Feral Dreams

After returning home from the hospital, Hinata left strict orders at the gate of the Hyuga compound that Sasuke would be turned away without question. The only thing they could tell him was to be prepared to leave when she called on him, but needless to say, this didn’t stop him from trying to force his way to see her. After his second attempt, she had a message sent to him with the Hokage’s seal, instructing him to stop bothering her guards and to be prepared as soon as possible. He sent her a reply, garbled with many interesting and innovative swear words, but when broken down into normal terms, it said he’d begrudgingly see her on the requested day.

During following days, Hinata locked herself up in the family dojo, only coming out for meals and to sleep, however even for those she needed to be coerced out. Hanabi who had become Sair’s temporary caretaker tried her best to keep the excitable little girl busy in Hinata’s absence. She didn’t mind having to watch over her, but was somewhat irritated that she had been forced to take time off from active missions at her sister’s behest. The only reason Hanabi even agreed to do what Hinata had said was because of her blind pleading. Normally she would have thought of her actions as foolish and demeaning, but Hanabi could feel her sister’s blind need of the favour, so she agreed. The cost however was that regardless of what happens, when whatever she was doing was all said and done, Hinata would tell her everything, no exceptions. This was met with a tight embrace and many thank yous, before Hinata ran off back to the dojo leaving a flustered and slightly disturbed Hanabi.

Late in the evening on the third day, once Hinata had finished for the night, she wandered the hallways in the general direction of her father’s study. Side passages, small halls, garden paths, she took every possible alternate route to get to her destination as she was not really looking forward to the coming conversation. Some time later, after taking a very round-about path and adding roughly an hour to her travel time across the compound, she arrived in front of the door to the room which caused her so much dread in her younger years. A light could be seen, flickering lazily through the crack beneath the door so she knew her father was in there. So, after taking several deep breaths and slowing her racing heart beat, she reached up hesitantly and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Echoed her father’s commanding voice.

She gripped the brass handle and pushed it open quietly. The study was no different than the last time she had been here, save for Neji not being inside as well. Hiashi sat on the floor, several scrolls open across the table and a small cup of tea sitting on the floor beside him. As she entered, he looked up at her curiously.

“What is the matter daughter? Why are you here at such a late hour?” He asked, a distinct note of curiosity could be heard.

“I…” suddenly uncertain about how she could broach the subject, she tried to find a less direct way of getting to the subject. “I needed to ask you about something, father.”

He watched her curiously a moment, before leaning down to the table and gathering up papers to clear a space for her on the other side. After opening a small amount of desk space he looked back to her, “Sit.”

Not one to turn down a welcomed invitation, especially considering the vast improvement over her father’s normal demeanour towards her, Hinata took off Naruto’s jacket and sat down with it folded in her lap. “Thank you father.”

“So daughter, speak your mind.”

“Excuse me?” Hinata speaks surprised.

In a very ‘matter-of-fact’ tone, Hiashi responds to his daughter’s curious stare, “You have been doing so, so freely lately that I suppose I have just been getting used to it. As long as you remain respectful and mindful of what you say, I will tolerate your outbursts.”

“Umm, yes, thank you father.” Surprised by her father’s uncommon acceptance, she took the statement in stride and spoke quietly, but resolutely, “Father, I’m leaving for a mission in 2 days time.”

He arched a wary eyebrow, “So I assume this would be the reason you’ve been in the dojo so much?” she nodded lightly in response, “And I should also assume that this was a request of Hokage-sama who had previously put you onto an extended leave?” she nodded again, “Very well, what is the nature of this mission?”

She audibly sighed at being asked the previous question, “I can only explain so much to you father, my apologies, but the Hokage’s proxy for the mission has demanded that only trace information regarding the mission can be given. I hope you do not mind.”

Hiashi watched Hinata for several seconds before his curiosity finally overwhelmed his apathy, “The Hokage’s proxy?”

“Yes father, since Tsunade-sama herself is unable to go on this mission she elected one person as her proxy to lead the mission in her stead.”

“Who are your team mates for this?” Hiashi was growing more curious by the second, but not allowing it to show on his face.

“Sasuke and Neji-niisan. That is all.”

“Neji?” He said, wondering if he had heard wrong.

“Yes father, as the proxy for Hokage-sama, I was able to call him back from his mission.”

“…as the proxy, you were able to call him back? Hmmm, that is an interesting bit of knowledge daughter, is there anything else you’d like to add?” Hiashi watched his daughter, casually concealing an amused smile by rubbing his jaw.

“…shit.” She said allowed as she realized she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Mentally she scolded herself, deciding she would need to work on her ability to keep secrets, though she expected little from whatever attempts she would make. “What I meant to say was…”

He raised a hand, interrupting her mid sentence, “What you meant to say was that you weren’t supposed to tell me that, were you.”

“…No.” She suddenly felt like a scolded puppy. “My apologies father, but would you highly object if we forget that I ever said that? It will make this easier for both of us in the long run.”

Intrigued by her excuse, he decided to test his luck, “That depends daughter, tell me about the mission and I will tell you how much of it I will forget.” Hiashi smiled to himself as his flustered daughter struggled to find appropriate words, it was a welcomed change from her standard panic in the past.

Finally piecing together her thoughts she looked back to her father, “Very well father, but there is one condition.”

“And that is?” he asked curiously

“That regardless of how much you choose to ‘forget’, please don’t tell Hanabi.”

“That is acceptable Hinata, now tell me, what is to come?”

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Hinata hadn’t gotten out of her father’s office until near three in the morning. She had explained everything regarding the letter and the current plan without leaving anything out, she may not overly like her father, but he is still a very skilled shinobi and therefore his opinion is one to be respected… generally. It also let her breath freely that her father had agreed to ‘forget’ their entire conversation.

When she finally got back to her room, she collapsed into bed intent on sleeping soundly, unfortunately some things just never go as intended. As soon as Hinata had dropped onto the bed, Sair who was wrapped up in blankets beside her and actively waiting for Hinata’s return, jumped onto her back.

Not having the energy to move anymore, Hinata just lay there, waiting for Sair to calm down… this took a minute, but when Sair finally finished her ’welcoming dance’ she plopped down next to Hinata and cuddled up to her chest.

“You’re way too energetic for this hour Sair.” Hinata said in an exhausted voice.

Sair looked up and pouted, her deep crimson eyes reflecting some of the moonlight, “But mommy, Sair has been waiting for hours!”

Shaking her head, she snaked her arms around Sair’s petit form, “Fine, but don’t expect me to do anything but lay here.” She smiled at the girl, her pillow partially obstructing her face.

Sair squealed happily and untangled herself from the blankets, curling up contentedly in Hinata’s arms. It wasn’t long before the sounds of their light snores filled the room, as both quietly slept.

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“Why did you leave me?!” Naruto’s pleading eyes bore into her, blood leaked unquenched from his lower lids. “Look at what they’ve done to me!” Flayed hands came into view, chunks of flesh hung limply from his tattered, bloody and broken hands. “It’s all your fault.”

“No, please, I’m sorry.” Hinata was on her knees, crying, reaching out for him but never bridging the distance between them. A black mist covered everything and was holding her back, keeping her from reaching him, from touching him, from knowing he was really alive.

“Sorry isn’t good enough.” He stalked forward, the mist receding from his body, exposing countless bleeding wounds. “This all started because I felt pity for you, because I thought maybe you deserved a chance. Well I guess I got what I deserved for thinking that, now didn’t I?”

Ragged sobs were all she could muster as she tried to stand, tried to get to him, “N-N-Na-Naruto, p-pl-please.”

His tattered hands grabbed her arms and lifted her off the ground, she could feel his cold fingers roughly digging into her biceps, squeezing them painfully. Immediately, he slammed her painfully into an invisible wall of mist behind her, knocking the wind from her lungs.

While she gasped, attempting to regain her breath, he brought his face close to hers, mere inches away. His eyes were no longer a brilliant blue, but a dark red, sinister and menacing. “It’s time for me to take back what you took from me Hinata, it’s time.”

He lunged forward, sinking his teeth deep into shoulder. She screamed as she felt his vice like jaws splinter her shoulder and collar bone. Blood freely poured down her chest as he twisted his head back and forth, ravaging the flesh and bone. He pulled back, tearing loose a large chunk of flesh as he released her and let her sag to the ground.

Blood running down his chin, he smirked and turned his back on her, “Now we’re together, just how you always wanted. Aren’t you happy?” he watched her coldly as she gasped for air. “I’m talking to you!” he slammed his hand into the gapping hole beside her neck and grabbed a part of her collar bone that was still attached. She felt bile quickly rise in her mouth as he twisted it upwards fiercely snapping the bone from her shoulder. Vomit filled her mouth as she grit her teeth against the pain, but she managed to swallow it back.

He held the bone in front of her, tauntingly, “I asked you a question Hinata. Are you happy now? We can both suffer together now.” He raised the bone to his mouth and bit into it, splintering brittle bone. He turned away and began walking into the mist, “Hurry up and join me Hinata, we can get along just like you always wanted.” he faded into the black mist allowing her to see him no more.

“…mmy.”

Nothing mattered anymore, at least soon she could disappear.

“Mo…y

Why was someone calling out?

“Mommy!’

Sair?

Hinata lurched upright from her bed, drawing a gasping breath. Blinking rapidly to allow her eyes to adjust to the sunlight, she realized she was still in bed, in her room.

“Mommy!” the small bundle of dark hair and sheets tackled into Hinata’s chest, knocking her off balance and causing her to fall off of her bed.

Disoriented, she let herself lie back and watch the ceiling, hoping for it to stop spinning. A moment later, tear streaked eyes came into view, the rest of the little girls face was completely obstructed by sheets. Rubbing her head lightly to try and clear her head, she watched the girl a second before speaking, “What’s wrong Sair?”

“Mommy’s scared!” Tears dripped down freely onto Hinata’s neck.

“No, don’t worry about it Sair, I just had a bad dream.”

“It wasn’t a dream mommy, he’s sorry.”

“Don’t worry Sair, it really was just a nightmare.” She reached up and removed the sheet covering Sair’s face. “I’m fine, see.”

Sair leaned down, resting her head on the side of Hinata’s neck, “He’s sorry mommy, he just needs a hug, Sair knows, he just needs a hug.” Tears still ran freely from Sair’s eyes and she clung desperately to Hinata.

“Fine, don’t worry Sair, I promise I will.” She wrapped her arms lightly around the girl, “So now that that’s taken care of, can we sleep a little longer? The sun hasn’t risen yet and I don’t much feel like being awake before it today.” Feeling Sair nuzzle deeper into her neck told her that this was an accepted scenario.

She closed her eyes, holding Sair close and drifted into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

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It wasn’t until early afternoon that Hinata awoke, feeling rested yet incredibly sore. She shifted Sair to the floor and stood up, popping her back and neck as she stretched. Content with the release of tension, she sighed and reached down to move Sair to the bed. As her hands reached the dozing girl, she heard someone behind her clear their throat.

Twirling around quickly, she dropped into a combat stance, hands forward and Byakugan active. “Good to know you’re more on the ball than before, cousin.” Came Neji’s cold, condescending voice. He stood in the corner of her room, near the door. He was dirty and dishevelled, his hair a tangled mess, no where near as pristine as his normal appearance.

Relaxing slightly after seeing it was Neji, Hinata dropped her stance and walked towards him, “Welcome back niisan, it’s good to see you made remarkable time getting back.”

He waited a moment, watching her intently before once again continuing in his normal, degrading tone. “So I received a rather interesting message while I was out on mission near Suna, it seems that you’re leading a mission back into the Rain to deal with the leftovers of your last mission.”

“Yes niisan, that’s correct.” She watched him intently, hoping to get an inkling of his current state of mind.

Neji continued as though she had said nothing, “Not that I mind going on this mission, in fact from what Hokage-sama wrote, I’m rather looking forward to it. But I would like to ask you one thing Hinata, why are you leading this mission? You are the inferior in both rank and ability, why would Hokage-sama have chosen you?”

She had been expecting this, but had hoped to be able to hold it off until after they started their travels, it was looking like that was no longer going to be an option. “Well, to put it simply, she personally asked me to do this, and… I accepted. Therefore, for the duration of this mission, I’m acting as Hokage-sama’s replacement.” She spoke the last part proudly, he noted this and remained silent.

“Then I have only one more question.” He paused, formulating the right words in his head, “Can I trust you to get the job done?” She blinked, surprised by his sincere tone, “Will you see it through to the end Hinata, can I trust you to not let your morals get in the way of what we need to do?”

She watched him a moment, his eyes intense and honest, “Yes, I can’t even say that I want to give them a chance anymore.” Her voice quickly became powerful, demanding attention without raising its volume. “The same goes for you however niisan. If I give you an order you will do it. If I am not going to be second guessing myself, you are not allowed to second guess me either. Understood?”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “That is… acceptable.”

“… Umm, thank you? That was strangely accepting of you niisan, I was expecting you to fight it more than that.”

He let out a short laugh, “Hinata, have you ever heard the phrase, ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’?”

She looked back at him confused, “No, what’s it mean?”

He quirked a smile at her response, “It means when you are given exactly what you want, don’t complain about little details. I’ve had a while to think by myself, so I don’t blame you anymore… but I still want to take something from them.” He turned from her and slid open the door, ready to leave.

“Wait a second.” She spoke loudly to draw his attention.

Neji stopped and turned his head over his should, tresses of hair flipping across his back, “Hmm?”

She paused a second, formulating the words in her head, “Thank you. We leave at noon tomorrow.”

With a nod, he turned back and stepped out, sliding the door closed behind himself. She grinned, evidently pleased that she didn’t need to worry about her cousin’s mindset too much.

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The following day went by with event and come noon on the 5th day, Hinata stood ready and waiting for her teammates at the gates of Konoha. Few people had been told about the mission, so the only ones to see the trio off at the gates were Hanabi, Sair, and Tsunade. Sair clung to Hinata’s leg in what she already knew as a vain attempt to keep her there.

“Sair doesn’t want mommy to go.” She whined for the 20th time, Hinata just sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Relax Sair, I’ll be back in a week or two,” she stroked the girls hair lightly. “We’ll be back soon, but you have to let go of my leg so we can leave.”

Sasuke and Neji paced impatiently while the other two laughed at the little girl. Both men had cleaned up and gathered their things the night before, they were itching to get on the road. Unfortunately their leader seemed to have too much trouble detaching a child from herself.

“But…”

“No buts Sair.” Hinata crouched down beside the girl and gave her a light hug. “I’ll be back I promise, but I can’t get back until after you let me go.”

With another pout, Sair reluctantly released Hinata’s leg and looked up into her pail eyes, “Okay mommy, just remember to duck, it’ll hurt if you jump.”

“Sure, I’ll remember…wait… what? Never mind, sure, I’ll remember. I’ll see you in a while Sair, be good for Hanabi.” She released the little girl and stood up to face Tsunade and her sister. “Well, we’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“Good luck sister.”

“Good luck Hinata, everything is in your hands.”

“Thanks.” She smiled and turned to face her two teammates, “Let’s head out.”

Both men looked at each other and shook their heads in amusement before turning and walking through the gate. Hinata turned to follow before a moment of dawning realization hit her and she turned back to face her sister.

“Sister, I forgot to tell you something!” Hanabi looked quizzically and Hinata shouted to her. “Father was calling me by my name the other day!”

She immediately turned around to chase after her teammates. Hanabi looked up to Tsunade, speaking confusedly, “Hokage-sama, do you think she was joking about that last part?”

Tsunade watched Hinata’s receding form as she spoke, “I don’t know, why?”

Hanabi looked off after her sister as well, “Because if she wasn’t joking, then I don’t think she realizes what it means when an heir is referred to by her name directly by the head of the clan.”

Curious as to the girls tone, Tsunade looked appraisingly at Hanabi, “What does it mean?”

“Except in ceremony, when the current head of the clan frequently speaks to one of their heirs using just their first name, it means that they consider them their equal and are thus officially recognized as the true heir to the clan… I’m thinking if things continue along those lines, it’s going to be very interesting when she gets back.”

“Indeed, it probably will.”

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The three travelled fast, Neji taking the lead and keeping watch for possible threats or ambushes while Hinata kept up with Sasuke and filled him in on the mission details. She felt bad that she hadn’t given him a chance to reject the mission, but she really needed his expertise and ferocity for the coming battle. Thankfully, after being filled in on the various parts that he hadn’t been able to figure out for himself, he became more amicable towards the mission.

The town they were to meet their contact in was approximately a three day journey, if they could keep up the same pace they were currently moving at, they could make it easily on the second day. All of them wanted to meet this with their contact as soon as possible, so drove on without taking any unnecessary breaks or rests for the duration of the trip. Hinata knew she didn’t have the same kind of stamina that the other two, so she popped a soldier pill before leaving so that she could keep up with them. So far it had been working without problems.

When they finally made camp, late on the first night, they were completely exhausted. However, not wanting to take any more time than they needed, they took watch in three, three hour shifts, ensuring that each got enough sleep to function for the following day, then took off at full speed again some time before dawn.

Other than a brief encounter with a Konoha patrol, lead by some Chunin that they didn’t know, they didn’t encounter a soul until reaching the town late at night.

Choosing to back up a few miles for safety and camp until dawn, they rested and prepared for the worst.

The following morning the three sat around a small fire speaking in hushed voices “So, Neji.” Hinata spoke calmly, going over the plan for a second time, “We’re supposed to be meeting this Shashu on the southern edge of the village near a small farmhouse. You will make contact alone while we watch from afar with my Byakugan. If it’s a trap, focus on defence while we close in for support and attempt to flank them. If it’s clear, give us the sign and we’ll come meet up with you. If anything unexpected arises, use your own discretion, we’ll try to give you support as best we can. I trust your judgement. Clear?”

“I can work with that.” Neji nodded, satisfied with the plan.

“It makes sense, but why him? You or I could do this just as easily.” Sasuke inquired. He wasn’t whining, rather it seemed that he was honestly asking her.

“It’s pretty simple actually. While we have our own defences, they’re more difficult to maintain and perform than Neji’s Kaiten. Unless they figure out how to disable it, Neji could probably continue to defend himself for an hour without being overwhelmed.” She suppressed a smirk as she saw the dawning realization in Sasuke’s visible eye, “That work for you Sasuke?”

“Yeah, I can deal with letting Neji be the bait. Not that I’m one to turn down a fight, but I’ll leave the ‘being sneak attacked’ up to the guy who cane see behind his back.”

“Wow, I feel so honoured that you’ll allow me to do this Sasuke. Now go to hell.” said Neji bitterly.

“Okay then boys, before this degrades further, let’s leave the plan at that.” Hinata stepped between the two men glowering at each other, “We leave in ten minutes so get your things together.”

With an irritated huff, the two men stalked off to gather their necessary supplies. Hinata just stood back shaking her head, asking herself why her teammates had to be so stubborn. Ten minutes later, they met up with her in the middle of the camp, ready to head off.

They let Neji move ahead, keeping about 500 metres between them as they moved towards the place they were supposed to meet Shashu. As Neji came into view of the old farmhouse, he saw an old man sitting outside on a tree stump, smoking a pipe. After taking a quick scan around the area to make sure there was no one waiting in ambush, he hesitantly approached the old man.

When Neji moved within 10 meters, the old man spoke up, “Hold boy, who are you?” His voice was vital and strong, with only a hint of the hoarseness of age,

Neji appraised the man a moment before responding, he wore loose, but warm clothing and had tanned skin with no hair on his head. He had a farmer’s build, average height, while being somewhat muscular. “I’m a representative from Konoha, are you Shashu?”

The man quirked an eyebrow at Neji’s comment dark green eyes showing from beneath his bushy brow, “That all depends if you mean any harm to Shashu or this village.”

“We have no intentions to do anything of the sort.”

“Fine, fine.” His cool voice seeming to have calmed the man, he stood, dusting himself off while still smoking his pipe. “Wait here a minute, I’ll call for him.” Hunching slightly, he meandered over to his house and disappeared through the doorway.

Hardly a minute later, light puffs of acid green smoke came from the house’s chimney, and a few seconds after, stopped completely. Shortly after that, the old man walked back out, holding an opaque bottle in his off hand, “He’ll be here soon, care for a drink in the mean time?”

“No thank you.” He said, eyeing the bottle distrustfully.

“Suit yourself.” The man unstoppered the bottle and drank deeply from it, then with a whistle of satisfaction, he put the stopper back and sat back down on his tree stump.

The old man made no further attempts at conversation while Neji stood around aimlessly. After five minutes of waiting, he began to pace. No other sounds, nothing had entered his Byakugan range and he was getting irritated, where was this guy?

“Hey old man.”

“That’s not an overly nice way to refer to your elders, but what is it boy?”

Neji’s eye twitched at being referred to as a boy, but he refrained from pressing that matter, “Where is this guy? I figured he’d be waiting nearby to see your smoke signal.”

Smiling broadly, “Oh, he’s nearby. He’s probably watching you to make sure you’re not actually a threat. I wouldn’t worry though, if he thought you really were one, he would have already shot you.”

“Shot?”

“Now Parkins,” The voice came from immediately behind Neji, “Don’t be telling people what they don’t need to know.”

Neji spun around, dropping into his Jyukken stance to face the man behind him. The man was short, 5’2”, maybe 5’3” and had incredibly pale skin, even paler than Sasuke’s, he still looked young however, mid 20’s maybe. He wore comfortable, forest coloured clothing with a hooded cloak and held a long, thin metal and wood pole in one hand. A leather strap attached to the pole wrapped loosely around his wrist as he stood watching Neji through his left eye which was a pale brown, his right eye however, remained closed. He slid back his hood revealing a mess of short, tangled, brown hair and smiled at the combat ready man in front of him.

“Relax, I have no interest in fighting you. I was just watching to make sure there weren’t going to be any problems.”

“How did you get so close without my sensing you?” Neji was surprised, but hid it in his voice.

“Well, that’s a little difficult to be explained, but I suppose it can best be explained like this.” He took a step closer to Neji, “You are a ninja, I am an assassin. There is a distinct difference between our skills Neji.”

Taking the assassin comment as a threat, Neji narrowed his eyes and readied a strike should the man take a step closer.

“Well shit, I was warned about pissing you off. Will you please calm down? That wasn’t intended as a threat.” He leaned his wait on the pole in his left hand, trying to give a relaxed appearance.

“Who warned you about us.” Something was nagging in the back of his head, something the man had said was putting him more ill at ease by the second. The assassin comment had just forced him to ready himself, it was something else, something more subtle.

“Hold on a second friend, Parkins, go home will you?”

“Yeah, yeah.” The old man stood up and wandered off, back into his house.

“Okay, now listen kid,” Neji narrowed his eyes at the comment, “Don’t get pissy with me, I’m not intending on demeaning you when I say that. So listen, I know you have your allies back over there,” he gestured down the path Neji had taken, “and if I had really wanted to kill you I would have. So pull your pride out of your ass and call your friends over, I don’t much feel like needing to explain who I am multiple times.”

Neji watched him for a few seconds before raising his hand and forming a few quick signs in the air. Watching from afar, Hinata saw Neji give the sign for a cautious approach, and decided to react accordingly.

“Sasuke, flank around from the left. Keep in cover just in case.” He nodded and slowly moved through the forest towards the target, Hinata however stood from cover and walked directly towards her cousin and the man.

The man turned to look at Hinata as she approached through the light forest, her long coat catching on small trees and branches as she passed.

“So,” Neji spoke, turning the man’s attention back on himself. He broke his combat stance and stood up straight, towering over the small man. “You’re Shashu I assume?”

With a hint of a smile the short man spoke, “Yes, that would be me.”

“Can I ask you why you’re helping us?”

“I already explained that in my letter, they caused the death of my brother.”

“Yes, but you also wrote it was us who killed him.”

A sad smile leaked across Shashu’s features, “Yes… you did. But I do not blame you for doing what you needed to. I blame those forced him to do what he did for false power.

“You mean you don’t blame us entirely, correct?” Hinata’s calm voice echoed in as she walked up beside the two men, Naruto’s black coat covered in brambles.

“That I cannot deny lady Hinata.”

Her eyes flared as she lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar. However, in one fluid motion he used the pole in his left hand to flip himself over and upwards, leaving her holding his cloak. “Now, now my dear, that was uncalled for.” He spoke, hanging some ten feet of the ground from a tree, using his legs to hook a thick branch.

“How do you know my name?” She glared up at the man. At that moment it clicked in Neji’s head as well, the nagging feeling was that the man had called him by name.

“Oh… that… I forgot, my apologies.” He pulled himself up so he could comfortably on the branch.

“Apology not accepted, how do you know our names.”

“I can explain that easily enough, though I request that we discuss this at my cabin. It is not something I can discuss out in the open.” He dropped down to the ground in front of them. “If that is amenable, I would ask that you two and your friend Kakashi follow me.”

“Kakashi?” They said in unified confusion.

“Your friend that is currently sneaking up from my flank.” He said nonchalantly.

The pieces clicked together in Neji’s head as he understood, Sasuke and Kakashi had very similar appearances save for their hair colour, so it wasn’t surprising that someone who was probably just running off a description would make that mistake. Paying active attention to the man’s reactions, he asked, “Who gave you our descriptions?”

“A friend, and until we are somewhere where I can guarantee no one can overhear us, I ask that you let me leave it at that. So Kakashi,” Shashu turned and faced directly at Sasuke’s hiding spot, “are you coming or not?”

Sasuke stepped out of hiding, watching the man curiously, “I’m sure he would if her were here, but I think you’re looking for the wrong person.”

Shashu examined him a moment, still keeping only his left eye open. “Oh, I recognize you now, you were with lady Hinata on the first attack. My apologies, your appearance is similar to what I was told a Mr. Hatake Kakashi looked like.”

“Well that’s grand, aren’t you proud of yourself.” Sasuke spoke in a distinctly irritated tone.

“Please sir, I meant no offense. Could we please move on though? I would like to ask your name but I can’t really be away for too long and there are to many things we cannot discuss where it is possible to be watched or overheard.” Turning to Hinata he held out his hand, “If the lady wouldn’t mind, could I have my cloak back? It is a bit cold recently.”

Still uncertain about the man, she held out the cloak, to which he nodded gratefully and took it from her hand.

“Why are you so much more civil with Hinata than myself?” Neji asked the man accusingly.

“Hmm, chivalry is a dying art my friend,” He said in a mater-of-fact way, “There is no reason that a man shouldn’t be respectful to a lady.”

“Right then… So where are we going?” Neji spoke as Shashu draped the garment around his shoulders.

“It’s really not that far, it’s only about a kilometre to the east. I do not know how fast you are, but I’m sure we can get there quickly enough. Now if you’ll please follow me.” He took off at a sprint due easy through the light forest.

The two men looked to Hinata, waiting for input. After a moment she sighed, “Come on, let’s follow him.” With that they took off after him. After a short while, he slowed down to a brisk walk, allowing the three ninja to catch up.

Once they all arrived near him, he pointed up a small hill, a little ways off that had a dense thicket of trees, ”We’re heading up there, the trees part in the south-west corner and my cabin is inside.”

Without an argument, they walked around the incredibly dense thicket to its south-western corner, where there was in fact a thin path that could allow someone to walk through. After passing through several metres of a winding path through the trees, they came out into a decent sized clearing which contained a worn, old log cabin. It’s stained wood roof, large balcony and large windows made the home look surprisingly comfortable.

“Come inside then, you don’t need to worry about being overheard here. This area has wards on it, so we can’t be spied on,” He walked to the cabin door and waited for them to join him.

After a moment hesitation, they decided to move up and join him. While standing beside the door, Hinata looked to Shashu again curiously, “So why…

Cutting her off mid thought, Shashu spoke intensity, “Please, questions after. First I’d like to return the belongings that I mentioned in the letter, I am sorry for continuously delaying your questions, but please bear with it a little longer.”

He creaked open the door, allowing them entry. A dull, flickering light from a fireplace gave a warm but shadowy illumination to the small house. Many hunters’ trophies could be seen adorning the wall and in the far corner, a small bed with thick, fur blankets could be seen. A closed door was on the left wall, leading to probably some kind of kitchen area, and on the far wall beside a window, there was a short end table and a currently occupied wood chair covered in extra blankets.

The person in the chair turned away from the window, the light in the room only casting spatters of light across their face as they spoke in a hoarse but recognizable voice, “Hey guys, took you long enough.”

They were all silent for a long time until Neji finally broke it, “Ten Ten?”

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Shashu – Marksman

Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the new chapter. I’m going to try and get another one up before new years but I already have a pretty awful track record with that. Anyway, please read and review, if you have any questions feel free to ask :)

Thanks for all your continued support,
The_Keeper