When Hanako fluttered her eyes open, she realized she was in one of the forests inside the Fire Country. Even in the dark, she could figure out the silhouettes produced by the little moonlight present. The familiar trees towered above her in a protective way.
The sky was beginning to light up in light purple colors, letting her know that it would be minutes until dawn. Hanako stood up and sought among her things for the scroll she had been risking her life for, for the past few hours. Upon founding the parchment, she smiled victoriously but her grin was wiped out from her face when she remembered her father and his team's death. She sighed and tried to put her mind in blank, getting away from the memories that disturbed her at that moment.
Hanako began walking towards the village. She walked in grieving silence for the next few hours. The sun, high in the sky, started to burn her skin, even when she was still being protected by the tops of the forest trees. She walked slowly, swallowing her pride as tears ran silently down her cheeks. She once thought she could be invincible but once again, the world proved her wrong.
And once again, she had met him. The strange masked man she had met about five years ago. Weird enough, she still remembered him, he was the reason she awakened her Sharingan at such a young age. If you say you'll be strong then... Hanako shook her head at the voice in her mind. Prove it.
Hanako clenched her fists as she bit her lip so tightly a trickle of blood ran down her chin. "Ouch..." she reached her hand to clean the blood, and flinched at the burning pain in her lip. She immediately nagged at herself for feeling pain on something so small. "This is nothing compared to what they suffered," she told herself, reminiscing about the sword mercilessly impaled through her father's chest and Yoshito's neck bent in a weird angle.
Pain struck Hanako's eyes and she lost her balance, falling onto her knees. She quickly covered her face with her hands and let out a muffled scream. She was crying, but she didn't know if it was for the emotional pain or for the physical one. She gasped, taking in a few breaths to calm herself down.
Clenching her teeth, she got up again. She leaned herself against one of the trees around her to maintain her balance before fully standing. "I have to get to the village...come on, Hanako...move..."
A few hours later, the gates of Konoha finally became visible in the horizon. When she arrived, Hanako told the guards from the entrance that she needed a word with the Hokage urgently. The two male Jounin looked at each other, with worry on their faces, upon seeing a girl about ten years old and with a Konoha headband over her forehead. Hanako was a mess. Her chocolate hair was all full of knots, and with a few sticks and leaves jutting out here and there. Her otherwise angelic face, now looked like a stampede had run over it. Her lip was bloated, there were huge bags under her eyes -probably from lack of sleep-, there were bruises all over her arms and legs, her clothes were dirty -as if she had rolled over a mud puddle and let it dry-, and her fair skin was black with what appeared to be smoke.
They were dubious about letting her in, it could be a trap from an enemy village for all they knew; but her distressed expression and teary eyes made them reconsider their assumptions. A little girl couldn't be that good an actress, could she? Children were always truthful. She couldn't possibly mean any harm. Besides, for her headband, she was a Kunoichi of the Leaf, a Genin perhaps. A Genin, without her team. Something terrible must've happened, and she was a sole survivor or the others were in danger.
The Jounin looked back at the girl and nodded quickly. Something had happened, whatever it was, whoever she was, they had to take her to meet the Hokage. They escorted her to his building.
When the brunette entered the Third's office, she could see the sunset behind the mountains from the large windows behind the Hokage's desk. How long had it taken for her to reach the Village? An entire day?
The last sunrays hit her directly in her face, but Hanako didn't flinch at the sudden burst of light. Instead, their warmth felt comforting...or her body was freezing.
"Hanako Uchiha... So why was I granted the honor of your visit?" A male voice greeted her. The old man was sitting in his comfortable chair, just like her, watching the sun setting through the large windows. His back was facing towards her, how he even knew it was herself who had come to see him, she didn't know.
"I've come to give you the report... of a mission," she said, trying to appear indifferent without much success since her voice trembled mid-sentence.
"A mission? I don't recall assigning you one." The Hokage turned his chair to look at her, and pressed his lips tightly after regarding her current state. Hanako was confused to hear his words.
"But, I went on a mission with Dad... He said that you had accepted that I accompanied him."
"Your father never told me anything about it." The Hokage spoke serenely while removing his pipe from his mouth and exhaling smoke. His fine and delicate fingers moving slowly over the wood of his pipe, like rubbing it. "What mission are you talking about?" he asked.
"The mission you assigned to recover this scroll." Hanako pulled a red scroll from her pouch and tossed it towards him, the damned scroll she had recovered in the course of the night. The Hokage caught it with his free hand, effortlessly. Not that Hanako was surprised about it, the Hokage was known to be the most powerful Shinobi across the Fire Country. Catching a scroll in the air for him was like flipping a pen in her fingers for her.
"Ah, of course... I remember having assigned this mission to your father's team." The Hokage's eyes snapped towards her. "But this mission was a B-rank, what were you doing there?" The old man opened the scroll and began to take a look to confirm that it was the missing one.
"My father took me, but the truth is... I have no idea why he did," Hanako said, sadly recalling the last words from her father: I'm sorry, Hanako. I didn't want you to see this...
"He must have had a very good reason, and it better be valid. Do you have the report?" The girl nodded and gave him a black scroll. Upon receiving it, Hiruzen began the same process he did with the previous scroll.
She had lazily written the report on her way back to the village, after recovering from her eyesore. She never had to write a report before, or present it to the Hokage. Her teacher, Kaito, was always the one who did that for their Genin missions. She had no idea what to write, so she just scrabbled in her words what had happened. At least, that was what she guessed had to be in a mission report.
Yakumo had made them write several reports for homework in their Academy years. He always praised the way Hanako wrote hers; so full of detail, like vivid, lucid dreams. They were simple reports, true. He asked his students to write what they did that afternoon and then present the report on the next day. Every time he read Hanako's reports, he could feel like he was right there. He could see what had happened, feel what she was feeling. He was there on her trainings, on her night-outs with Takeshi, on her walks around the village's inner forests; or so he said. But this time, it was different. She didn't want anyone that read the report of this recent mission to feel the way she felt. She didn't want anyone to know what exactly happened. So she wrote everything as superficial as she could. They retrieved the scroll, but they were ambushed by Iwagakure and Kusagakure Shinobi. Almost everyone died, but she was the sole survivor. And that's it. No further detail was necessary, or so she thought.
The Third was surprised to read it, and when he finished he looked at the girl standing a few feet in front of him. "Then, you were the only one who survived... How did you return to the village if it was the first time you walked out of it?"
"I learned the path we took and just came back through it," she quickly lied. She had decided that it was best to say nothing about the masked man...for good. "After that, it was very easy to identify the trees and find my way back."
"Interesting..." he muttered. "I know that you are lying to me, but I won't question you about it." The Hokage continued scanning through a little more of the report. "Here it says that the town caught fire and only ashes remained. How did this happen?" Hanako remained silent. She didn't remember writing that down. "Did you...?" At that moment she felt her stomach drop.
"I did a fire jutsu on a flammable gas and it caused a great fire..." she said with tears in her eyes. Memories were raging furiously in her head. "I was completely surrounded by Iwagakure ninja and there was no other way..." Hanako began crying, not standing anymore the pressure on her shoulders. "I know that many died in that fire by my fault and it wasn't my intention..." She fell on her knees covering her face with both hands. "I'm really sorry, Hokage-sama." The Hokage stood up and approached her slowly. He stroked her hair reassuringly when he reached her side, telling her to stand. But Hanako didn't listen to him.
"The most important thing right now is that you're safe in the village and that the mission was accomplished successfully, though not in the way expected." He pulled his hand away and Hanako looked up at him in surprise. "Unfortunately, because you were ambushed by Iwagakure ninjas, the rank of the mission rose to A. For a Genin to complete a mission of this rank is truly rare." The Hokage looked at her seriously. "You must have some interesting abilities; I'd like to see how far you could go. I'll be watching you, Hanako."
'I have interesting abilities? That's all you have to say?' Hanako thought bitterly. 'Three of your Shinobi just died, my father was among them, and all you can say is that I have interesting abilities and that you will watch me?'
The old man smoked again from his pipe. "Now, go give the news to your family and the rest of the clan," he said sternly. Hanako had hoped to feel something in his voice. Sadness...regret...pity...something, but his voice was plain. Devoid of emotion.
"Hai..." The girl nodded slightly before slowly standing. She quietly approached the door of the office.
"Hanako..." She heard her name being called and slowly turned her head to look at the old man from over her shoulder. "What just happened will remain secret, only you and I know about this. We could get into serious trouble if this mission gets to the ears of outsiders, therefore, do not tell this to anyone." His serious face caused the girl to gulp.
"Yes sir..." she muttered.
"You can go now." Hanako hurried outside the office and leaned against the closed door to clear her mind. She pressed her lips into a thin line before pushing herself away from the wooden door and into the long halls of the Hokage mansion. Her feet dragged her towards the exit as her eyes were fixed on the carpeted floor underneath her. She walked, remembering all the times she had with her father. There had been few and sincerely she would've liked to have a few more.
Hanako stood in front of her house's door and before she had a chance to open it, her mother slammed the door open to greet her. She was worried, and when her eyes downed on her youngest daughter she embraced her tightly, just like her sister who had been just as concerned.
"I'm glad you're fine," Hikari said with a smile, as if a heavy burden had been removed from her shoulders.
"Where's your father?" her mother asked, slightly afraid of the answer when she noticed Hanako's dull expression.
"Dad..." Hanako began to say as her eyes became watery. "Dad... he... died..." she was finally able to say. Akira was stunned for a moment. She didn't think her daughter was telling the truth, but if he wasn't with her then where was he? Akira grabbed her daughter from her chin and pulled her head up, forcing her to look at her.
"Are you telling me the truth?"
"Why would I lie about this?" Hanako asked emotionlessly. She didn't know how to feel anymore. She was taught in the Academy that Shinobi died each day, and ninjas shouldn't grieve their deaths or they would be grieving endlessly. That was how they did things. They didn't care anymore than they should the death of some random ninja. And the Hokage just proved it to her by the way he spoke to her in their early meeting. It was just another death...and there will be more. Akira's expression didn't change, she was firm in her beliefs, that her husband was still alive. "If you don't believe me, I can show you."
Hanako's eyes faded into a red color, Hikari and Akira gasped for air before they were sucked into another world. They were surprised to find themselves in a dark cave, illuminated solely by a small fire. Around it were three Jounin and a Genin girl. Hikari looked beside her for her little sister, but she was gone.
Hanako was standing right beside her father. She had a stoic face; she paid attention to all the scheming her father was doing, just like the rest of the ninjas. They finally had come to an agreement, and Yusuke splashed his water over the fire. The cave became dark, the fire on the logs was now substituted by smoke. Hikari watched in terror when some ninjas took advantage of the darkness to enter the cave. She tried to warn Hanako and her father, but they weren't listening to her. Akira stopped her daughter before she suffered from a sore throat. Her mother knew this wasn't real, this wasn't happening. She also knew that this wasn't an illusion either. This happened. These were Hanako's memories.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" One of intruding ninja asked laughing. "Shinobi from Konoha?"
Hikari covered her mouth. Akira had been all the while clenching her fists, with her eyes open up wide. Everything happened so fast: the ambush, Yusuke creating a diversion for Hanako to escape.
Akira's heart stopped when Yusuke was limping, being the only Konoha Jounin who still remained standing. He fell to his knees, his face bloodied and his muscles sore. Her eyes teared up when she heard the words coming out of his lips. "I'm sorry, Hanako. I didn't want you to see this..." Right then, an Iwa Shinobi stabbed his katana right through his chest, and he was dead.
They were all murdered, killed in action. But then Hikari realized, where was Hanako?
She had been so focused, staring in horror at the battle between Konoha and Iwa, that she hadn't thought about her younger sister. There was an explosion, and then she saw her, Hanako was standing over a large gas tank which had been cracked open. Hikari couldn't recognize the victorious smirk on Hanako's face and the shimmering in her Sharingan eyes when she performed the tiger seal with her hands.
"Quick! Don't let her do anything, she's just a kid!" Hikari could hear the voice of one of the Iwagakure Shinobi. Hanako's grin only darkened, like if she could already smell victory on her side.
"Too late," Hanako said slowly. Hikari could feel a shiver run down her spine, was this her little sister? "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu." A fireball emerged from Hanako's mouth. The gas that had been originally inside the tank was quickly consumed by the fire, covering the entire town. Hikari could see the fire moving quickly towards her, she could feel the heat tearing up her skin. However, she didn't take her eyes from her sister, who watched down as the fire consumed the town with emotionless red eyes. Red, glowing eyes.
Hikari blinked a couple of times before it dawned on her that she was back in the real world. She was sweating, taking quick and shallow breaths. Her mother was on her knees, hiding herself in an almost fetal position as she sobbed loudly. Hanako stared at both of them with opaque black eyes. Hikari knelt down beside her mother, and tried to sooth her while rubbing her back. Hanako turned her back to them and began to walk away.
"Where are you going?" asked her older sister.
"I have to deliver the news to Fugaku-san. He's the clan leader, he must know..." she said without stopping, not even to glance back at her sister. Hikari frowned, who was this girl and what had she done to her sister?
* * *
The Uchiha girl stood in front of her leader's house. She inhaled deeply, she still didn't know what to say or how to say it.
Gathering her thoughts, Hanako carefully knocked on the door. A boy around her age greeted her. He had long dark hair, tied up into a low ponytail. She immediately recognized him. "Itachi?"
"Who are you looking for?" he asked very politely without looking at her, but when their eyes met, his widened slightly for a second before returning to normal. Hanako cleared her throat, shaking her head.
"Excuse me..." she murmured shyly. "Is Fugaku-san home?" she asked looking at the ground, making it hard for Itachi to listen to what she was saying. He caught up onto a few words, and formed the sentences in his head.
"No." Itachi shook his head, he was staring curiously at the girl. He rarely saw Hanako around and was yearning to ask her where she were just now to be that messy. He respected her petition to not come around when she was training with her father, but it was hard for him since that meant he wouldn't get to see her. Instead, he observed her trainings in silence while making sure he wouldn't get noticed by either her or his father. They didn't speak for three years until they met at the woods. Itachi wondered what had happened to her, but was afraid to ask. "Dad works in the Force at this time. Perhaps you could come back later; or if you want, I can give him your message when he arrives." Hanako shook her head. She noticed that Itachi was scanning her up and down, and she looked away so she could hide the blush from her face. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah..." Hanako smiled slightly. "Just a tough mission, nothing serious to worry about. And thanks, but I prefer to deliver the message myself, if you don't mind."
"No, of course not." He smiled at her. The girl from the woods, the girl from class 1-1 who everyone in his class talked about. The girl who picked a fight with a bunch of kids from last year and graduated that same year. The girl his father trained in the lake every night for two years straight. "Did my father's training help you?" he suddenly asked.
"Yeah..." She smiled back. "A lot, actually."
"That's good." Hanako chuckled.
"Is that your best try at making conversation? Lame." Itachi blushed slightly. "You're a lame cheater."
"Nii-san, can we go train now?" A small boy appeared behind Itachi with a childish frown. Hanako looked at him curiously as he hid shyly behind his brother's legs after seeing he wasn't alone.
"He's my younger brother." Itachi chuckled at his attitude. "Sasuke, say hi."
"Hi..." The little boy greeted softly, still hiding.
"Hello, Sasuke." Hanako greeted back with a smile. Somehow being with them made her forget about all the burdens she held at that moment. "It's almost nighttime, are you sure you should go training?" she asked Itachi.
"We always train a little before dinner, no weapons or anything...just a little sparring," he explained. "Would you like to come with us?" The elder brother invited her.
"Nii-san, does she really have to come?" Sasuke pouted. "She's all messy."
"Sasuke! Don't be rude." His brother reproached him for his attitude. Hanako giggled at his comment.
"It's okay, and thanks for the invitation but I'd rather go another time..." she said with a soft smile, looking down at herself. "I think I should go take a shower and put on some clean clothes." She was still tired and in shock for the past events. The only thing she wanted right now was to stay home.
"It must've been a really nasty mission for you to get so dirty," Itachi raised an eyebrow, his eyes focusing for a moment over her bloated lip. "And hurt." Hanako hitched a breath and looked at him with a frown.
"Yeah whatever... It was nice to see you Itachi, Sasuke-kun." The girl bowed to each of the brothers as a sign of farewell before turning away.
"See you later?" Itachi asked. Hanako looked at them from over her shoulder.
"Nii-san!" Sasuke looked at him with incredulous eyes. Hanako just smirked and continued her way home without saying anything.
Once home, Hanako took a quick shower to clean herself up. The lukewarm water felt so good against her bruised skin. After she was done, she put on her pajamas and crashed on her bed. She tried to sleep but every time she closed her eyes, she could see the disfigured face of the dead ninjas in her mind; and one of the faces belonged to her deceased father. Hanako rolled on her bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Cozy enough so she could have a dreamless sleep, but she didn't succeed. Hanako heaved a sigh and got up from her bed. She left her room and went downstairs to the living; she was surprised to see Itachi's father sitting on the couch.
"Fugaku-san..." she muttered in surprise. The adult turned his head to look at her.
"Itachi told me that you had gone home looking for me this evening," he said as he stood up. "So I headed straight here, did something bad happen?"
"Hanako has something very important to tell you. It's about Yusuke..." Akira appeared from the kitchen, putting her hands on her daughter's shoulder in support.
"Well, what happened with Yusuke?"
"My father..." the brunette started saying as she made a big effort not to stutter, "...died in a mission."
For a few minutes, silence reigned in the room until finally Fugaku decided to make a statement. "I will deliver the news to the other clan members. Thank you for letting me know. We will organize a funeral for him in a couple of days," he announced steadily.
The two girls nodded as they watched the clan leader walk serenely towards the main door and leave.
Akira and Hanako watched him walk away. Hikari heard everything from the kitchen and walked out as soon as she didn't feel anymore the intense presence of the man. Then, they went to sleep. That night, for the first time, the three of them slept together; and for once, Hanako didn't have any nightmares.