This is the rework my lovelies!! I do not own Naruto.
:-:-: In the four years after the war:-:-:
Naruto ran around the village, he was searching for someone he hadn't seen for about six weeks now. He looked around her usual places but there was nothing of her anywhere, so he had gone to go find the next best thing, her two best friends. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be with them, she almost always was. He ran down the path leading to the Inuzuka estate and ignored the growls of all the Nin-dogs that were near, well that was until a dark war-torn hound landed before him and told him to halt, that made him stop alright. A goofy grin crossed his lips as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"I'm here for Kiba and Shino, have you seen them?" Naruto asked and the hound sniffed him once then released what seemed to him like an annoyed sigh. "Yeah, kid, they are here. I'll bring them to you; I refuse to have to chase down the pups again." The dog grumbled then hobbled off. Naruto laughed lightly and scratched his cheek slightly. He remembered that incident... Kiba had asked him to come over and was excited about the three litters of new pups.
One litter had ten pups, one had eight, and the last had five; Naruto loved puppies, just like the rest of Konoha it seemed. Everyone had been chattering about the new Inuzuka puppies and it hadn't been long before Kiba had asked him to come over. He and Naruto had become really good friends over the years, and that was the only reason he got to see the puppies before the rest of the village. They had gone into the puppies' area and Naruto, being himself and needing no further explanation, had forgotten to lock the gate. Every one of those puppies had taken off and vanished along the Inuzuka property.
It hadn't been long before the huge war torn hound had found both Naruto and Kiba in the puppy pen. The horror on their faces was fitting, because then not only had the dog shown up, Tsume Inuzuka had dropped down and began yelling at the two teenagers. Needless to say, they had both spent an entire day trying to find the pups. It was not fun chasing untrained Nin-dogs across the massive property.
Naruto snapped himself out of his reminiscing because before he knew it both Kiba and Shino were jogging down the path from the compound.
"Hey, Naruto, what's up?" Kiba asked and Naruto smiled at him and opened his mouth to speak but Shino cut him off. "I believe he is looking for Hinata-chan." Shino said and a slight blush crossed Naruto's cheeks. Kiba grinned widely. "Oh, that's how it is, is it?" Kiba laughed as he shook his head, his amusement soon died off though and he crossed his arms over his chest. Naruto didn't like the look that crossed the normally grinning males face. "She's hiding out at home... she hasn't done so well since the loss of Neji... she just... kinda fell apart." He sighed and Naruto's face fell. That hurt him deep down, he knew what that pain felt like and he had never wanted her to go through it.
"I knew she wasn't doing so well, but I was just hoping to be there to make it better." He said and Kiba stared at him for a moment, then waved for him to follow him. "C'mon, I can get you into the Hyuuga compound." He said and he led him all the way to Hinata's home, it wasn't a long trip but it was a quiet one. When they got there, Hanabi was there to greet them. The three of them were led right up to Hinata's room, and her father was the one who had led them there no less, it seemed he had been worried about her.
"Hey Hinata, there are some visitors here for you." Hiashi said and opened the door. Hinata was sitting on her bed, curled up under her blanket. The lights were out and they could tell she hadn't wanted to leave. It looked like she hadn't been out and about for a while. "Hinata, it's been long enough, you have to come outside now." Naruto said upon seeing her in this poor state. She looked over at him and her eyes were just so dull it broke his heart to see his friend this way. Sad hollow eyes peering from the bundle of blanket on the bed made his heart twinge.
She reached to pull her hoodie over her head and he grabbed it and threw it across the room. "No." was all he said and she stared blankly at him. She then reached to do the same with her heavy lavender comforter, but he grabbed it by the edge nearest him and tugged it swiftly out of her grasp. "I can't do it!" she sobbed as she reached to find something else she could hide under. "Hinata, listen to me, this is not the way to handle things... six weeks..." he began and she stared at him sadly.
"You're killing yourself Hinata... you barely eat, you barely drink... hell you barely move! I'm not going to allow you to wither away! Not like this!" Naruto yelled; Kiba, Shino, and Hinata's father staring at him in shock. They never expected Naruto to be so forceful with the soft-spoken young woman. "I will do whatever it takes to get you out of this room, even if I have to come here every day and plead for you to leave it." Naruto said and a smile crossed Hiashi's lips, the young man was determined.
He peered around her room and took in the sight of the blanketed windows, blackened mirrors, and busted light bulbs; this saddened him greatly. "I'm not leaving." She said this so silently that Naruto almost didn't hear it. A frown crossed Hiashi's lips and his shoulders fell in his defeat, Kiba and Shino mirrored his defeat. Naruto on the other hand, his fists clenched so tightly that the friction could be heard by all of them.
"Too bad, that's not going to work for me." Naruto said and she frowned at him, while the others in the room stared at the two in confusion. Naruto whipped open the curtains, nearly blinding the occupants of the room. He slid the window up and took a second to peer down. He then proceeded to grab Hinata by her wrist and jump out the window, causing all of the people in the room to rush to the window to make sure they were ok. He was standing at the base of the building with his hand clutching his face, but you could see the bright red hand print on his cheek.
The looks exchanged between the two were of actual physical anger. "I told you I didn't want to leave! Why can't you just listen to me! I would have been fine!" she screamed at him, tears streaking down her cheeks as she clutched herself as she sobbed. "You're a damn liar." Naruto growled and her head snapped up at him. "You're so damn selfish!" he snapped and her eyes widened, she never thought those words would ever come from Naruto.
"You can't just shove us all away like this! We are worried about you Hinata! You're our friend and we only want the best for you!" he snarled and her lips trembled as tears streaked over her cheeks. "You can't be this damn selfish! You always cared for everyone else, even if they didn't deserve it. You do dammit! You deserve to be taken care of and adored by your friends! So..." he had started out yelling, but he took a deep breath and a smile crossed his lips as he crouched before her and offered her a hand.
"Let us in. let us help. We all miss him too." Naruto said and she sobbed loudly. "I miss him so much..." she sobbed as she rubbed at her eyes to attempt to stop the offending tears. "Everyone does, everyone misses him with every step we take. But we are all out and about, we are as such because we all miss him and we see him everywhere we go. He keeps us going even if he isn't here." Naruto said and she looked up at him, her eyes trailing up his right arm which was extended towards her.
The bandages that wrapped up his arm signified his loss, he had thrown away a lot just to get Sasuke back. She grabbed his hand and a brilliant grin crossed his lips and she couldn't help the blush that crossed her cheeks. "Thank you, Naruto..." she said and he grinned even wider, which she didn't think was possible but actually was. He helped her to her feet and she hugged him tightly. Kiba and Shino dropped from the window and grinned at the two.
"We should have brought you in sooner, damn..." Kiba laughed and Shino nodded.
After that day, things had begun to get better and everyone was all upbeat and things seemed to go smoothly. As the years had gone by, relationships had been formed, and had fallen apart. There were no hard feelings though... Sakura and Sasuke had gotten together but after about two years they had realized it hadn't been for the best, because there were too many conflicting things between them; but that didn't make them stop being two of the best friends there were.
Naruto and Hinata had gotten together, just as Ino and Sai had; but just as Sakura and Sasuke's relationship had, their relationships had fallen apart as well, but they were all of mutual understandings that they had actually loved each other like siblings and it had been misguided. As time had gone on, they had all gotten along very well. Sasuke and Hinata had begun talking and had even begun sparring together, although Sasuke wasn't half as rough during spars with her as he was with Naruto. That had been something they had worried about greatly.
They had all focused on how happy Hinata was and they were glad she had begun to open up. She would laugh more openly, toss insults right back at Sasuke, and would even gossip with Ino and Sakura. Kiba and Shino were very much pleased with this change in her demeanor, seeing as they had never gotten her to open up as much as everyone else was getting her to.
No one had expected the rapid fall either.
It had a year after Naruto was placed as Hokage, it was late at night and Hinata had just returned from a mission. She had this huge grin on her face because she had done well, being it had been a solo mission. She had stepped foot on her home property and had instantly noticed something was awfully weird, but her being her she hadn't thought much of it I had been very late at night after all. She slid open the door and with a brilliant smile on her lips, she called out "Mother, father, Hanabi-nee! I'm home!"
That was before she had clicked on the hallway light and her eyes had widened as a scream ripped from her throat.
That had been the beginning of her downfall. She had become distant in the months following...
It had started with the constant training alone in the woods late at night, then it had gone to having Sasuke as a training partner like before; but these were vicious spars that ended up with one or even the both of them in critical condition under Sakura's care. Naruto scolded Sasuke more often than not over this issue, but he insisted Hinata was the instigator of their 'little' fights. It wasn't until Naruto had sought Hinata out once more that he had realized exactly what the loss of her entire family had done to her.
She was reading up on all sorts of jutsu when he had pushed open the door to her temporary home, which just happened to be Sasuke's home. "Hinata?" he called and she made a guttural noise affirming she had heard him. He entered the dining room to see her surrounded with piles upon piles of books. He grabbed a stack and raised a brow, she slipped her reading glasses off her nose and glanced up at him. "Hm?" was her questioning reply.
"So what are you doing reading up on the second Hokage? Has Sasuke asked you about it or...?" he asked and she shook her head. "No, he doesn't know because I don't need his discrimination at the moment, you're not going to judge me too, are you?" she asked and he shook his head. "No... I promise, I'm just here to help." Naruto said and she smiled, but this smile didn't seem real in the slightest. He frowned at her and the smile vanished and she sighed.
"Funny how I've smiled for so long and yet whenever I fake one it is seen right through." She sighed as she slid the reading glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. "Hinata, how are you holding up?" he asked and she looked over at him. "How do you think I'm holding up? I mean you have been talking to Sasuke a lot lately... So, why don't you tell me how I'm doing." she said and he frowned, this was no good. He was going to get nowhere treating her like a victim, he noticed.
"Hinata... I have a proposition for you..." he said and she raised a brow at him curiously. "Is it going to be one that is like an intervention? Telling me that this is not who I am, this is not who I've been, and that I need to reassess myself?" she asked and he frowned, a sigh escaped her lips and she closed the book she was holding on Tobirama Senju and his list of strong water style jutsu. "It's not... I want to offer you a position that I think would help you in your endeavors." He said and she looked at him with stern eyes.
"You're going to promote me because I've been reckless lately? What is going through your head Hokage?" she asked as she crossed her arms beneath her chest, an unamused look on her face as she sat back in her chair. "No, more so what is going through yours? I'm not going to promote you because you're reckless, I'm promoting you because I know just how strong you are and I want you as my elite captain. You will be right under Sasuke and I." he said and she watched him curiously.
"But...?" she asked and he shook his head.
"No buts. I just want you there because I know that special ability you've been perfecting could be useful if anything ever happened." He said and she nodded. She pulled out a few pieces of paper and set them down on the table. "If I agree, you have to allow me to get these. I was going to ask you before, but I didn't think you would allow me to do so because you probably thought I was a security risk." She said and he watched her with narrowed eyes as he looked over the papers in his grasp.
"Alright, that's fine." He had said and she nodded. However, he hadn't noticed that this had only been the beginning of her change. She became more reclusive and private, before she came out open and rude. He thought she was getting better, but she in fact only got worse. This revealed itself when she had begun threatening her own teammates if they tried to stop her from doing something. This had become cringe worthy, especially her attitude that said she had to prove who was boss.
He had seen this version of her before, back when Obito had sent him into the other realm with Menma. This version of Hinata was like that Hinata, but his Hinata was much different while being similar all the same time, if that made any sense at all. It did to him, but he wasn't sure about anyone else...
Naruto stopped by Neji's grave and crouched there for a moment. His fingers brushed over the smooth stone gently, his eyes slipping shut as the image of his friend appeared in his mind's eye. Sometimes it still felt like the man still lingered here, watching over his own grave.
"Hey Neji... it's Naruto again..." he began as he felt the wind rush around him. "I tried my best, but I don't think my best is enough..." he said with a sigh as he looked up at the sky. "I was able to get through to Sasuke, but with Hinata... I feel like there's this wall..." he sighed as he glanced back down to the stone that had one lone sunflower on it. "I feel as if it isn't me that is supposed to break through it, I'm scared Neji... I'm scared we are going to lose Hinata..." he whispered as he fisted his hands in the grass before his stone.
"I need help, Neji..."
:-:-: 3 Years after the war :-:-:
Cold fingertips trailed the walls, leaving trails of heat that the house ate up hungrily; the empty house seemed to perk up at the trails her fingertips left. The moons dim light reflected off the images of the residents that once resided there, they had been colder than the walls now were, but... they had been her family. They had loved her; they had made her strong, just as well as the blonde-haired ninja had. They had always been there... up until they weren't...
Someone had attacked her family... their blood stained these silent walls. The ones who could escape did, and they left her father, her baby sister, and her mother to die along with the ones who weren't fast enough to escape. She had come home and the place was empty... blood staining the pale walls. That was a year ago... four years ago she lost her cousin in the war. How she hated this, everything... someone could have saved them, but they stayed in their homes. They listened to the fearful screams as her family has been so savagely slain. They hadn't told her of the incident either.
She had walked in with her usual naïve, 'Mother, Father, nee-chan... I'm home!' she had never been the same after her cousin had died in front of her, but she had begun to get better after Naruto had pulled her from her darkened room, slowly but surely she had begun to get better. She had talked to him every day at his grave and would leave him a sunflower. She had been the one to find her family and she had been the one to bury each and every one of them. Icy white eyes narrowed and she took one last glance around the house she once lived. She trailed both hands along the walls now, knocking off each and every picture that her hands touched.
There were no more echoes of a happy family; no more echoes of skin connecting with skin ringing down the hallway from the prideful clan that practiced in the dojo. The darkness and smell of death that hung in the air...they haunted her. Every face that she had seen, blood stained; eyes wide in fear, flashed before her eyes. Her heart clenched in pain, yearning for the family she had lost. "I'm breaking free... of all these memories... I'm going to burn them all to the ground..." her voice echoed in the silent home.
No. No, this house was no longer a home. This house... was an eyesore to her. This house... had been an eyesore to her family, but their pride kept them there. Pride... was that what had kept her parents and sister here to fight? Pride? Pride for what? Dying in your own home... How was there any pride in that? She didn't think there was... she strolled through the doors of the house one last time. She was going to start anew, she had been mourning them for too long.
She felt the surge of chakra as she performed the first hand sign. Her father appeared beside her in a flicker, his nod of approval steeling her nerves; then he flickered away as the second hand sign was done, instead her mother appeared to her right. Her mother nodded at her, staring proudly at her daughter in all her god given beauty. "Do it!" her mother said then flickered out of sight with the third seal, her cousin appearing by her left side. "You have to do this; it is the only way for you to break free." He said, standing there with a pride in his eyes that was unrivalled. With the last seal, one that made a triangle, her younger sister appeared. Her sister grinned at her and gave her the thumbs up. "Do It! Burn this forsaken place to the ground! Make it light up like a firework! Like me!" she said exuberantly and vanished as well.
The tears threatened to fall, but her resolve was strengthened by each of them. She took one deep breath and then released it, a blaze of flames leaving her lips and rushing at the house that was once her home. They all appeared beside her, one by one. Prideful looks in their eyes as they watched the place burn, they all turned to her. "Become stronger than you are, and save us from this fate." Her father said and she nodded, then turned back to watched the flames eat away at her once home.
She hit her knees and watched as the flames ate the house, no remorse for destroying what her family had built. She didn't care that as the beams collapsed in the house, Anbu had rushed over in an attempt to douse the flames, but their attempts were futile as she snapped at them bitterly and stood. "Leave the flames be, my family wanted this place to become ashes. If you put them out, I will just have to find a way to light it up once more, you know." She said and upon hearing her, the Anbu stopped and turned to her.
"Hinata..." the Anbu in front said, his dog whimpered at his side. He signaled for the rest of the Anbu to stop, and they did. They all watched as the flames burned the house to the ground. They couldn't arrest her for property damage; it was her home after all. Once the flames had reduced the place to ashes, she strolled away. This was no longer the woman they had known. This was the one life had created. They didn't even think Naruto could get through to her now...
The darkness she had fallen into... was too much for the kind, gentle soul they had once known and loved; but war, death, and hatred... they had changed her. She had lost Neji first, he had been a brother to her; one of her best friends. Then her mother and father, who had come to treat Hinata with the love and respect she deserved; she had finally proven herself to her father during the war. Her sister... Hanabi... life had taken her away as well. Someone probably could have saved them, but no one was able to. They had unknowingly let the Hyuuga fight their last losing battle alone; then left Hinata to find the dead bodies of her families the very next day... Hinata knew they had been dead for more than a few hours... they had been too cold when she had to bury them.
This... was no longer the Hinata they knew. This was Okami the Elite Anbu captain... who left no assignment unsuccessful. Kiba knew what she was searching for; or much rather who. She was searching for the one with her sister's eyes. Her mother and father had known to crush their eyes before they died... Hanabi hadn't had the chance to do so... her eyes were the only lead Hinata had. And for the Hyuuga eyes to be retained, they had to be transplanted immediately.
-:-:- Present Time -:-:-
She sighed as she thought of what she had done to the Hyuuga estate a year ago. She knew her family hated the house, but she figured the only way to truly rid her of those horrid memories, was to burn the place to the ground. She closed her eyes and remembered the moment her family members appeared before her. One at each seal, each one encouraging her to burn the place down, she smiled slightly. The feeling she had gotten from burning the place down was unlike any other, she felt as if she had released them from their eternal entrapment. Those thoughts would do her no good, she had a job to do, a Hokage to meet with.
She slid her wolf mask on and secured her pure white Anbu armor; then she pulled her waist length hair into a ponytail. Her team waited outside, but she had no worries; she didn't need them right now anyways. They were just there to watch after her again. She wouldn't fail, well it wasn't that she wouldn't fail; it was that she couldn't, she never failed. Not anymore, she had a 100% completion rate. No survivors were left to inform their boss of their killer. No one had left her a survivor, so why should she give them that pleasure? The knowledge of who killed them was hers, and hers alone.
She walked silently out of her apartment, her team following her out of the door, but splitting ways as she took to the streets, and they took to the rooftops. None of the civilians knew who she was, and very few of the Anbu knew who she was; they all knew she was a force to be reckoned with only if you had a death wish. She had become really strong over the past few years. When she was sixteen, the war had taken her cousin; four years later, when she was twenty... someone had slaughtered her family and left her alone. That had been the final push; people had tried to get through to her before, but they could no longer get through to her after this...
Every time she thought of her family, a pang of pain and guilt struck her, she hadn't been there to help; she hadn't been able to save them. She had let them die... those thoughts are what made her this way. It was the horrible, despicable truth, and she knew it. Everyone told her it wasn't her fault, but she knew if she had been there; her family would still live in that forsaken pile of ashes. A brave child ran up to her, she reminded her of Hanabi. Hinata had seen this child around before, this little girl was always giving people gifts. Hinata stopped and looked at the child, a slight confusion in her eyes. The child looked up at her fearlessly and handed her a small wolf.
Hinata took the wolf and stared at it blankly. "Why would you give me this?" she asked; confusion in her sharp voice. The child didn't even flinch, she just grinned up at her, and all she saw was little Hanabi grinning up at her. Just the look on the child's face tugged at her heart. "Because even the big, strong, scary wolves need a cute cuddly companion." The child said and Hinata looked from the child to the small black stuffed wolf. Hinata gave her a small nod and tucked the wolf into her armor, not wanting to spend any more time around the Hanabi look alike. She couldn't harm a child... she couldn't be outright mean to a child, either... she looked too much like Hanabi...
Hinata strolled right into his office without knocking; he only nodded to her, his feet up on the desk. "So... why did you call for me?" she asked and he smiled, if only slightly. "I have a mission for you. There has been some odd activity going on around the village lately, I want you to hide out and check it out. She raised a brow at one of her only friends, if you could even call the three of them that... she mused over the idea of it with a humored glint in her eye. Her friendship with him, was like his and Sasuke's the blonde annoyed them both, but they still enjoyed his presence on occasion.
"Don't worry, Sasuke is going too, I would never send you out without your only friend." He chuckled and she smirked, if only he knew she thought of him the way Sasuke did. The hawk masked Anbu poofed right beside her with a hand sign from Naruto. "What the hell Naruto?" he growled, obviously he hadn't been wearing his Anbu attire, and Naruto had summoned him in it. His clothes were all rumpled and his armor was on backwards. Hinata sighed and Sasuke turned to her. "Hinata... hey." He greeted and she nodded in acknowledgement. He straightened himself out as Naruto explained the odd presence outside the village that he had been feeling. The mission was basically a stealth patrol, one that he knew Hinata and Sasuke could handle brilliantly.
Hinata easily strolled past the front gates of the village, her katana strapped to her back, right above her hips, much like how Sasuke carried his. Izumo and Kotetsu shuddered; they could feel the darkness that surrounded her. They knew she was one to be feared if you were met with the end of her blade. She had become somewhat cocky and bitter, but if you were a teammate, you were not left behind and you never fought alone. Hinata had become a warrior; she was not an avenger; not like Sasuke had been. Hinata was a warrior with a purpose, not an avenger filled with hatred.
"Okami-san!" Izumo called and Hinata turned to them and walked over, her movements fluid-like. The way she moved reminded them of the jutsu she specialized in. "Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san." She greeted and Kotetsu suppressed a shiver at the chill that followed her wherever she went. He could swear that water froze when she walked by, but even that would be a bit harsh considering what she went through; at least she hadn't become like Sasuke had.
"So, where are you going today, Okami-chan?" Izumo asked and Hinata sighed and rubbed her brow with the palm of her hand. "Naruto-kun sent me out to go patrolling in the forbidden areas again; something out there just doesn't sit right with him. It doesn't surprise me... I have been feeling something off lately as well." She said and Izumo smiled lightly and nodded. Kotetsu figured he had a thing for the young woman, but was too scared out of his mind to try anything. Kotetsu didn't blame him for being slightly fearful of her; she was wicked with a blade.
"Well, I must be off; Sasuke-teme must be ever so impatient waiting on me." She said and Izumo blinked, the sarcasm in her voice was heavy and the look in her eyes was dull and bored. "U-Uh...goodbye, Okami-chan..." he said and Kotetsu scoffed at him. "Chicken." Kotetsu said and Izumo sighed. "I know... she scares the hell out of me, but man isn't she a looker." He chuckled and Kotetsu snorted. "That looker will slice you in two if you try to get a glimpse, you've seen what she's done to Sasuke."
-:-:-:-:-
Hinata sat on her branch, a senbon between her lips; it had become a habit for her to chew on them... She sighed and used her Byakugan to scan the surrounding area. She saw nothing, nothing but Madara's great stone face. She snorted, he'd looked much better in real life than the statue put him off as. Someone obviously had needed to get their eyes checked for that reason alone. She pulled the tiny stuffed wolf from her armor and frowned at it. "Why does that child affect me so..." she sighed and rubbed the tiny wolf's ears.
"A wolf with a wolf, interesting." Sasuke's voice came from behind her in a slightly lazy whisper. "What do you have?" she asked and he shrugged against the other side of the tree. "Not much, less than what you have I bet. Anyways... I felt a strange chakra from around the Hokage burial sites." He said and she raised a brow. "Hm... that's more interesting than what I got... I really don't have anything." Hinata said and Sasuke looked around the tree at her. "Oh. So the legendary Okami-san got nothing from patrolling?" he asked with a smirk and she smirked back at him.
"Not yet anyways... in three... Two... and now I have information." She said and he frowned. "Shadow clones? Seriously? Not fair." He complained and she rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I still have nothing really. No strange chakra, the only thing I do have is that the deer over at Shikamaru's place are vicious." She said and he chuckled. "So... who is going to report back to the orange numbskull?" Sasuke asked and Hinata smirked. "You of course, I'm going to check out the odd chakra around the Hokage burial grounds." She said and before he could object, she melted into a puddle of water and he cursed under his breath.
"Damn you Hinata, you knew I didn't want to go back yet..." he grumbled as he strolled down the path leading back to the village. He grumbled to himself the entire way back, knowing that Hinata was on her way to the burial grounds of the previous Hokage, where that strange chakra had made him feel uncomfortable. He hadn't wanted to stay too long there, but he would have if it had saved him from a dual yell of "What you found something?!" from the blonde duo in the Hokage's office.
Hinata made her way to the burial grounds swiftly and silently, she didn't want any prying eyes trying to figure out what she was doing. Her Byakugan scanned over the grave sites the moment she got there, she couldn't really see anything; but the chakra was there. The chakra felt divine, meaning it made the air around her sizzle and her skin felt like pins were pricking her all over. Her skin burned with the divine chakra. It made her feel as if she were a threat here.
Her lips quivered and her eyes stung, the feeling of being rejected by the undead was just... heartbreaking. She thought she was fighting to preserve their will of fire, but she supposed they thought she was a danger now. A slow smile crossed her lips as she looked over the graves. Her voice came out soft, loving, and it surprised her that she could still make such an innocent noise come from herself anymore. "I guess something divine is protecting you all. If only something divine had been there for me..." she said softly and made her way out of there, the pricking sensation leaving goose bumps all over her skin.
She knew she had become something different, but that didn't matter; she had done this so she wouldn't lose anyone else. Whether they knew she had done this to protect them or not, she didn't care. She just wanted to keep the faces she saw on a daily basis around. Her eyes scanned over the stars in the sky and right up to the crescent moon above as she started walking once more. She shivered as she walked away; it felt like someone was watching her, their breath on her neck. When she turned around, no one was there.
She furrowed her brows as she made an effort to leave faster; she was beginning to feel tired; like something was draining her chakra. She couldn't sense anything, but she knew there was something there, even if she couldn't see, hear, or sense it; something else was there. This was not something she liked feeling, paranoid; that's exactly what she felt. She shrugged off her discomfort and decided to report this to Naruto, then she was going to ask Sasuke if the divine chakra burned him as well.
-:-:-:-:-
"I guess something divine is protecting you all. I wish something divine would have been there for me..." her voice echoed within his darkness. He had been dead for so long and yet a voice that angelic had ever come so close to his grave. Her voice made him feel... alive, in a sense. The sound of her voice had held such a beautiful tone to it, despite the trembling of her tone her voice had made him feel. He knew he was dead; he had been wallowing in this darkness along with the unending silence for so long. So, it needn't be said that when he had heard her voice it filled his void with life.
'Senju.' A voice he had become so accustomed to hearing as of late, said. "What is it you want now?" he grumbled, he didn't like it when people disturbed his resting place, especially not this woman. She was the only one who would speak to him and she hadn't been here long, well hell it could have been a decade since she had arrived but he couldn't quite figure it out. He just knew it was a lot shorter than that of the time from his previous reanimation by the young Uchiha.
'It would do you well not to speak so ill towards me; I am after all the only one who can offer you something greater than you could have hoped.' Her voice echoed around him and he sighed. He looked around hovering alone in this darkness. Hashirama and Mito had left this darkness almost the instant she had arrived, his brother had stayed with him for the longest time but once Mito had arrived, he too moved on. He had seen so many familiar faces come and go, but he had stayed; unable to move on. "What could you offer me? I doubt there is anything that you have that I would ever want." he asked and he really wanted to be rude, he had given up hope on some things, but other things were just insane.
'Yes, I can give you something I know you would love to have; I have come to ask a favor of you, Tobirama Senju.' Her voice echoed around him and he raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. "How do I know you aren't going to send me to hell, how am I to know that you aren't a demon seeking my eternally screwed soul?" he asked and her light sigh was heard. 'You are going to prove to be difficult, aren't you?' she asked and he nodded. "Interesting, well would you please just hear me out before you decline my offer?' she asked and he thought for a moment.
"What could you give me that would make me want to agree? There is nothing more than the fact I want than that of being able to rest in peace." He said and she sighed once more. 'There is one thing anyone in this realm would kill to get.' She said and he raised a brow as he hovered around in the darkness. This place drained the fight out of him; it drained the hope out of him as well. It was that dark depressing abyss of nothingness that everyone feared they would fall into.
He couldn't see her but he felt the divinity that followed her. "And... what would that be? Are you going to reincarnate me as someone else so I can live again?" he asked with a slightly bitter yet amused tone, which in turn made her louder. 'No, I am not going to reincarnate you. If I did, you would have to relearn all your jutsu again and even then your reincarnation wouldn't know how to use half the jutsu you used.' She said and he huffed lightly. 'But... if you will please just hear me out... I will tell you what I can give you. I just want to make sure you accept this request first, if you don't accept; I won't tell you what you could've had. Selfish desires are unwanted. If you could think of helping someone else, and you agree; I will give you something you could have never hoped to receive.' She said and he crossed his arms over his chest once more, the same uninterested look in his eyes.
"Go on..." he said the wave of a hand and she sighed once more, he was making this hard on her and he knew it. 'There is a young woman shrouded in darkness... she is very important to the future of the shinobi world, being as she is the last of her clan.' She said and he snorted. "What does this have to do with me?" he asked and she grit her teeth. 'This young woman went through everything you went through, but she needs help... if she continues going down the path she is going; she will die!' the woman growled, she was really losing her patience with this man.
"What do I care if she is going down the wrong road, that's what happens to avengers. They travel that road, they become insane, and then they die. Why is she any different?" he asked and he could feel her anger and sadness. "Because she was my daughter!" her voice rang loudly through the darkness. She appeared to him, her grey eyes filled with tears and her long dark hair flowing around her. "She is my daughter... she is the only one I have left. Our family... we were killed for our eyes, our doujutsu... please... help us..." she begged and he furrowed his brow.
"Can you tell me who I am going to be dealing with if I agree, or will I have to seek her out myself?" he asked and the ghost of the woman looked up at him. 'I'm afraid I cannot tell you who she is, that would be the limit the Kami gave me. They told me I could ask you for help, but I couldn't tell you... I'm sorry...' she said but locked her hands together in front of her pleadingly. 'Please, please will you help my daughter?' she asked and he furrowed his brows.
"So what you're telling me... is that I am going to save a woman I have never met, nor would I have ever heard of before now; and that since she is your daughter you beg and plead for my assistance... what if she refuses my help? What if she becomes the insane avenger you fear she will? What would I do then? Kill her?" he asked and the woman furrowed her brows together. 'She is not an avenger! She is a warrior! She is shrouded in darkness, and the only one who could help her is one who went through the exact same scenario, and didn't become a shinobi who hides within the darkness around them. That is why I chose you. You lost everyone, but you still lead konoha like a fine leader who hadn't lost anyone. You did everything you did in the name of the loved ones you lost; she is doing everything she does because of who she lost. She is seeking out the one who stole her sister's eyes... if she doesn't stop, she will die and so will our clan!' she said and he frowned.
"If I agree... how would I help her? I'm dead, I can't do much in this pitiful state." He said and she looked at him hopefully. 'If you agree, I will tell you.' She said and he frowned. "Fine, you win. I agree, I will help the girl; even though I have no idea how I could help her." He said and the woman smiled. 'Thank you... Tobirama-sama.' She said and that was the last thing he heard from her as she flew at him, her spirit form exploding around him when she collided with him.
"What the-" he began, but darkness flooded his sight and he grit his teeth. "What did you do to me?" he asked and her voice echoed around him as he began to succumb to the darkness. 'Wash away the darkness, please.' She said and he closed his eyes, the darkness winning over his will. "So this is it... I've been tricked..." he said as he lost all sight and feeling in his spirit form.