Title: Shy, not Weak

Author: PurplexMirage

Genre: General/Romance/Tragedy

Rating: T/M

Summary: Hinata-centric. A forgotten contract sends Hinata away from Konoha at a young age. Back in Konoha shortly before the genin exams, how is this different Hinata going to affect the people around her? And what did happen to her while she was away? NaruHina

Standard Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are properties of Kishimoto Masashi and the companies that have the rights for it. I do not own Naruto.

Author's Note: Okay, this chapter may be a bit confusing. Sorry about that. . Hinata's parts are in chronological order, although they are not spaced out evenly, sometimes days past between the events, sometimes months or even years. [There is only one exception to that rule, but its pretty noticeable. I felt I should give poor Hinata a break.] The events in Konoha between each event show how things are happening with Hinata gone. They are, also, spaced chronologically and either happens hours or a few days after each other, and they all happen in the first few months of Hinata's departure. Although, this chapter might be a bit confusing I actually really like how it turned out. As a plus to make up for the short chapter from last time, this one is actually a bit longer than usual.

Chapter 4: Death is the First Undertaking

Hinata clenched her teeth as her sword was knocked away and the instructor hit her with the blunt of his sword's hilt. "Wrong!" he barked, as she flew backward, a purple bruise rapidly forming on her jaw. "Who can tell me what the Hyuga did wrong?" he yelled looking around at the other ten students in the dojo.

"She was distracted with your swordplay, and did not think you will attempt a jutsu." A calm voice eventually murmured. Hinata glanced at the owner of the voice. His hair was like a lion mane, black streaks within a mix of blonde and brown strands. She knew what his name was: Hattori. He was an enigma, the smartest in all the classes. Their eyes met for a moment, his black eyes meeting with her white ones, before he blinked and dismissed her from his sight. The dismissal rankled; it was like he was saying that she was too weak to be of his notice. No matter where she went, no one seemed to think she was strong and worthy of notice.

"Correct," the instructor said approvingly. He looked at the sweating Hyuga on the floor. "Up," he snarled. Hinata got up unsteadily, her jaw aching furiously. Hinata's eyes widened when the instructor started coming after her. She ducked underneath his side swing, but was too slow to dodge the second swipe. The sharp sword cut shallowly into her thigh, and Hinata hissed out in pain. "An enemy will never give you warning before they attack." He said, sneering down at her. She quickly rolled away, before he can begin his attack again. Glancing around her, revealed that her sword was almost across the room, she would never be able to get it in time.

"Byakugan," Hinata murmured softly, making the hand seals for her bloodline. Hand-to-hand combat was impossible since he had a sword. But if she could distract him enough then maybe she could grab her sword, before he attacked again.

"What use will using your bloodline do for you? You're just wasting chakra." The instructor taunted as he circled the crouched Hyuga. Hinata stared at him wearily, waiting for his move. With a cry, the instructor advanced forward his sword a blur.

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Naruto glanced around the classroom searchingly. Where was Hinata-chan? School was about to start! She was going to be late if she didn't get there soon. Just as he finished that thought, the bell rang signaling the start of class. Naruto looked at the door worriedly, maybe she was running late?

"Well, let's begin class. Today, we're learning about—" Iruka began writing words on the chalkboard.

"Ne, ne, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled waving his arm widely trying to catch his teacher's attention. Iruka sighed as he heard Naruto's unmistakable voice.

"Yes Naruto?" Iruka asked wearily as he turned around, afraid that Naruto was about to play a prank.

"Hinata-chan isn't here yet. I'm sure she wouldn't want to miss this," Naruto begin, looking at Iruka earnestly with his blue eyes. "Can we wait for her before we start class?"

"Naruto," Iruka warned in his scary teacher tone, really the boy would use any excuse to not have to listen to lessons. "Hinata's father has told me that Hinata will not be going to the Academy for a while due to family reasons. That means she will not be here."

"Is she sick?" Naruto asked worriedly. Hinata had seemed fine yesterday, but then she was really pale so he wasn't sure if she was well or not. A horrible thought occurred to him. "Is she going to die?"

Iruka sighed, as he rubbed his hand against his forehead. He had no idea how Naruto went from 'will not be going to the Academy for a while due to family reasons' to 'is she going to die?'. Perhaps it will be another mystery about Naruto he'll never understand. "No, Naruto, at least I don't think so." Iruka caught Naruto's worried look and sighed. "Why don't we start the lesson and you can stay behind after class if you have any more concerns about Hinata."

Naruto slumped in his desk, pouting, as Iruka started his lesson. Hinata-chan, his first friend, wasn't here, and all Iruka wanted to do was teach. He couldn't even help her if she was in trouble, because he was stuck at school. Life was so unfair sometimes.

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"Well? Don't you want the pain to end? Just kill her. It'll be easy and it'll all be over," Jun crooned at the convulsing girl. Hinata shook her head determinedly, tears running down her cheeks in streaks as she hugged herself as to stop the pain.

Don't do this! She wanted to yell at him. She hated this sessions the most, when they would pick at her defenses and manipulate her weaknesses. It was for their own good, the scientists had said. It was to build their mental strength, they had murmured. If these sessions were to make her stronger, why did she feel like breaking then?

"If you don't kill her, then we'll kill the ones you love," Jun taunted as he walked over to the struggling forms of her friends and family. Hinata shook her head again, pleading him not to do this, to please not do this. "Or should I torture them until you give in?" he mused, as he traced the tip of his blade on Hanabi's cheek. Hanabi's scream of terror made Hinata bit her lip harder making a small trail of blood slid down her chin.

Jun sauntered over to the captive girl that he wanted Hinata to kill. He looked over at the struggling Hinata slyly, as he slowly and meticulously broke the girl's fingers. He watched as the Hyuga's eyes widened, and he couldn't stop a chuckle of delight to escape him as he tortured the small girl. "Poor girl," Jun said mock sympathetically, as he patted the blonde tresses on her head. "All her pain will be over if you just kill her. Why must you be so mean Hinata-chan?" he pouted.

Hinata's pain-filled eyes met the green ones of the girl in front of her. "Pl-Please," the girl whispered, her misery evident in every syllable she spoke. "Please stop the pain. I don't want to hurt anymore. Please just kill me. He's hurting me so much." Hinata shook her head hastily at the girl's request. How could Hinata kill her?

Jun continued, seemly unaware of the exchange that happened before. "And everyone says you're such a sweet, nice girl. Here, this girl is suffering, all she wants is for you to kill her. But you won't. Mean, mean Hinata-chan. Won't you end her misery and pain? Don't let her hurt anymore. End her misery. Kill her." He taunted, stalking to the Hyuga whose body was shaking with tremors. "It'll be easy. Just one slice. Then no more pain for her, no more pain for you. Everything will be over."

Hinata shook her head stubbornly as she burrowed deeper into herself. She didn't want to hear anymore. She didn't want to listen to his voice or the other girl's whimpers. She didn't want to hear his terrifying whispers that made an awful kind of sense. Killing was wrong. Good, kind people didn't kill others. She knew that, then why, why did she feel as if doing what he said wouldn't be so wrong. The girl was in pain, and if Hinata killed her then she wouldn't have to feel it anymore, right? The pain would be over, for her and for Hinata. Didn't the girl plead with Hinata to kill her to stop her torment? If Hinata killed her, wouldn't that be as if Hinata had fulfilled her wish? Hinata shook her head desperately as she tried to banish those thoughts from her head. No, no. Good people didn't kill. Good people didn't kill.

Kashi frowned as she observed the scene from behind the one-way mirrored glass. Jun was a master of breaking people, their spirit, their body. That was exactly why the Boss had wanted him here. And from the look of things, Jun was halfway to breaking the spirit of one Hyuga Hinata.

"It is my d-d-duty…to pr-protect her."

"I am shy, not weak."

Those words seemed to echo in Kashi's head. Kashi hated weakness, imperfections, and that was exactly what the Hyuga girl symbolized. But for some reason, she couldn't stand by as she watched the girl's spirit being broken. "KAI!" Kashi shouted.

Jun looked up questioning at his playtime being interrupted. He was close to making a breakthrough, the girl had been ready to caved. When he first saw the shy girl, he hadn't thought it would be that hard to break her, but she had proven surprising difficult. He hadn't had this much fun in a long time, and now he was playtime was being interrupted.

"That is enough Jun." Kashi said. "You may go."

Jun frowned at the lead scientist. "I was close to breaking her!"

Kashi glared at him balefully. "The point is not to break her, you idiot. If you break her, what use will she be to the Society?"

Jun gave an aggrieved puff before he walked away. He hated this place. It was absolutely no fun for him. He was going to ask the Boss to send him somewhere else.

Kashi waited until the door slammed behind a sulking Jun, before she leaned down to the little Hyuga girl. "Up. It's over. Get up and get to your next class." Kashi stood up and made a move to leave when she was stopped by a small noise by the girl.

"Why?" she croaked, her pearly eyes meeting and catching Kashi's green eyes. "Why do they do this?"

"Do you remember what you promised me when I give you that one day to say your goodbyes?" Kashi asked instead.

Hinata's eye widenedand she looked down. "I remember." She said softly

That's enough, Kashi chided herself but she couldn't stop herself from continuing. "If it was a choice between your family or someone you didn't know who would you kill?"

Hinata turned her face away from Kashi's penetrating gaze, blocking her face with her hair. "Hokage-sama would never ask me to do that."

She started when Kashi laughed, it was loud but had a bittersweet quality to it, there was no joy. Hinata turned to stare incredulously at the shaking woman.

Kashi smiled bitterly. "It must be nice to young to have all these delusions. What is your Hokage, little Hyuga? He is a leader. Leaders are not nice and kind, they can't afford to be. Who else do you think orders the others to kill?"

"B-But that's different," Hinata answered. "They're bad guys. They have to be killed."

"Ah…but who would you define as bad, Hyuga? People who cause pain to others? Then," Kashi said slyly. "Wouldn't you also be bad?" Hinata flinched. "After all, it was because of you that the girl was suffering."

"N-No. No," Hinata shook again, not wanting to hear anymore.

Kashi looked at the young girl compassionately for a split second. "There is no black and white in this world, girl, you'll have to learn to live with that. But if you think your Konoha is so great and good. Go back there."

Kashi crounched down next to the little Hyuga who was still stubbornedly staring at the floor. "If you want to go back to those you love, do all we ask of you. Survive. Live. Then you can meet them again. If not, you will die here. And you will never see them again. Is that what you want?" she barked harshly.

"No. No. I want to see them again," Hinata replied, tears falling down again.

"You said you were strong," Kashi continued. "That you will be a ninja. Well, little Hyuga, ninjas kill. Can you?"

Kashi walked out this time, not stopping even when she heard the Hyuga call her back. She had lied to the little girl, because she knew better than anyone else that the Society would never let any of their Conditions go. Not until they or their Conditions died.

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Naruto frowned up at the imposing building in front of him. Hinata-chan's house sure was big. After class had ended he had beg Iruka-sensei to go with him so he could visit Hinata-chan.

Caving underneath Naruto's persistence, Iruka had taken Naruto along as he paid a visit to the Hyuga Compound. Truthfully, Iruka had never liked that place. It was just so cold and unwelcoming. Really he was surprised that such a sweet, nice girl like Hinata could have from the Hyuga clan, and as its heiress no less.

"Excuse me," Iruka begin, talking to the two guards situated in front of the Hyuga Compound's main entrance. "I am Umino Iruka, Hinata's teacher from the Academy. I was wondering if I can talk to her father Hiashi-sama about her absence."

The two guards seemed to communicate silently for a moment, before the shorter one turn to them and spoke. "I am afraid that Hiashi-sama is unavailable at the moment, Iruka-sensei. I will pass on any message you have for him."

"Ah, well," Iruka said, not sure where to start.

"Can I see Hinata-chan then?" Naruto asked. The two guards stared down at the blonde demon container, and if possible their stances became more rigid.

"Hinata-sama has gone on a trip. We do not know when she will be back." The shorter one finally answered glaring at Naruto.

Naruto frowned up at the two watchmen. "Hinata-chan did not say she's going on a trip. You're lying," he accused the man.

Iruka chuckled uneasily as the mood turned colder as both of the Hyugas glared at Naruto who was glaring right back.

"We do not lie, demon." The older one spat. "Hinata-sama has gone on a trip. But," he continued cruelly, "even if she was here we wouldn't let you see her. You would only corrupt her. Be gone, brat, before we do something you'll regret."

Naruto growled at the threat. "I'll show you regret."

"Hehe," Iruka laughed awkwardly, "We'll be taking our leave now. Please tell Hiashi-sama I wish to meet him." He dragged Naruto away.

"EH?! Iruka-sensei let me go!" Naruto struggled against Iruka's hold. "Those guys had it coming to them!"

"Naruto! Naruto!" Iruka shook the blonde student in his arms. "Listen to me! You won't solve anything by beating them up. You're the one who will get hurt!" When those words seem to fail to make Naruto stop, Iruka tried another method, "Do you think Hinata will want that?"

That seemed to calm the struggling child. Iruka let his arms fall from around Naruto. Naruto stood unnaturally still, before he turned to look at Iruka slowly. Iruka's eyes widened as he saw the heart-breaking sadness in Naruto's face.

"Iruka-sensei, why do they always take things from me?" Naruto asked quivering. "Hinata-chan is my first friend. Why did they have to take her away from me? Do I not deserve to be happy too?"

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Hinata and Kira were excited. Today was the day that they were going to test to see if their medicine worked. Kira still did not like Hinata much, although she tolerated her—to a degree. When they had first planned the medicine, it was to make the person who used it to reveal their innermost deepest hate and secret. However, with counseling from their sensei, they had made it so that the person who took it could see that the others were the reasons for their hate. It was a good medicine to use against enemy ninjas without wasting ninja resources. It had been difficult to make, but in the end worth it. Or so they thought.

"Stop it!" Kira cried as she struggled against her captors. "It's not supposed to be used that way! It's for evil people. It's not for them! Stop it!"

Hinata watched shell-shocked as the peaceful villagers from before started turning on each other. The nice, old lady that had been giving out cookies before was now choking one of the village kids screaming how they were ungrateful, messy brats. A mother was slowly drowning her baby in the well, as tears streamed down her face as she chanted the words, "You shouldn't be alive. You shouldn't be alive." Mothers against children, neighbors against neighbors, siblings against siblings; they were slaughtering each other. Was this the medicine she had made? Was this her fault? It had just been a game though, an experiment. It wasn't supposed to hurt anyone. It had just been an assignment assigned to her and Kira to see if they could make a deadly poison and antidote using the resources that were available to them. It wasn't supposed to kill people. This wasn't supposed to happen. Hinata gripped her hands tightly, her fingernails biting into her skin, as she witnessed the carnage in front of her. Blood was everywhere. Did people truly bleed that much? She wondered hysterically. Why doesn't it stop? Why didn't they ever stop bleeding?

Hinata watched as the last person standing staggered to the nearby stream. "Why don't you die?" he yelled at his reflection. "Why won't you ever die?!" He started stabbing the water reflection with the bloody dagger he held in his hand. On one of his wide slashes he hit himself, causing a shallow cut to start bleeding. His eyes grew manically bright. "Yes! Yes! Yes! You're hurt! Die. Die! Die! I hate you." Hinata watched in horror as he started stabbing himself, laughing as more holes appeared on his body. Hinata's hands raised on its own accord as she choked back a silent scream. Tears blurred her sight as she chanted one word in her mind. No, no, no, no. "Finally," the man said, smiling angelically as he stared at his reflection. "You're finally died." Hinata shook her head furiously, as the man pitched over finally from his wounds. His blood dyeing the river red as his motionless body floated on the stream. She killed him. She had killed him. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the many dead bodies that littered the village. She had killed them all. Oh, gods, what had she done? What had she done?

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Naruto stealthily followed his unwary quarry. He was on an important mission, and he was determined not to be caught. His prey stopped suddenly, and Naruto stilled too.

"Why are you following me?" Oh well, at least Naruto thought he was being stealthy.

Naruto leaped out of the forest in front of the older boy. He frowned at him. "You're a Hyuga right? So you know Hinata-chan right?"

Neji frowned at the annoying blonde boy in front of him. First, the boy had followed Neji noisily home all the way from the Academy. He had made enough noise to wake the dead. What type of ninja was he supposed to make? Then, the boy asked about Hinata-sama, a sore topic for the still-hurt Neji. "If I do?" Neji sneered down at the pipsqueak in front of him.

"Well, where is she? Are you holding her hostage and performing horrible experiments on her or something?" Yes, Naruto's active over-imagination had made a myriad number of possibilities on why he had not seen his precious friend, all of which were more grisly and out-of-the-world then the next. "Was she captured by aliens?"

Neji felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance at Naruto's weird ideas. He hadn't hold much credibility in the whole "dumb blonde theory" but if Naruto was the example of the blonde species, then he would definitely listen closer to those sayings.

"She's gone, got it baka?" Neji snarled, hurt at her abandonment of him. "And she's not coming back."

"You're lying, too!" Naruto yelled loudly, jabbing his finger angrily at the long-haired Hyuga. "Are all Hyugas except Hinata-chan liars?"

"Stop calling her Hinata-chan, loser!" Neji yelled back, angry at the familiar way Naruto was addressing his cousin.

"Why not? Hinata-chan is my friend! She says she believes in me! She wouldn't leave me!" Naruto shouted, unintentionally rubbing salting on Neji's wounds. "See!" he pointed to the red chakra string around his wrist, "she even made me a promise bracelet!"

Neji stared at the red string around the Naruto's wrist and growled. His world seemed to take a red haze as all the anger and pain that he felt about Hinata leaving him behind raised up and targeted Naruto. How was it that an imbecile like Naruto could receive Hinata-sama's trust? Why did she have to leave him behind? He would have followed her to the ends of the world, and yet she left him alone, knowing that she was the one thing that kept him from falling back into the empty void that he had fallen in after his father died. It wasn't right! He was the one who deserved that bracelet that Hinata-sama had left behind, not this loser that had barely known her for a day!

"Give me that!" Neji demanded.

"NO! Its mine," Naruto replied, hugging the bracelet close to him. "You can't have it!"

"Why, I oughta—" Neji reached over to snatch the bracelet from Naruto.

"AHHHH!!!" Naruto yelled as he ran away from the rampaging Hyuga after his bracelet. "Leave me alone, you thief!"

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"Get up," one of the man in the mask ordered. "Go see if there are any survivors. If there is. Kill them."

Hinata stepped numbly into the villiage, her sandals stepping lightly on the dirt road mixed with blood. There was no one alive right? She stared at the gaping eyes of the dead all around her. No one could have possibly survived right? Please gods, let there be no one left.

Perhaps the gods hated her, Hinata thought as she started at the quivering girl in front of her, her eyes filling with tears. They must really, really hate her. The young girl couldn't be any older than her imouto's age. Did she really have to kill her?

"Hinata, I-" Kira begin, stepping into the cottage that her partner had went into. Kira was partly relieved that there was no one left alive, but the dead seemed to follow her everywhere. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible and forget that this ever happened. She stopped as she noticed the very alive young girl that was shaking in front of her. Kira saw Hinata take a step forward. "Hinata! Don't!" Two strong arms held her back as she attempted to move forward. "Don't! What do you think you're doing?"

"Please don't hurt me," the little girl whispered, her cries growing bigger as Hinata kept stepping nearer.

Images and voices seemed to whirl in Hinata's mind as she stepped ever so closer to the little girl.

"Do you not love me anymore?" Hanabi asked, her voice small and scared.

Hanabi, her precious little sister. Hinata was here, because she had to protect her, because she didn't want Hanabi to have to do all the things she was doing. She didn't want Hanabi to have to walk this path. She didn't want Hanabi to see all the horrors that the world have to offer. If possible, she only wanted Hanabi to see only the good things, the rainbows and the light, not the shadows and the darkness that Hinata seem to be forever entrenched in.

"You were never meant to be a ninja." Amaya said, her eyes spilling tears. "You care too much for others."

Oh how right Amaya had been. She didn't know that this was what it meant to be a ninja. All this pain and hurt, chaos and destruction. Was this what it meant to be a ninja?

"If you care about them, you will not let anything hurt them." Jun has said in one of his sessions, as he calmly tortured her family.

That was why she was here. That was why she had to keep going on. She couldn't let anything hurt them. But how could she kill someone who was so like her sister? How can she take a life?

"You are a disgrace to the clan and to me." Hiashi said, slamming the door after him.

She had done so much for her father; for his approval, for his love. He had loved her when she left right? He did approve of her choice right? He was proud of her right? She had just wanted him to smile and her and tell her that he was proud of having a daughter like her. That was all Hinata had ever wanted from him, love and care offered unconditionally.

"I don't want to be alone anymore, Hinata-sama. Please don't ever leave me alone." Neji said.

But she had left him alone. She had left him. Not because she wanted to, but because she had to. She had to protect Hanabi. She had to protect the Hyugga clan. She had to. She had to. It didn't mean that she didn't love Neji-nii-san too, but she had to leave him so that he can be safe. So that whatever he chose to do in the future, he can do it, and be happy. So that he can be happy. Neji-nii-san had so much potential; it was unfair that he was stuck to the Hyuga clan. She wanted to give him wings; she wanted to let him fly.

"If you want to go back to those you love, do all we ask of you. Survive. Live. Then you can meet them again. If not, you will die here. And you will never see them again."

Survival. Was that what it came down to? If she survived, they would let her go back to those she loved? But what if the people she loved, didn't love her anymore because of what she had become? What then?

"Wait for me, Kaa-san. I will be back."

Did Kaa-san still love her, Hinata wondered. She was not the pure girl that Kaa-san had been so proud of. Would her Kaa-san even want to see the Hinata of now?

"But it's my home. The only one I've ever known."

She wanted to see Konoha again. See the sunset fall over the peaceful city. Watch as ninjas go and come. Look at the Hokage monument and know that the past Hokages were looking down on Konoha and protecting them. She wanted to feel the love and cheer that was so much a part of Konoha. She wanted to see Naruto-kun again.

"Well, little Hyuga, ninjas kill. Can you?"

No. She couldn't kill. But she had to. Had to. Had to. She hated those words: had to. It seems that everything in her life she had to do. Why couldn't she do anything of her free choice?

"Stop, Hinata! Do you have no heart?!" Kira shouted as she struggled against the men holding her back. "Don't do it! Don't kill her!"

Hinata crouched down next to the crying girl. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

The little girl was just shaking her head. "Mommy! I want my mommy. You're scary. I don't like you. I want my Mommy. MOMMY!"

Hinata closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

Hinata stood up, raising the sword above her head. Opening her eyes determinedly she let the sword slashed down, and the little girl screamed. Warm blood splattered all over Hinata's clothes and hands. Hinata stood still, her hands trembling softly, before she sheathed her still trembled as she just stood there. Numb, she felt so numb.

"You're a monster!" Kira yelled, hitting Hinata in the back. "You're a murderer. You should die! How could you kill her? How could you?!"

Hinata let Kira rain blows on her, not feeling a thing with the numbness that had spread inside her. What could she say? What could she do? Because Kira was right: Hinata was a monster.

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Neji gritted his teeth as Amaya harshly rubbed ointment on the bruises on his face. Who knew that the little pipsqueak could hit so hard?

Amaya frowned at the boy. "You, boy, are stupid." She started wrapping bandages on the scratches on his arm. Oh yeah, let's not forget that Naruto scratched like a hellion cat when he was cornered.

"He had something of Hinata-sama." Neji told Amaya, his head lowered.

Amaya looked at his lowered head sadly. "That does not mean you could take it from him." She scolded him, although her hands gentled.

"I hate her," Neji said suddenly, causing Amaya to stop in her nursing to stare at the boy in shock. "She abandoned me. He's wrong: she is the liar. She's the one at fault. I hate her. She's stupid and she's weak and she doesn't care about anyone but herself." Neji choked on his words. "I hate her. I won't forgive her for leaving me alone. I won't. I hope she dies. I hope she never comes back."

Amaya continued her ministering on the wounds on Neji's arms, ignoring the drip drop of water hitting the ground and the rapidly growing water puddle beneath Neji's face. "Do you really?"

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Whoever said that everything became easier after the first time, lied. Although Hinata had continued to kill after her first mission, it never became easier. The numbness never went away, and the nightmares continued to haunt her continually. Hinata felt like dieing. It was like an endless broken record. Monster, murderer they chanted and no matter how much she tried she couldn't get them to go away.

"Sad?"

Hinata looked up at the voice, straight into white eyes almost like hers. Shock coursed through her for a moment, another Hyuga here? However, another blink lost that illusion, and she found herself staring at a blind girl with long white hair spilling down her shoulders. "Nee-chan, sad?" the younger girl asked.

"I-I," Hinata looked at the girl confusingly, no one ever talk to anymore. Not after what Kira had told everyone. "I'm okay."

"No," the younger girl said stubbornedly, leaning down to touch Hinata's cheek with one hand. She lifted her hand and show Hinata the liquid there. "Nee-chan sad."

Hinata gasped as her hands flew to her face, feeling the tears there. She hadn't even felt herself crying.

The little girl sat close to Hinata. "Nee-chan sad." The girl repeated leaning on Hinata's shoulder.

"Yes," Hinata admitted, hugging her legs closer to her body, as she leaned her forehead against her knees. "Yes I am sad."

"Why?" the girl asked curiously.

"Because," Hinata choked. How could she explain to the little girl that she had killed so many? That she was a monster. "Because I'm a bad person."

"Why?" the little girl continued asking.

"Because," Hinata replied, closing her eyes tightly as she remembered the blood soaking her hands. "Because I have done some very bad things."

"Why?"

"Because," Hinata answered, remembered Kashi telling her what the price was to go back. "Because I had to."

"Why?"

She remembered the one-way conversation between herself and her mother's tombstone. "Because I have to protect my precious people."

"Why?"

Hinata's throat tightened. "Because I love them. I love them so much that it hurts." Hinata did not know of the little girl asked anymore, she couldn't seem to hear anything past the large sobs that she was making. This wasn't the silent tears that had seemed to plague her for so long, but large body-shaking cries. She was crying because it hurts so much; it hurts to love. Why did no one warn her that it would hurt so much to love? She wanted to see them so badly. She didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to have to kill anymore. She hated herself. She hated herself so much. She wanted to see them again, but she couldn't. She was so dirty…so vile, she couldn't taint them with her ugliness. She didn't deserve to be by them. How many have she killed? How many innocents have she slaughtered under her blade? Amaya would hate her if she knew how Hinata was using the precious gift that she given her. Gods, did it hurt. It hurt so badly. Why did love have to hurt so much?

Althrough Hinata's crying, the small girl continued by her side, humming a soft melody as to amuse herself. As Hinata sobs begin to lessen, she realized that the little girl had still not left, and she looked up. As of noticing that Hinata had stopped crying, the little girl looked into Hinata's eyes, smiling softly. "Done?" she asked.

Hinata nodded her head slowly, her eyes feeling puffy and weird after her long crying. "What's your name?" she asked.

The little girl's smile grew wider. "Lina. My name Lina."

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"Oi, Oji-san!" Naruto yelled, slamming into the Hokage's office. Sandaime sighed as he waved away the guards that were about to strangle Naruto.

"Yes Naruto?" Sandaime asked as he gestured to the chair in front of him.

"I need you to train me," Naruto told him seriously. Sandaime looked up at the request and at the determined face of the boy in front of him.

"You can learn anything you want in the Academy," Sandaime waved off, his cunning eyes testing Naruto.

"I already know all they want to teach me! I have to know more!" Naruto answered back, not giving up. "I have to become stronger."

"Oh? I thought you can't even make a simple bunshin." Sandaime countered.

"Ugh! I can! ...But it just blows up when I do!" Naruto yelled frustrated.

"Blows up?" Sandaime asked curiously.

"Yeah! See?" Naruto asked as he flashed through the seals, and indeed minutes after his bunshin formed it blew up.

"Hmm," Sandaime murmured, calculating. "What do you know about chakra, Naruto?"

"Uhh…it's there and we use it to do jutsu and stuff." Naruto answered, honestly. Sandaime sighed in exasperation.

He chucked a scroll at Naruto, who caught it before it could hit his face. At least he has good reflexes, Sandaime thought warily. "Read that and tomorrow I will test you on the information."

Naruto groaned. "Not another test," he whined as he read the title of the scroll, Chakra for Dummies. Hey! Was the Hokage calling him stupid?

Before Naruto could work up a steam of anger at being called a dummy indirectly, Sandaime threw him off with a question. "Why do you have to become stronger Naruto?"

"Well," Naruto said, glancing down at the precious bracelet that he had managed to safeguard against the forces of evil, namely one Hyuga Neji, "it's because I promised someone important that I will, so I can be happy, and reach my dream of being Hokage. And because she believes in me."

Sandaime's eyes softened. While it wasn't the answer Sandaime had been looking for, it was one in the right direction. Naruto was walking down the path that Yondaime would have wanted him to, not the one of death and destruction that Sandaime had feared the villagers would have forced Naruto to.

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"What's wrong with her?" the doctors asked each other in hushed voice as they rushed around the young Hyuga's bedside. Hinata was shivering, her body dripping with beads of perspiration. Her eyes were wide open and she was screaming as if she was witnessing some horrible events that only she could see. No one knew what was wrong with her.

Behind a glass mirror, unnoticed by the busy doctors, two kids watched as their friend was poked by various needles and pins.

Lina watched the people moving. "Nee-chan hurt again." she told Hattori, unemotionally.

"Yes." Hattori answered the little girl.

"Why?" Lina asked, her head tilted curiously.

"I don't know," Hattori whispered back to the frightened girl. His sharp eyes caught a purple head disappearing quickly behind a corner. "But I'm going to find out."

"What did you do to her Kira?" Hattori growled as he grabbed her arm.

The purple-haired girl tried to break his grasp on her arm, as she replied haughtily, "I didn't do anything to her. Let go of me, you big bully! Even if I did, it's nothing less than what she deserves. She's a monster." Kira hissed the last part, her hazel eyes flashing.

Hattori tightened his hold on her arm. "Give me the antidote or I'll tell the doctors you were the one who poisoned Hinata."

"Hmph, you can't prove I poisoned their precious little pet," Kira replied, throwing back her head.

Quick as a flash, Hattori cut a diagonal slash across her wrist. "Don't forget what my ability is," he warned Kira turning his face toward the small cut that he had made.

Kira's eyes widened as she began her struggles anew. She couldn't let him taste her blood. Footsteps alerted Kira and Hattori to a third person, and they froze as they saw Seoshi come up the corridor.

"Seoshi-sama," Kira whispered. Seoshi looked at the two people struggling in front of him, his amber eyes scrutinizing the situation.

He turned to Kira. "What did you do?"

"I-I—" she stuttered underneath his cool gaze.

"She poisoned Hinata," Hattori answered him quickly before Kira could make up a story.

Seoshi looked at Hattori for a moment, before his penetrating gaze whipped back on Kira. "Is that true Kira?"

Kira looked down meekly. "Hai, Seoshi-sama."

"Give him the antidote. Poisoning a comrade is beneath our honor," Seoshi said, as he walked past the two. "I do not want to hear of you doing something like that again. Is that clear, Kira?"

Kira looked like she wanted to argue, but she nodded her head in acceptance. "Hai, Seoshi-sama. I understand."

As Seoshi's footsteps moved further away, Hattori slackened his hold, and Kira yanked her arm forcefully from his hand. "Here, you man-handling brute," she said throwing a small jar into his face. He caught the jar before it could make contact, and Kira looked sad that it didn't at least hit him. "Have her swallow a pill every 10 hours on the dot, and she should be well again in a week. Feel lucky that Seoshi-sama ordered me to, or you would have never gotten that."

"A week?" Hattori questioned as he stared at the brown jar in front of him.

Kira smiled cruelly. "I knew that they would have eventually found the antidote. This way she will suffer the poison for a week longer even if they did."

Hattori narrowed his eyes at her. "You're a bitch."

"Oh I know," she answered, breezily, waving away the insult.

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Hiashi looked at the framed photograph in front of him. His hand shook as he traced the smiling face of Hinata, his stupid, darling little girl. He wished she wasn't as she was. She was too much like her mother, his wife. She cared too much; always trying to help people when they didn't ask for her help. He placed the picture frame in the box and began to meticulously place the other stuff in the box too. He had one more chance. He had to take care of Hanabi. He had to make her the perfect leader. He couldn't think about Hinata anymore. Not anymore, she was taking up his time with the amount he thought of her. She was gone, and she was never going to come back. His little girl was never going to come back and smile at him anymore. She was gone. Hiashi slowly covered the box, taking one more glimpse of his little flower. Hinata was dead to him and to the Hyuga clan. Hyuga Hinata no longer existed.

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Final Author Note: And done! I added an extra scene or two to give some more depth to the OCs that appeared. Hint: Make note of them. You'll see them more later. This was a particularly grueling chapter for Hinata. I'm glad JSai pointed out how I emphasized Hinata's gentle nature in the early chapters; it was actually to provide a contrast to what she has to deal with in this chapter. Now, next chapter she will be back in Konoha, which is kind of at odds with what she was thinking at the scene where she met Lina. What made her change her decision? Also, how did she get back to Konoha? Kashi had admitted privately to herself that the Society was never going to let any of their Conditions go. Wouldn't that apply more so when Hinata is their pet Condition [as Kira had said]? Also, what happened to Naruto with his training with Sandaime? Hmm, Neji seems to really hate Hinata for what she did to him, how will he react when she comes back? Oh! I just love this chapter. The only part I didn't like was Hiashi's part, it felt too forced. But it was needed. You'll see why later. I wanted to add more events, but I think I added enough. The story will definitely pick up after this. I hope I did a good job about describing the OCs' characters, because I know I stink when it comes to their physical descriptions.

Thank you for the reviews last chapter! It motivated me to get out this chapter earlier. Please review again! :]