have to watch the blade end her life. The cut never came. Opening her eyes slowly she saw the face of the smiling Uchiha.


“Fire is the Sharingan’s life blood, passion, ambition, hate and rage. Pick any one of those as your focus and you will get stronger.” Itachi paused. “I only gave my brother one option. You should be thrilled to have so many to choose from.”


Hinata felt vaguely nauseous as she came back into herself. Lee was tapping her face gently. “Thank goodness. I thought he had killed you when they both disappeared.” Lee gushed taking her hand.


“So what is the better emotion: passion, ambition, hate or rage?” Hinata asked deep in thought.


“Do I want to know?” Lee asked sagely studying her.


“I have to give into one of those emotions to become strong in the Sharingan but that is at odds with what emotions the Byakugan uses.” Hinata sighed.


“Well I guess the safest bet would be passion.” Lee stopped. “On second thought that is what got me in a mess so maybe it isn’t the best one.”


“I think that is part of the point though.” Hinata sat up and groaned as the ship gave another frightful lurch. “Taken in large douses all of those emotions are dangerous. On the reverse side without those emotions, you have…well I guess that is the Byakugan side of things. The two extremes black as night or white as day.”


“Even the shadows need the light to dance.” Lee observed. “Without one there wouldn’t be the other. I think it is balance you need to seek to master both. If you let yourself go to far in one direction you are lost.”


“I was afraid you were going to say that.” Hinata sighed as she made to stand.


“Don’t get up just yet, I think you should rest.” Lee ordered.


“Lee we just hit land.” Hinata responded pointedly.


“Yosh.” Lee blushed helping her up. “Now what, fearless and youthful leader?”


“Lee that is the first time I have heard you say youthful in the entire time we have been together.” Hinata gasped.


“That just proves I have still got it.” Lee tried a nice guy pose that didn’t quite develop properly. Lee deflated slightly when he realized that the sun hadn’t set or shined brilliantly behind him.


“It’s alright Lee.” Hinata consoled him, “I saw your teeth glistening slightly. You are still in recovery.”


Getting off the ship the two began aimlessly but purposefully walking around until Hinata started to get hot flashes. “We are getting close. I feel uneasy and it is not just because of the shinobi following us.”


“Do you want to make a stand out in the open or lose them?” Lee mouthed quickly, hiding his movements behind the ball he had taken to throwing around.


“Let’s confuse them.” Hinata responded pulling Lee into an alleyway and pulling him close.
When the attack came, the two henges disappeared leaving three shinobi at a loss. Hinata neatly ended their lives; Lee searched and disposed of the bodies. Continuing on, the two stuck to the shadows.


Every so often Hinata would feel a subtle pulsing by her eye, where the water tattoo was, that let her know she was on the right path. Finally, the two arrived at a road marker. The marker seemed to t appear out of the mist in front of them. Hinata and Lee both jumped there ninja reflexes going into over drive but nothing happened.


“It’s here.” Hinata whispered and Lee nodded going into a meditative state that allowed him to feel any movement, even the act of someone breathing. Hinata studied the road marker. To the untrained eye the marker looked weather beaten and in need of repair. Hinata saw that it was in fact a piece of katana. It was hidden in the wood to look as though it were merely a rotten piece of the wood threatening to make the whole post collapse.


Taking a deep breath Hinata called on her Byakugan to retrieve the sword piece. Slowly it exposed itself. Lee shifted into fighting stance as Hinata got her hands on the sword piece. Quickly stowing it she dodged the exploding tag. Lee took out two of the on coming shinobi, quickly disabling them. Hinata moved in a slow arch, chakra arcing through the air and cutting down two opponents before she grabbed Lee and transported out.


Running at top speed, they exited the village and went into the great mist surrounding it. Quickly Hinata activated her eyes in Byakugan. Neither dared to stop running or speak until they had found passage back across the water.


“Now what?” Lee asked looking at the rapidly shrinking coastline.


“My feet are killing me so it looks like we go to Earth Country.” Hinata responded shifting. “These tattoos serve as locators but I don’t see what pieces of a weapon have to do with a legendary substance.”


“No one knows what the essence is.” Lee reminded her. “This could just be a key to something.”


“You have a point but I keep thinking that something else is at work here. An Akatsuki member was helping me.” Hinata became flustered at the memory.


“We can cross that bring when we get there but Hinata my question is this. You have tattoos that represent the chakra elements; each one is representative of a place we will need to go to find a piece of the puzzle. Where is lightning? Why don’t you have one that makes us go to that country?”


“Lee I honestly don’t know.” Hinata responded thinking. “Most people would not consider lightning a true element because it is a combination. Unless I miss my guess…” a moment of incite struck Hinata and she knew. “The essence is in Lightning Country but to be able to access it we must have combined the other elements.”


“Hinata you are a genius.” Lee crowed laughing.
“Not really it was the incite from the powers of the Byukagon.” Hinata demurred.


“Don’t sell yourself short.” Lee retorted giving her a pat on the back. “Your family does enough of that for you.”


“Pot, I’m kettle nice to meet you.” Hinata laughed as Lee frowned at her.


“It’s not the same thing.” Lee grumbled before smiling slightly. “Okay I won’t if you won’t.”


“Neji doesn’t deserve you.” Hinata said looking into Lee’s now solemn expression.


“Don’t I know it but it takes me a while to get over these things.” Lee sighed. “Maybe if we get a spare moment in Earth Country…”


“Not gonna happen.” Hinata chirped. “I refuse to let you degrade yourself like that.”


“This is going to be a long trip.” Lee groaned.


“Well just do push ups or something.” Hinata advised.


“I don’t think I can do push ups with that part of my anatomy.” Lee mused thoughtfully.


“Lee I meant…” Hinata shook her head. “Never mind, Earth country isn’t too far away.”