Peripheral Vision
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Eventually, even the strongest ninja has to die. That's the law of nature. Hinata is chosen to become a Shinigami and is trained to take down those who try to defy the natural order of life and death. Can she handle it? Orochimaru is only the tip of the iceberg. NejiHina
Terms Used:
Shinigami: literally means god of death. In this fic, not very many people know about them. They will be like the ANBU. Instead of hunting missing-nin, the Shinigami hunt down those who do not follow the law of life and death. Those who try to attain immortality or the ghosts of the departed who have not gone on to the Land of the Dead to be judged.
Shikigami: The Shinobi in Naruto have contracts with dogs, frogs, slugs and snakes. The Shinigami have contracts with the Shikigami and ask for their help and power.
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Chapter One:
There were moments in life when it was clear that you had come to a crossroad and you can look back and pinpoint when exactly your life path altered its course dramatically. For a lot of people in Konoha, it was the Chuunin exam held only a few months ago. It was the event that served as a catalyst for the changes that had befallen the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
It was snowing outside, the powdery substance blanketing the streets of Konoha, the trees, the grass and the flowers in white.
It covered everything both the good and the bad.
The Uchiha massacre survivor Uchiha Sasuke had run off after Orochimaru, lured by the promise of enough power so he may exact his revenge on his brother and avenge his clan.
Uzumaki Naruto, the one who served as the vessel for the demon Kyuubi, went off with Jiraiya to train and become stronger (and to get him far away from Itachi and the Akatsuki's clutches). His promise to Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back to her was at the forefront of his mind. He had made a promise and he had no intention of breaking it. It was his nindo to never go back on his word. What sort of Hokage would he be if he did not live up to his ninja way? Not a very good one, that was for sure.
He would not stop trying until he finally succeeds in bringing Sasuke back to Konoha.
Haruno Sakura, heartbroken over Sasuke's departure and his treason against not only Konoha but his friends as well, had turned towards studying to become a better ninja. She was taken as the new Hokage's apprentice and was practicing to be a medic-nin under Tsunade herself.
The genins, who had been sent to retrieve Sasuke, although they failed, were praised to high heavens for their valiant and heroic efforts in battle. Most of them would have died, had the Sand Siblings not arrived to intervene in time. As it were, Chouji, Kiba and Akamaru, Neji, Shikamaru and even Naruto had all incurred damage not only physically but mentally as well.
The lesson they learned that day would stay with them forever.
They were children forced to grow up too soon. As unfortunate as it was, that was the reality of their lives and their circumstance. Such was the life of a Shinobi; constant missions, battles, blood and death. The best thing the adults could do for the children was to train them hard and make sure that they had the ability to protect and defend themselves so they could survive.
Each ninja taken out in the line of duty was remembered, his or her name forever etched in a rock that stood for something solid and steady. The strength of Konoha built upon hundred and thousand of sacrificed lives.
This moment…this was the turning point of history and all of them knew it.
It had only just begun.
OOO
He could have lost his arm.
If it hadn't been for the Hokage's medical genius, he most likely would have.
The thought kept Neji awake at nights and haunted his dreams. He had defeated his enemy but he could still remember the spider webs, the sticky substance and the pain at having a hole punched into his body. His current level of strength had been barely enough to defeat the Sound Nin and if he had been just a bit lax in his training, no doubt he would have died. It was not a good thought and it pushed Neji to train harder and for longer hours.
He had to be better.
He had to improve.
There were much more stronger foes out there and he needed to be ready.
His feet made no sound against the wooden floor as he walked the halls of Hyuuga house like a ghost in middle of the night. He still had trouble sleeping and he hated arachnids with a passion he had previously reserved only for the Main House. He made a detour and headed for the back of the house towards the kitchen. Perhaps a glass of milk would help him sleep.
It had never worked before…but Neji had no other ideas so he didn't stop trying.
Maybe this time it would work.
Neji stepped into the cavernous Hyuuga kitchen used to cook meals for the numerous Hyuugas who inhabited the compound. He walked over to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk before pulling out a glass from the cupboard and pouring it in. With his glass filled, Neji returned the carton inside the refrigerator and headed outside, towards the garden.
Perhaps some fresh air would do him some good.
If not, he could always go to the near-by dojo to train. His Uncle Hiashi had given Neji the note Hizashi had written. It explained to him that his father had not been forced into the role of the sacrificial lamb but had instead volunteered for it. It lessened some of Neji's anger and resentment towards the Main House but he had lived with it for so long that he knew it would take time for him to actually accept the familial relationship his uncle was extending to him.
The familial relationship Hinata had always extended towards him.
Neji's steps faltered at the thought of his younger cousin. He wondered if she was doing all right, if she had healed from the damage he had done. It still surprised him, thinking back on how she tried to stand up again and again even though it was obvious she had a snowball's chance in hell of ever actually defeating him.
That was her strength.
Her determination.
That was what showed that despite everything, she was a Hyuuga.
For a Hyuuga, Hinata was pretty pathetic but she was still worthy of the name.
OOO
Sweat poured down her temples and her whole body was sleek with perspiration from her exertion but Hinata didn't care. She needed to do this, to push herself to the limit and beyond. She needed to be strong, if only to show her support to Naruto in the only way she knew how.
She would make sure that his belief in her was not for nothing.
He had trusted her and had believed in her strength and she would not let him down.
She would not let Kurenai-sensei down.She would not let Kiba and Akamaru and Shino down.
Despite the burning ache in her chest, Hinata forced herself to continue. Despite the little amount of chakra she had left in her body, she forced herself to go on. Hands facing forward, feet firmly planted and ready to move at a split second, her balance centered. She started going through the forms of the gentle fist.
That was the beauty of her family's taijutsu. It was like a dance almost, but up close, the power was staggering. An opponent may block the physical blow but one can never truly defend against the invisible wave of chakra that flowed from each and every single attack. Coupled with the uncanny clarity of the Byakugan and it's 360 degree vision, the Hyuuga's gentle fist was a taijutsu that no other taijutsu in the world could completely defend against.
Hinata knew only the basic moves; not the Kaiten nor the 64 Hands of Hakke and it would be a long time before she was ready to learn them. It took an immense degree of chakra control and skill to be able to execute either of those two moves and now, with her body still recovering from Neji's assault, she was not strong enough to even attempt to perform them.
Hinata kept her balance on the balls of her feet and sprung forward, her left hand extended, her Byakugan activated. She twisted her arm as if to block an oncoming blow and turned it aside, jabbing her right hand into her imaginary opponents side. If it had connected with a real person, significant damage would have been done to the person's kidney and other internal organs.
Her breathing was coming in harsh, short pants but Hinata didn't stop.
She had to keep training.
She had to.
Hanabi was already ahead of her and so was Neji-niisan. If she stopped now, then the gap between her and them would only grow wider and she'd never be able to show them how much she'd improved. She wanted their approval, their acknowledgement. For once in her life, Hinata wanted to look at her sister, her father, her cousin, her family and see their eyes shine with pride instead of the pity, disgust, anger, hatred and disappointment she was used to seeing.
She wanted them to be proud.
She wanted them to be happy.
Across the training hall she saw a shadowy figure leaning against the wall, dressed in white robes and watching her with an almost beatific smile on his classically handsome face. Hinata stumbled in surprise at the sudden vision but the person disappeared so fast she was left wondering if it had only been a figment on her imagination.
Hinata's knees buckled and she fell on her hands and knees on the floor, coughing uncontrollably, blood splattering to the floor. She reached up a hand to grasp the front of her training shirt, thinking only to stop the searing pain that started to radiate from her chest to the tips of her fingers and toes.
The figure was kneeling in front of her, reaching out black clad arms to touch her face.
Senihairu, a voice whispered in her mind. You can see me clearly now…
Hinata tried to pull back but didn't have the energy.
She hacked up more blood.
Crimson liquid dripped from the corner of her mouth to the floor, only adding to the scarlet collage of blood already present in the hardwood floor.
The last thing Hinata heard before she passed out was Neji's exclamation as the door of the dojo was shoved open.
"HINATA-SAMA!"
OOO
There was an uneasy silence in Konoha as everyone prepared for the worst. It was not pessimism that urged such reactions through the citizens of The Leaf. It was battle readiness learned through years of living the life of a soldier. It was better to be prepared for the absolute worst scenario one can think of, instead of waiting around with blind optimism that somehow, everything was going to work itself out.
Faith was one thing.
Ignorance and stupidity was another.
Tsunade looked down at the reports she held in her hands. All in all, the village was still safe and secure and she had tightened the security around the perimeter. The fact that Itachi had managed to enter the village was no laughing matter. It was a security breach that could have caused Konoha hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives.
One by one, day by day the village was starting to recover and move on.
"Why anyone would want to be Hokage is beyond me," the blonde Sennin muttered with a sigh. "But then again, Naruto isn't exactly known for his brains is he? Bullheadedness, yes, but brains…?" a fond smile curled her lips at the thought of the boy she regarded as a younger brother, perhaps even a son. Whatever else flaws Naruto had, he was pure and he had a way of moving people.
If not for him, she never would have gone back to this village let alone accepted the position of Hokage.
Earlier in the day, the Aburame Clan Head had spoken to her about the strange behavior of the destruction bugs his family was so infamous for having. "They are reacting to strange shifts in the air, something is coming. They don't know what it is, but it is approaching our boarders."
About a few hours later, the Inuzuka Head had shown up with more of less the same findings. Something was approaching Konoha, something unknown but it stirred a reaction in the nin-dogs and the destruction bugs both of which were known for their heightened sense of feeling.
Tsunade could feel it too.
She could sense it.
As a medic-nin, there were times when even her most powerful jutsus failed to work. Times when she would sense that cold presence, that feeling of finality come over her like a dark cloud just before her patient died.
Tsunade could feel it now.
It was Death.
And it was approaching Konoha.
OOO
Shizune emerged from Hinata's hospital room and quietly closed the door behind her. Several Hyuugas awaited her on the other side and she was not looking forward to telling them about their heir's physical condition.
The girl lay in a medically induced coma to allow her body sufficient time to heal. The damage to the internal organs had been quite extensive and even the treatment she had received from Konoha's medics seemed to be doing little to help her body heal and to fix the damaged chakra pathways in Hinata's system.
According to Shizune's study of Hinata's condition, the slow improvement of her health and physical condition was strange. By all accounts, Hinata should have been healing by now. All the proper jutsus were in place but for some reason, her body seemed to be rejecting the healing.
It was as if something was draining off the child's chakra, her life force and Shizune was at a loss as to the reason what. She needed to confer with her Tsunade as soon as possible so they could find a way to reverse whatever it was that was happening to Hinata. Her eyes briefly touched upon the figure of a boy in his early teens, standing a bit to the back and to the side of the group. She remembered him.
He was Neji, one of the genins who had been tasked to retrieve Sasuke.
She remembered helping Tsunade-sama treat him and accelerate and regenerate the muscle, bone and tissue that he'd lost in the fight. He looked to be recovering well. She couldn't quite say the same thing for his cousin.
She snapped out of her reverie when she heard someone clear his throat and she focused on the men standing in front of her.
There was something eerie about being subject to the stares of those blank pupil-less eyes that unsettled Shizune although she did not show it. She bowed to Hiashi whom she knew was the Clan Head and Hinata's father. "Your daughter is doing fine. Her body needs time to recover from the damages it had received. If I recall correctly, it was sustained during the Chuunin Exam a few months ago?"
Hiashi nodded, his face devoid of emotion.
"Why is it taking so long for her to recover?" Saitou a member of the Council, inquired.
"She suffered quite a bit of internal damages," Shizune reminded. "Her body is taking its time repairing the injuries she acquired."
"Is that normal?" Hiko asked. He was a part of the Council, his hair completely white but thick and full. His eyes showed his displeasure at the news. "Neji has suffered much more injuries than her and he is fine and walking about. Even the Akimichi boy is well on his way to recovery despite the critical condition in which he came back to Konoha a few months ago. Compared to the injuries those boys sustained and the amount of time it has taken them to heal. Hinata's recovery rate seems too slow."
Shizune nodded, "That is correct. There may be a number of reasons factoring into her slow recovery. I cannot say for sure until I confer with the Tsunade-sama and she gets to examine Hinata herself."
"But she is well? Hinata is no danger?" Hiashi asked, speaking for the first time.
"She's stabilized and doing well but I would like to keep her in the hospital for a little while longer."
OOO
Everyone had gone home and the hospital was quiet as only the skeleton staff remained for the night shift. Shizune had talked with Neji and asked him if he'd want to stay and keep a eye on his cousin. Neji had readily agreed. He hadn't realized it was that bad.
Neji doubted if anyone else had.
Everyone was so used to overlooking her and thinking of her as weak. If Hinata had walked a little slower or had shown any sign of discomfort or pain, people would most likely have just chalked it off as a sign of her weakness. They would not have realized that she had internal injuries and that she was bleeding inside.
Her chakra channels were a mess too and there was barely enough flow.
It scared him.
Neji stared at the pale face and the slight blue tinge to Hinata's lips. Her breathing wasn't as deep and calm as he would have liked but at least it wasn't harsh, shallow pants. Hyuugas normally had pale skin but Hinata was too pale and there were lavender shadows under her eyes. "You pushed yourself too far, Hinata-sama."
If he hadn't been outside and if hadn't heard her collapse, Hinata wouldn't have gotten the medical attention she s clearly needed.
She could have died.
Neji felt ashamed.
"Neji, I need you to promise me something, man to man."
Little Neji nodded, feeling proud that his father was treating him in such a grown-up way. "What is it Otousan?"
"Neji, promise me that you will protect Hinata-sama with your life."
Neji nodded readily. He liked his cousin. He thought she was cute, like a little doll. "I promise Otousan. I won't ever let anything happen to Hinata-chan as long as I live."
Hizashi smiled, "That's good to hear."
Neji smiled back, "May I go play with her now?"
"Yes…yes you may…"
He had given his father a promise to protect Hinata with his life.
He hadn't been protecting her when he'd glared at her.
He hadn't been protecting her when he'd thrown hurtful words her way.
He hadn't been protecting her when he fought with her during the Chuunin exams with the intent of hurting her showing her just how unworthy and weak she was.
His broken promise to his father was a heavy weight on Neji's shoulders, but it wasn't as heavy as the guilt he felt.
He'd blamed Hinata for everything wrong in his life.
He had seen her as the embodiment of all the unfairness done to him.
So sure of his righteousness was he that he was blinded to the truth that all this time, he was the one being unfair to her.
And now, she was laid out in the hospital because of him.
Because of the injuries he'd given her.
She could have died because of him.
The thought made Neji feel sick.
Otousan, gomen nasai for breaking my promise to you…I swear I'll live up to my word.
I won't let anything harm her ever again.
OOO
In outskirts of the woods approaching the village of Konoha, two figures stood hidden in the branches of the trees as they conversed. Both were dressed in monotonous black from their black sandals to the black gloves that covered their hands and the black hooded cloak that covered them from their head to their knees.
One was tall and lithe while the other was a little shorter and had a sturdier frame.
"Are you sure that we're going in the right direction?" the taller one asked.
"Yes. According to Shiryoku, Arasoi is located somewhere in the vicinity of Konoha."
"No offense, but I don't really trust your Shikigami that much."
"Shiryoku says its okay since she thinks you're useless as well."
"Hmph!"
"Come on Akari, let's go."
"Hai, hai…geeze Shida, don't get your panties in a bunch."
OOO
A/N: It's rather AU isn't it? I dunno, but anyway I hope you liked it and didn't find them too OOC. So did you like it? Hate it? Don't want me to continue anymore? Please feel free to say so and tell me what you think about this fic!
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