A strange new life. [Naruto]

[Diametric]

Could also be that Orochimaru gave Danzo information about his experimentations on Hinata and now Danzo leaked that to the village. Maybe by the elders.

Click to shrink...

Possibly. The way he said "probably due to council meddling" makes me think that the council was "supposed" to know the info (I.e. he or Yamato told them) and then they meddled and leaked it to the Hyugas.

But you're right, it's possible that the "council meddling" was finding out the info from Danzo/Orochimaru

 

[okashihime]

Why does her being a clone really matter when she was doing her job...for quite a while.

Click to shrink...

For the village, not so much, aside from the obvious question: If she's a clone, is there more of her out there?

For the Hyuga, they are using this as an excuse to say she a product of "stolen" the bloodline/bloodlimit, as well as a reason to control/dispose of her. Which is a jar of pickled carrots.

 

[okashihime]

So Yamato leaked the contents of the lab? He was the only other one there after all. If he only told the Hokage, that's fair enough, but that'd mean the Hokage leaked it instead. Either way, one of her supposed allies has let her enemies know this secret of hers

Click to shrink...

There are many possibilities.

Kakashi translated the message to Shikaku, who filed it away as classified info in the intelligence department.

There's Hayase,
There's Sai,
There's Yamato,
There's Danzo,
Maybe Orochimaru (if he's still alive)

Or maybe, a unknown agent?

 

[Diametric]

There are many possibilities.

Kakashi translated the message to Shikaku, who filed it away as classified info in the intelligence department.

There's Hayase,
There's Sai,
There's Yamato,
There's Danzo,
Maybe Orochimaru (if he's still alive)

Or maybe, a unknown agent?

Click to shrink...

Maybe I remembered wrong, didn't Hinata seal the lab stuff away in a seal that needed her chakra and then burn / blow up everything else? And then not tell any of the details to Sai or Hayase?

My impression was that only Hinata and Yamato knew about the Hinata clones, and had tacitly agreed to not tell about it

 

[Edifier]

Could also be that Orochimaru gave Danzo information about his experimentations on Hinata and now Danzo leaked that to the village. Maybe by the elders.

Click to shrink...

Sai told Root, Root told Danzo, Danzo told council. I think.
Hyuga knew from the very start, so I'd guess Danzo also knew. But like revealing this information is akin to vengeance and putting a hindered in her way.

Why does her being a clone really matter when she was doing her job...for quite a while.

Click to shrink...

It doesn't, not really. She's still her, always has been her. Always have been Hinata. The only Hinata they knew was the clone Hinata. Clones all the way down.
But like making it public that she is a clone is akin to saying she is alien, a monster, un-natural, like not human like the shadow clone jutsu, she is other. The dissonance is emotional.

Maybe I remembered wrong, didn't Hinata seal the lab stuff away in a seal that needed her chakra and then burn / blow up everything else? And then not tell any of the details to Sai or Hayase?

My impression was that only Hinata and Yamato knew about the Hinata clones, and had tacitly agreed to not tell about it

Click to shrink...

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the clone stuff was also in the vault they cracked or Sai managed to scout the clone lab out while Hinata was asleep and the like. And I'd guess Danzo knew from the very start, helping cover up why the Hyuga hated Hinata in the first place. So it might be just him being pissed that the storage seals are keyed to her, a lil bit of vengence.
I could see Danzo wanting a clone army of little emotionless Hinatas. Or other root agents with other bloodlines.

Then again, maybe I am too tunnel visioning onto Danzo.

 

[okashihime]

Maybe I remembered wrong, didn't Hinata seal the lab stuff away in a seal that needed her chakra and then burn / blow up everything else? And then not tell any of the details to Sai or Hayase?

My impression was that only Hinata and Yamato knew about the Hinata clones, and had tacitly agreed to not tell about it

Click to shrink...

They sent a report back to Kohoha. It was "light" on details (Sai was the one who sent the report back through this ink constructs).
They also met with intelligence officers at the border, where Yamato made another report.

Yamato made a full report once he was back at Konoha.

Not saying this was the "only" things that happenend. Some more stuff on the background, but Hinata isn't aware of all the pieces moving.

 

[okashihime]

My impression was that only Hinata and Yamato knew about the Hinata clones, and had tacitly agreed to not tell about it

Click to shrink...

Reading your question a second time, this one here is interesting:

Yamato agreed to let Hinata make a copy of the data for herself, before turning it in to the intelligence department. Their plan was to delay for a "couple of days" until Hinata could copy the information.
They did agree to not tell Hayase and Sai about the clones.

 

[Diametric]

They sent a report back to Kohoha. It was "light" on details (Sai was the one who sent the report back through this ink constructs).
They also met with intelligence officers at the border, where Yamato made another report.

Yamato made a full report once he was back at Konoha.

Not saying this was the "only" things that happenend. Some more stuff on the background, but Hinata isn't aware of all the pieces moving.

Click to shrink...

Reading your question a second time, this one here is interesting:

Yamato agreed to let Hinata make a copy of the data for herself, before turning it in to the intelligence department. Their plan was to delay for a "couple of days" until Hinata could copy the information.
They did agree to not tell Hayase and Sai about the clones.

Click to shrink...

Right, I remember now. I was thinking that they had agreed to not tell about the lab at all, rather than delay it so she could make copies for herself. I had it mixed up because they weren't telling Sai and Hayase.

And I somehow missed that they had met with actual Konoha agents rather than just sending messages through Sai, so I thought that Yamato would've just given his report to the Hokage without any middlemen to intercept/log the info.

This sequence of events is much more reasonable that I had thought.

That's what I get for assuming my reading comprehension and memory are good enough to be trusted lol

 

[okashihime]

I exchanged glances with my clone. Hug-chan scowled.

I signed a message. She scowled even more.

We were still in training field three. At this point, I don't think Hug-chan needed to be here. She could go out and do something else, like visiting the grocer to buy ingredients for a baking session.

Hug-chan shook her head. Her fingers flashed a very uncouth message.

I blinked, surprised. Was she… jealous? It wouldn't be, would it?

I don't know what I had expected when I came to look for Ino. Maybe we'd have a happy reunion, she'd tell me all the gossip I missed. Maybe she'd punch me for getting captured. That one felt like a real possibility. According to Naruto, Ino was hella pissed with me.

You know what I hadn't expected?

For Ino to cry until she fell asleep. What had she been doing?

So here we were. My clone and I were sitting side by side, holding a sleeping Ino.

I wanted my clone to bug off— I mean, go buy ingredients. Hug-chan didn't want to leave, and I couldn't just disperse her. Ino was leaning on her too. If I did, Ino would wake up.

Difficult scenario.

I glared at Hug-chan, jerking my head toward the exit. Go away already.

Hug-chan flipped me the finger.

Our silent argument didn't last for long. I felt it before I saw it. Chakra presences that made no sense at all. It was like a huge bonfire, filled with countless small ones. I was still trying to puzzle the situation when the newcomers entered the training field.

Two shinobi from Konoha. One, I knew; the other, I could guess who it was.

The first one wore dark round sunglasses and a sea-green jacket with a high, upturned collar, dark, bushy, brown hair. My friend, Shino, even though it had been a while since I last talked with him. We drifted apart after I was assigned to team seven, instead of team eight.

The other one was like an older version of Shino. The man had dark glasses with a single tassel hanging down from one side, even spikier black hair and a mustache, and he wore a collared outfit and carried a gourd on his back. Part of the chakra I felt from him also was inside that gourd. Was that Shino's dad?

The chakra I was sensing now made sense. Back in the academy, Shino's chakra felt like anyone else. After expanding my range, was I also getting better definition? It made me super icky, knowing that swarming chakra inside him was just that, a swarm of insects. I held in a shudder.

Both looked at the scene: me, my clone, and the sleeping Ino. They didn't approach but didn't leave either.

Hug-chan looked my way, leered.

I ground my teeth. Fine. Have it your way.

Carefully, I disentangled from Ino and got up. I wasn't about to let these two wake Best Girl Ino up.

With a temporary comms board and writing supplies in hand, I cast one last longing look at Ino, glared at Hug-chan, then went to meet the duo. We didn't speak. I waved both to follow me and guided them until we were far from the training field. If things somehow turned sour, I didn't want any of them near Ino.

Once we were far enough, I wrote words.

"Hello, Shino; how have you been?"

"Hello, Hinata-san," Shino said, looked at the other shinobi. "This is Aburame Shibi, my father and head of the Aburame clan."

I waved at the jonin.

He gave me a curt nod.

I had no idea what was going on. Wrote more words. "Is there something I can help you with?"

It might have come more brusque than I liked, but these two were intruding on my Ino time. It just wasn't fair.

"You stink," Shino said.

I scowled, sniffed beneath my arms, sniffed again when I felt no smell.

Shibi coughed, looked at Shino, and then at me. "Hello, Hinata-san. Please don't mind my son. What he meant to say is that you've been marked by pheromones."

"And it's stinking up the whole village," Shino added.

It was the damned bees, wasn't it? I fucking knew it would be trouble. Why, oh, why. Those damned badgers. Was this a new blood feud now? Danzo, council, Hyuga, and now the Aburame clan?

"Which one was it?" Shino asked.

I tilted my head. Wrote words. "Which one what?"

"Which insect marked you?"

"Fucking killer bees that would put grown-up Akamaru to shame," I said out loud instead of writing.

Shibi's hand reached into his jacket, pulled out a small spray bottle, tossed it my way.

"This will help eliminate the scent."

Shino looked like he wanted to say something, but a faint buzz from his father, one I felt inside my bones, held him back. The clan head turned to me.

"I'd like to invite you to the Aburame compound. There are things we'd like to discuss with you."

I looked at the spray bottle and the two insect shinobi. Under both gazes, I sprayed myself with the thing. It didn't smell like anything at all, but I caught Shino's small twitch and the agitated movements from the small swarm of chakra inside his body.

"I just returned to the village," I wrote to both of them. "I don't know how things are, but maybe next week?"

Shibi nodded, gave me a small smile.

"I'll send Shino to guide you to our compound. Would dinner be alright?"

A bit speechless at the turn this took, I nodded at the duo.

"Use the spray again in two hours," Shino said, before bowing and leaving. His dad gave me a curt bow and left as well.

That was weird as heck. What did they want? Maybe they wanted to meet the bees? I'm guessing that meeting a hive of killer bees is like Xmas arriving early for an insect-based clan?

I looked for a while longer in the duo's direction, then shrugged. I would deal with this later. It was just another thing to pile on. The council hearing in two weeks, the Hyuga problem looming in the horizon, and now dinner at the Aburame in a week.

It was good that they left. I pushed it all out of my mind. It was time to get back to my Ino time, and no one would get in my way again. I turned and moved back to the training field.

With each step closer, my mood sank.

I dashed forward, not caring about making noise anymore. I arrived at the training field like a clap of thunder. It was empty. Where once was a sleeping beauty and a traitorous clone, now there was only a scribbled message in the dirt.

Grocer. BGIWS, BTYFS.

I scowled. Torn between wanting to strangle Hug-chan or maybe hug her. I could decide that later. Now I had to go and bake sweets. Ino wanted them, after all.

---

Spoiler: AN

Thank you for reading. Next chapter wed.

Proofreader: Bestests of cakes, CakeEight.



I've finished writing 8.15. Still debating on the ending of that one. It is something I had planned for a while, but now I keep having doubts about that particular situation.

Patreon is updated to 8.14. I've also started to look for artists for a new cover and image commissions. For now, I have requested to chibi images from Hinata and Ino. I got the wip and I think they look good. I'll post then once I receive the final version.

Discord: Link

 

[Petrox]

The Aburame could negotiate with the bees or communicate with them. That would give a supply to her summons too.

 

[Pixulior]

The Aburame could negotiate with the bees or communicate with them. That would give a supply to her summons too.

Click to shrink...

Pretty sure the Aburame hate bees, aren't they enemies with that bee ninja clan from Iwa?

 

[Petrox]

Pretty sure the Aburame hate bees, aren't they enemies with that bee ninja clan from Iwa?

Click to shrink...

What better way to make them jelly with a much bigger swarm of bees at their control?

 

[Edifier]

Pretty sure the Aburame hate bees, aren't they enemies with that bee ninja clan from Iwa?

Click to shrink...

I think these bees are somewhere in land of fire, I assume the snake caves are also in land of fire which use to be the badgers land. Implying the bees and badgers are also close to the land of fire.
Then again, the badgers and bees may be at the border to the land of stone, or in the country between them.
Like badgers and their caves were within the land of fire, but the snakes pushed them out towards Iwa. The silver lining is that now they are closer to a source of honey.

 

[Anna Nomaly]

Grocer. Best Girl Ino Wants Sweets. Buy Them Your Fucking Self.

Perhaps?

 

[okashihime]

Grocer. Best Girl Ino Wants Sweets. Buy Them Your Fucking Self.

Perhaps?

Click to shrink...

xD
Almost, not so harsh the second part.

Bring To Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Or it can be your version, if you think the clone was that pissed.

 

[Pixulior]

I think these bees are somewhere in land of fire, I assume the snake caves are also in land of fire which use to be the badgers land. Implying the bees and badgers are also close to the land of fire.
Then again, the badgers and bees may be at the border to the land of stone, or in the country between them.
Like badgers and their caves were within the land of fire, but the snakes pushed them out towards Iwa. The silver lining is that now they are closer to a source of honey.

Click to shrink...

Not talking about the ninja bees, but the bee ninjas.

 

[okashihime]

Hug-chan watched the Original leave the training field with the visitors. Ino stirred and mumbled, hands gripping the clone's clothing and pulling closer.

"Ah, I'm dreaming."

The clone looked at the blonde's face. Her eyes were half-lidded, and she didn't look at all there. Ino looked worse than Hinata had ever seen before. It wasn't just the bags under her eyes; her clothes were unkempt, the bandages on her hands flecked with blood, and most alarming of all, she wore no makeup.

In the years since Ino learned about it in the Kunoichi classes, this was the first time she'd seen the girl without.

Ino nuzzled her face against the clone's shoulder.

"I want to go home."

That was easy enough. The clone didn't mind taking the sleeping girl home. It was a good idea even. Put her in bed where she could rest properly. It was a shame the original wasn't here right now, but that was life.

"I want cupcakes."

Another line that sent her heart racing. Best girl Ino wanted sweets. That decided things even more.

Hug-chan got up, taking care not to jostle the drowsy girl too much. The clone adjusted Ino so the blonde's front rested against her back, and Ino's arms were draped over the shoulders. Ino's head nestled near Hug-chan's neck. Her hours of carrying Karin around gave her the know-how needed to keep Ino comfortable and stable. Before she left, she scribbled an abridged note for the original.

Grocer. BGIWS. BTYFS.

That should be more than enough. Once Original-chan had the sweets, dropping by the Yamanaka flower shop would be easy.

The clone took one last look at the training field, made sure she wasn't leaving anything behind, then left.

She didn't run, or take to the highways; no intense movement or jumping. Hug-chan Express would do her best to deliver a comfortable travel experience to her sleeping passenger. Bump and jolt free.

The walk gave Hug-chan time to think about things. Maybe it was the perspective of being a clone, but her thoughts weren't on the growing list of the original's problems. No, what concerned the clone was feelings.

Feelings or obsession?

It was difficult to tell them apart. She'd been so obsessed with the characters in the show, and so consumed with wishing to meet them that, now that she did, she wasn't sure if her feelings were real or some form of idol worship.

God knows she already did that a lot in the form of fangirling.

There was this happy feeling building in her gut, knowing that Ino cared enough to be in this state because Hinata went missing. Was it selfish to feel happy at her friends' suffering?

The original never considered a relationship at all. For all her bluster and obsession, romance had never seriously crossed her mind. Too young, she'd mostly dismiss. There are horrors in the future, can't worry about feeling right now. Every time a hint of that came up, justifications popped left and right.

When not caring about the many horrors of the future, the clone really wanted to cuddle and snog and go on dates. She even suspected Ino might not be totally against it. Maybe not in a romantic sense yet, but Hug-chan could dream.

The concept of same-sex relationships might not even exist here, with clans pushing for their children to find a good match and continue the clan's bloodline. It might even be frowned upon or outlawed. Hinata never even heard about gay couples in all her years around.

Hug-chan's steps led her to the flower shop. She pulled the door open, then stepped inside. One of the workers was on the counter. He looked startled when Hug-chan stepped inside carrying a sleeping Ino, but a quick gesture ensured he didn't cause a fuss.

It wasn't the first time she'd been here, so Hug-chan walked inside, past the storefront, and into the Yamanaka residence. The house was quiet and still.

The clone adjusted her steps and walked toward Ino's bedroom. Once there, she laid the blonde on the bed, removed her shoes, unwrapped the bandages from her hands. Hoping Ino would forgive the intrusion, she searched the blonde's room for cleaning supplies and a first aid kit.

Back at the bed, she cleaned and re-wrapped the hands. She noticed a shift in Ino's breathing. Maybe it was the stinging cleaning agent or the strong alcohol scent. Ino's eyes were open and looking at the clone's face.

"You're really back." Ino whispered.

Hug-chan smiled. Nodded. She finished tying up the bandages, put the first aid kit away. Under Ino's intense stare, she made sure the blonde was tucked in and comfortable, even bringing over the sheets.

Tucked in and comfortable, Ino spoke again.

"Are you leaving?"

Hug-chan shook her head. She was a clone; there was nowhere she needed to be. Taking care of Ino was more important than worrying about all the other problems.

Ino's hand sneaked from beneath the sheets and pulled Hug-chan into the bed, too. Ino hugged the clone, hiding her face against the clone's chest.

"Promise you won't disappear again."

"I promise." Hug-chan husked out. She wrapped her arms around Ino. It didn't take long until the blonde was asleep again.

Now, alone with her thoughts, the clone had even more time to think.

Could she promise it? At that moment, the clone knew even the original wouldn't hesitate to make that promise. That also highlighted another issue that bothered every created clone, which the original was keen on ignoring.

If the original ever wanted a real relationship, she had to be honest. About her past, about the knowledge, about her plans.

Hug-chan wasn't about to spill the beans, even if she thought that would be the best course of action, but she imprinted enough reaction on her mind just to make sure the Original knew that she had to address this sooner rather than later.

To truly be friends with Ino, and hopefully something more, Original-chan needed to be honest. It wasn't fair to the other girl to keep to herself all the secrets that could cause many problems in the future.

 

[Diametric]

Please don't spill the beans about her past life and future knowledge, it ruins 99% of stories that do it

 

[okashihime]

I took one of the bags from the shelf and compared it with the one in my basket. The shop lady said good things about this flour, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to abandon my tried and true supplier. I put one small bag in with the other things. I guess experimenting wouldn't hurt.

What else did I need? I went over the list in my mind. Baking powder?

I rummaged through the items I had already collected, found it.

Sugar, then?

I looked inside the basket again: Granulated, brown, powdered, and honey. No, I had what I needed already.

What about flavorings? Vanilla, nutmeg, cardamom, dried fruits, nuts, and even chocolate. I found everything already. That was enough. I would need to order more, but that would be later.

Doing grocery shopping and worrying about ingredients wasn't how I imagined the rest of my day. Not that I had anything planned before meeting Ino. I didn't know how she would react. After meeting her, I got a new mission. S-Tier Mission: Cuddle with Best Girl Ino until she woke up.

That mission went into the drain when the Aburame clan decided to pay a visit—and died an even worse death when Hug-chan took Ino back to the Yamanaka residence. No, I wasn't jelly of my clone. No, I wasn't bitter either.

…

And yes, I knew I would experience everything when she unpopped. But I mean, I wanted to cuddle with Ino-chan, too. I wanted it so bad.

I couldn't even blame my clone. I'd have done the same had she gone to meet the Aburames instead. I planned to do the same if she had gone to meet the Aburames. I guess I have only myself to blame here.

But now that I no longer had the Ino excuse, thoughts kept coming.

The first problem: A lack of Tsunade.

The slug princess was my hope of getting the seal under control. In the past weeks, the amount I managed to suppress kept worsening. The more I used my chakra, the faster the suppression deteriorated.

I had been confident that if she couldn't help me, she'd be at least able to point me in the right direction. Now, I needed to decide whether I wanted to trust Shisui or not.

Along the same lines, my promise now reared its head. My meddling thwarted Rock Lee's chance of recovery. I wasn't going to leave him without help. Maybe I could convince Shisui to send me after Tsunade? I still needed to extract what happened from Naruto, but without Orochimaru to push Tsunade with the promise of bringing her loved ones back, she wanted nothing with Konoha.

But before I could leave the village, two problems needed to be addressed.

The council: Shisui's intervention was enough to push them back for now.

The two codgers of the council had somehow managed to entrench themselves in every pie available. Merchants, trading partners, noble families, and even a few allied minor villages. They controlled or influenced most of the village's non-military infrastructure by this point.

That was enough to put a lot of pressure on the Hokage position.

I suspected they had been preparing for years, waiting until the third was out of the picture. I also suspected they might be just figureheads for a third party, someone who loved to dwell in darkness and shady deals.

That man spent decades building spy networks, implanting sleeper agents, and pushing things from behind the scenes. Not even the other great villages escaped his meddling. Why would his "exile" from Konoha change anything? It just meant he didn't need to worry about appearances anymore.

Danzo had a hard-on hatred for the Uchiha. Would he leave the clan's political power intact? I doubt it.

Shisui had military power, and I'm sure he could just genjutsu his way into winning. And while the Uchiha clan was powerful, they might face years of entrenched schemes and bureaucratic manipulations.

On the other hand, Shisui had a penchant for diplomacy and vying for peace. Did this play a part in why he was selected as the Hokage? Someone who wouldn't jump to violence when presented with years of carefully curated obstructions?

I also needed to gather my allies to resist their influence. Shisui did hint that the Uchiha clan might be willing to help, but that would be best discussed with the clan's head, Itachi.

I wanted to get rid of those old codgers. Why couldn't they just leave me alone?

No, that was a bad turn of phrase. I don't think killing them would help my case. This would be a battle won with words. It was a damn shame I had no words.

The question was, what allies did I have? I was a social outcast.

Then there was the Hyuga. The clan head, my father, was also marshaling allies, the council included, to take me out of the picture. Hiashi was convinced I wasn't his daughter but an impostor taking her place.

…

That hurt, even if he wasn't entirely wrong. I wasn't just Hinata anymore, but I still was Hinata. I had her feelings and memories tempered by memories of another world and life.

Ah, yes, butter. I knew I was forgetting something.

I walked past an oba-san and her little boy; a few more steps further, I picked the butter. I think I was set. Now, to pay and return home.

Having my stuff stolen was also a big blow to my plans. All the research documents I gathered hadn't been found at the prison. My only hope now was that the new chakra-locking measures I added to my seals held. I didn't want to deal with an army of Hinata clones in a few years.

"Miss?"

The cashier's voice interrupted my musings. I looked at the man, nodded, and placed the basket in front of him.

He calculated the price. I paid, then left.

I coated my feet in chakra and walked up the walls until I was at the highway; it was time to go home and bake.

Maybe Jiraiya could help? The sannin didn't strike me as someone dependable, but Naruto seemed fond of the old man. From what I remembered, Jiraiya wasn't willing to get involved in political matters, but if not with the council, maybe with the seals?

Head full of thoughts and possibilities, I arrived at my apartment.

There were more people there besides Karin. Maybe I should have expected that. Today was a day to put my social tolerance to the test.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hinata-chan!"

A mop of pink hair glomped on me as soon as I entered. I held my arms out so my grocer didn't hit Sakura-chan. From between her hugs, I cast a glance at the second visitor. The bags fell from my trembling fingers.

In my living room, sitting on my couch, no one other than Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast, The Handsome Devil of the Hidden Leaf: Rock Lee in the flesh.

"Watch out!" Rock Lee cried out.

Sakura let go of me and tried to pick up my bags. It slipped through her fingers, fell, and caused a huge mess.

More details filtered in.

Rock Lee wore his iconic green leotard, orange leg warmers, and red forehead protector as a belt. His hands were covered in bandages, and crutches were propped against the couch.

Karin was also in the room. After almost a month of forced proximity with the redhead, it was easy to pick on her habits. She kept sneaking glances— when she thought no one was looking — at Rock Lee's stomach, no, not stomach, his navel. She was totally checking out his chakra, wasn't she?

I could see it. I could even make a good guess about what was happening. Karin wasn't someone to be attracted by appearance but by chakra. How would Rock Lee's chakra feel to her?

A smile crept into my face. I was totally in favor. Karin and Rock Lee's ship? Heck yeah! The Beautiful Green Beast Got game!

Then I caught a second glance—this time toward Sakura.

Oh my. Karin was on fire!

---

Spoiler: AN

Thank you for reading. Next chapter Monday.

Proofreader: Cakeeight.

 

[okashihime]

From the kitchen counter, where I worked preparing the baking dough, I heard Karin recounting the events from when we met to the two visitors.

To hear Karin tell it, I fought and overpowered an army of ninjas. I mean, her tale wasn't wrong. I did fight a fair number of enemies, but most of the fight was done by Assassination-chan to distract the opposition and let us flee. Even so, my clone mostly did hit-and-run tactics, which resulted in much chasing around and much less killing. Assassination-chan, despite her dramatic name, hadn't killed more than four, and those were mostly the weaker ones.

Once jonins joined the fray, she was relegated to more fleeing than fighting.

Still, the audience seemed captivated. Rock Lee's eyes shone with enthusiasm at the recounting, while Sakura looked parts scared, parts relieved, parts interested.

But while I kneaded the dough, there was one question that kept nagging me.

Why was Rock Lee here?

Not that I was against him being here. No, I was giddy in a way I hadn't been since academy graduation and my assignment with Kakashi-sensei. Rock Lee, in my living room. The barely suppressed snicker from Sakura was enough to tell me I wasn't able to suppress all the excitement, or dancing.

I mean. I might have fangirled– just a little – once the surprise had its time to settle in. It was Rock Lee, gawdamnit. He was cool. Can you blame me?

That even led to a whole conversation in which Sakura-chan gleefully spilled some of my less-than-savvy early-years incidents. Ugh, it was embarrassing yet nice.

Sakura, I could guess why she was here. Naruto, or maybe someone else, might have told her the news that I was back. I was pretty good friends with the tsuntsun, and it was normal she'd want to visit after I went missing. That still didn't explain Rock Lee. And from the way the two talked to each other, this didn't look like a new development.

Hadn't Ino, not so long ago, told me Sakura had left flowers for Rock Lee and visited him a few times? Was there more to this? Had Sakura finally let go of her Emosuke obsession? Again, at the risk of allowing Fangirl-sama to take over too much, Rock Lee was cool. I'd even go for him if I had any interest in boys.

Yeah, he might look silly and maybe could do with a better haircut and maybe trimming his eyebrows, but those were just details that— Gah, stop. Deep breaths, control the Fangirl, don't let her control you.

I divided the dough in small bits and placed them on the cupcake molds. Once I had distributed all the dough, I put the molds in the oven. It was a waiting game now. In the living room, Karin was now going over how I 'saved' her from the badgers. She conveniently left out I was the reason she was in danger with the badgers in the first place. I cleaned my hands in the apron, took a jar of juice, some cups, returned to the living room. I had visitors, and I was going to do my best to be a good host.

---

"These are so good." Karin moaned after taking yet another bite of her cupcake.

Pressed for time and opportunity, I went with simple flavors. I did have to hide a batch of the cupcakes, however. By the rate they just disappeared between the three teens, if I hadn't, Ino's sweets would have been devoured before I could leave the house.

At some point, I had taken an older version of my comms board from my room and strapped it to my arm. That got me an interested glance from Karin when the board popped out of the seal. It reminded me that even though we shared a lot of time together, fuinjutsu was never discussed.

The weeks walk underground had given me plenty of time to think and design changes to my seals. Something I'd have to start working on soonish.

I gave her a nod and a smile, she gave me another in return.

I wrote my question.

"How are you faring, Rock Lee?" I cast a glance at the crutches.

The mood soured a little. Sakura's smile dropped. Rock Lee's smile was slightly brittle, but he still sounded cheerful when answering.

"This is nothing!" He boasted. "This small injury won't get in my way of becoming a splendid ninja!"

Two things I noticed, or maybe three. Rock Lee didn't seem to be even a little bit doubtful about that declaration despite what should have been horrible news from the doctors. Sakura looked at Rock Lee with a gaze full of something I couldn't place. Karin did blush a bit, looking at both Sakura and Rock Lee.

I wished the redhead all the best of luck. She was in for a rough journey.

"But Hinata-san," Rock Lee said after a brief silence. "There's one thing I never understood. Why did you almost kill Neji? Isn't he also a Hyuga?"

Karin looked at Rock Lee and then at me, trying to understand what the boy had said. Then her eyes widened, and a hand covered her mouth. I gave her a slight shake of the head. Wrote words with my threads in a way I knew only Karin would be able to read. "I'll explain later, promise."

To Rock Lee, I did have to consider things before writing my answer.

Why did my clone almost kill Neji? Maybe I could blame it on my clones being a bit wild and somewhat out of control, but that wasn't the real reason. The question here was, do I want to tell them the truth? Whatever I said here might go back to the Hyuga.

I asked a question before answering.

"Ino-chan told me Hyuga Neji sought me out in the forest. Why?"

Lee read my words, tilted his head. Scrunched his bushy brows. "He never told us."

I erased my words, wrote others. Decided I wasn't going to lie. "He looked at me like he wanted to kill me. I had to disabuse him of that notion."

"He wouldn't!" Rock Lee said, agitated. "You're the daughter of the clan leader."

"Am I?" I wrote back. Rock Lee opened his mouth, maybe to argue, but I cut him off. "My name is Hinata, I don't have a surname." I rasped out. Left the implications of that for them to decide.

The room sunk into silence. Karin looked at me like she was seeing me for the first time. Sakura had tears in her eyes for some reason. Lee looked troubled. I got up from the couch, went back to the kitchen to check the second batch of pastries. Maybe to flee from the awkward mood as well.

Not that I managed to flee for long. A knock at my apartment's door forced me out of the kitchen into the awkwardness of the living room. On the other side was a bundle of chakra that had changed in the almost two months I was away, but it was still inherently recognizable.

I opened the door.

There on the other side was Sasuke, wearing the traditional Uchiha attire, looking at me.

There was this moment of silence, like he didn't know what to say or why he was even here. I blame the awkward mood from the talk earlier making me overly emotional. Or maybe it was just teenage hormones messing with my head.

I crossed the distance and hugged Sasuke, something I never thought I would do again. I was glad he hadn't fled or something silly like that.

Man, I was a horrible mess if seeing Emosuke made me this happy.

 

[okashihime]

I pulled away from the hug with Sakuke, looking at him like it was the first time I was seeing him: still dark and brooding, but I couldn't deny his boyish charm. Those good looks that belonged on a boy's band. I could even imagine it. Sasuke playing the guitar, giving that cold look to the horde of fan girls.


I felt a blush creep on my cheeks. Oh, that was bad.


Was this the new normal now? No more Best Girl Ino? It was time for Best Boy Sakuke?

---

Ok, ok, that's lame. I apologize. Didn't have time to write a proper april's fool chapter. Life has been hectic. But hey! The chibis I commissioned are done! Created by Kimi.


I hope you enjoy it!

Hinata

Ino

 

[okashihime]

"Is he your boyfriend?"

I scowled, looked at Karin like she'd grown a second head. How did all the awkwardness in the living room give her the impression I had anything going on with Sasuke? Was it the hug? It was the hug, wasn't it?

We were in the kitchen preparing more refreshments and pastries. No, I was here fleeing from the embarrassing. Karin had followed me to ask horror inducing questions.

The redhead walked to my side, bumped shoulders with me. "That Hyuga girl?" She whispered.

I looked at her, confused. What was she talking about? Then, memory hit me. That day in the forest, soon after we escaped. Hadn't she asked something similar? I nodded, then shrugged. Threads wrote my message. "It was a long time ago."

"What happened?"

My hands stopped, shoulders slumped. I didn't want to talk about it, at least not now. "Later?"

Karin looked at the words I wrote, nodded. She gave me a sort of one-arm hug that I leaned into. Couldn't this day just end? I needed time to breathe, to recharge, to untangle my thoughts before I drowned in all these interactions. I wasn't myself right now, and people kept pushing me into social situations I had no defense against.

I took a deep breath. I was a badass strong kunoichi. I could survive some emotional torture. I just needed to endure a while longer before I could flee, go meet Best Girl Ino. Maybe I'd have some peace and quiet there. Maybe snuggling a cute blondie.

Ugh, I hated feeling this vulnerable and needy. I felt like a stranger inside my own mind.

"Are you alright?" Karin whispered.

I nodded, wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. It was time to face the worst kind of battle.

The living room was a mix of moody silence and cringe tension.

On one side sat Dark and Brooding, casting signature brooding looks at Konoha's Green Beautiful Beast. On another, the Handsome Devil alternated between looking at Sasuke, Sakura, and the kitchen where I had fled.

Maybe worse was Sakura, who sat between the two. She didn't know what to do with herself and her hands, like she'd been caught snogging her best friend's boyfriend behind the shed. It made no sense at all.

With one glance, I knew that if I didn't do anything, everyone would suffer the cringe until a bomb exploded and put us all out of our misery. I placed the new round of pastries and juice on the table, then pulled chairs for me and Karin.

I popped my board, wrote words. "How have you been Sasuke-kun?" That was a safe enough question to start things.

Emosuke looked at my board and the room as if the other's presence was an issue. Ugh, what was his deal now? Why was he always so hard to deal with? Maybe something showed on my face, or maybe he finally noticed the unusually long silence since I asked my question.

"Training with Itachi," Sasuke said, then added. "Doing boring D-rank missions inside the village since Kakashi, you, and Naruto were busy."

Huh, well, that was a normal answer?

"What happened?" Sasuke asked before I could do anything else. "The only thing I've been told is that you went missing in action."

I was guessing this wouldn't be the first or last time I would repeat this story, so I wrote words.

"Well, it all started when I was promoted to chunin." I showed the board.

"You're a chunin?" "You were promoted?" "You never told me that!"

Sakura, Lee, and Karin all spoke at the same time. Yeah, this was going to take a while.

---

After the recounting started, things went much smoother than expected. Even Karin, who had participated in most of the journey, seemed interested in reading my side of events. I did skip a few things.

I told them about the chimera we fought but skipped the clones. I also told them about the research data being stolen, but I didn't elaborate on my plan to steal it myself before it was stolen.

"Flying Thunder God? The Yondaime jutsu?" Rock Lee gasped.

After much peer pressure and against my best judgment, I created the wood beacon. "Black Thunder!" I protested, but no one paid attention.

The kunai passed from hand to hand like it was a shiny new toy or something.

"Can you do it?" He asked, eyes shining in anticipation.

I hated that I couldn't do what he asked. I shook my head. A bit of red touching my ears.

"Why?" It was Sasuke this time.

"It's not complete," I wrote, then wrote more. "When I use it, it just takes me, not my earthly possessions."

There was a moment of silence before Karin gasped.

"That's why you were naked?"

I scowled. Really, Karin? She was doing this on purpose, wasn't she?

"What?" "What are you talking about?"

The redhead did look a bit sheepish, bombarded by questions.

"Well, when Hinata-chan escaped from her cell, she wasn't wearing anything at all. She killed a bunch of shinobi and then just walked back inside the cells like it was the most normal thing in the world. I just thought she liked to fight naked or something."

I facepalmed. Sakura looked horrified. Rock Lee's eyes shone. He looked inspired for some reason. Worst of all was Sasuke's barely there blush. Oh, please, spare me.

Things went on like that for a while longer, with Karin always trying to inject some levity into the situation, even though most of the time, it was at the cost of saying something I had done that, in hindsight, was embarrassing as hell.

I did notice that yes, it was on purpose. Was she trying to distract me? I mean, it was working. Being embarrassed was way better than emotionally traumatized. I guess I could let her off the hook just this once.

---

My pastries were almost depleted, and the living room was a mess. Sakura and Rock Lee had already left, and Karin somehow had made herself scarce inside my three-room apartment. How she managed that was a mystery. That left me with Emosuke, who had wanted to say something for a while but couldn't seem to find the words.

"What is it, Sasuke-kun?" I asked gently.

It was selfish of me, but I wanted him gone. I enjoyed seeing him, and the afternoon of talking was nice, good even, but I still had an Ino to appease and sweets to deliver. Between Sasuke and Ino, there was no need to even guess.

"Mom wanted me to invite you for dinner," he said, finally.

I tilted my head. As far as I know, this was the first time Sasuke invited someone to visit his house.

Was this why he'd been acting so strange? I could even guess why the Uchiha were inviting me for dinner.

Shisui had said Itachi wanted to talk regarding all that political fallout. I wasn't sure why a noble shinobi family like the Uchiha would wish to support an outcast like me. And I was curious about how things were going for the Uchiha with all the changes from how canon things were supposed to go.

I nodded, wrote words. "Should we invite Naruto and Kakashi-sensei as well? Make it a team seven thing?"

Sasuke looked at the words, then shrugged. "That's fine. I think Mom wants to talk with you after dinner."

Not Itachi? He was, what, fifteen? He might be acting as clan head, but maybe Mikoto was pulling the strings. That was a real possibility. I didn't know Mikoto's character. My sole interaction with her was that one meeting at the hospital.

"Three days from now?"

Sasuke nodded. There was this brief moment of silence when I thought he might say or do something else, but he got up.

"Meet here at sunset?" He asked.

I nodded, wrote more. "I'll invite Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke nodded again. I walked him to the door, waved him goodbye. Somehow, Karin reappeared between me walking him to the door and waving him off. From where, I had no idea. I took one look at her, the gleam in her eyes, the barely contained smirk.

"Nope!" I said. Ran out of the apartment, closed the door behind me. I had sweets to deliver. Karin could hold in whatever that was for a little while longer.

---

Spoiler: AN

Thank you for reading. Next chapter Friday.

Proofreader: CakeEight