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It Was You, Hinata	By : Rockrgrl4 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1843 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of its characters. I will not make any money by publishing this.

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Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter, and this one is in FLASHBACK FORMAT. For the few of you who don't know, that means it is a flashback to a time before the time the other chapters are taking place! -.- Wow, I explained that bad. Let's try again! :D

FLASHBACK- A literary or cinematic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative.

(According to ) ^^

Enjoy!

(2 Weeks Prior to Hinata's Arrival in Suna)

"Ryuu! Get back over here and help us set up!" A shrill female voice sounded through the rapidly approaching darkness. A young boy sighed-his teammates could be quite annoying sometimes-and rose from his resting place upon a rather large, but flat boulder. Because of its abnormal shape, the boulder was much more comfortable than one would expect, and the boy who stumbled upon it-Ryuu, as he was known to everyone else-had been resting upon it for as long as he possibly could. Ryuu sighed once again and ran his fingers through his sandy brown locks. Although young for a person of his rank-he was in fact, the youngest in his class-he was an incredibly intelligent and gifted ninja. More than once, his instructors and many adults that had had a chance to spar with him or watch him practice his techniques had praised both himself and his abilities greatly. They had high hopes for the handsome, young mist shinobi with such promising talent. They had such great expectations of so young a person such as he, and yet he didn't want any of it. He had no desire to continue up the ranks, to become a jounin, an anbu or even the Mizukage, as some had proposed. He was perfectly content being a chunin. All Ryuu wanted to do with his life was marry, have a family, and perhaps be an instructor at the mist village's ninja academy. He never wanted to base his life on his career-being a shinobi, that is-but it seemed to him that preparing the young ninja for the real world was something he felt he owed to them. He knew firsthand about the struggles of becoming a better ninja, and he also knew the pain and hardships the many missions that they would take over their shinobi careers would bring. He wanted to help his future students realize that they had a choice, and to communicate to them the many difficulties and sacrifices of being a ninja.

Most importantly, however, he wanted to let them know there was another choice, another way of life.

Taking in his surroundings, Ryuu's blue eyes narrowed, piercing the sun-kissed hills from the recent sunset. The night was fast approaching, and due to the absence of the sun, it was getting hard to see. Those blue eyes never missed anything, however, and there was a definite trail of chakra heading into a cluster of large boulders. The rocks provided apt cover for a hiding place, meeting place, or camping site. Although there was no reason to suggest any foul play from the chakra, something about it didn't set right with the young shinobi. Debating for a few moments whether to investigate the anomaly or not, the boy started following the trail, but stopped in his tracks when a voice sounded and endangered his cover.

"RYUU! GET OVER HERE NOW!"

A figure appeared almost as soon as the sound finished ringing through the landscape. To the naked eye, the shadowy figure looked freaky-ominous, even-but on closer inspection you could make out the distressed, slightly heckled female. As one took in said female running her fingers through her tangled, curly brown hair, eyes narrowed in annoyance, all anxiety was immediately replaced by amusement. The angry expression alone-in Ryuu's opinion-was comical. Her eyebrows tugged downward with her mouth, which was pressed into a tight line. Her brown eyes emanated pure annoyance and anxiety, but her figure was composed, sturdy and in control. Overall, Ryuu could conclude that the female was mad and annoyed, but she acted as if she had an objective or a reason for being where she was.

And she did.

Ryuu himself.

Regaining his composure, Ryuu turned to fully face the now completely angered girl. With a broad smile on his face, the young nin nodded slightly, finally greeting his female counterpart.

"Kiri," the boy said with a small smile, "You were looking for me?" Amusement and mischief reflected in those crystal blue eyes, and it was not lost on the addressee.

Kiri no Seishin knew he was being smug…she just knew it! With that grin on his face, it was obvious! He was playing stupid, too, acting like he didn't know she'd been calling him for the last 10 minutes…acting like he hadn't been out here to avoid helping the rest of his team set up camp. That thought infuriated her even more. How dare he act so stupid about this! They were a team, and they were on a mission. Why couldn't he be mature about their responsibilities even once?

"Yes. I have been looking for you," the kunoichi growled impatiently, "for the last 10 minutes, in fact. Ever since the rest of our teammates and myself started setting up camp, and your absence was finally noticed. When sensei brought it up, I took it upon myself to find you, once again, and drag your lazy good-for-nothing ass back!" Finishing her speech with a glare that would make her father, the Mizukage, proud, she maintained her eye contact with him, daring him to refuse. She might be his teammate, and she might be his subordinate now, but she most certainly was not going to allow him to walk all over her.

Throughout her little speech, Ryuu was honestly trying his hardest not to laugh. He knew she was being perfectly serious, and he knew she was angry (in fact, angry was a kind word to use), but he just couldn't help it. She looked so cute when she was angry. Her face was all scrunched up, and her eyes were narrowed in her fury. Her nostrils flared periodically, and the glare she was giving him was absolutely adorable. Her lips were also pink and pouty, and they alone put thoughts into his head that shouldn't have been there. Oh, no, Ryuu was not going to start that now, not here. There was nothing going on between he and his teammate anyway. Nothing.

'There never will be, either.' He growled to himself mentally. The last thing he needed was to be distracted by his teammate. Besides, he didn't even like the girl. She was too loud, and nagged too much for his taste.

Clearing his thoughts and regaining his composure, Ryuu smirked and answered the livid girl, "Oh? So you're going to, as you put it, 'Drag my lazy, good-for-nothing ass back'?" The boy sat down once again upon his recently vacated boulder and looked up at his teammate evilly. Making an extravagant gesture with his arm, he lay back upon it, looking up at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He was daring her to forcibly move him, and to verbally make his point the young chuunin challenged, "Make me."

The already angered girl screamed her frustration and pumped chakra to her fists and feet. Lunging for the boy, she attempted to punch his face, but her fists were caught before they had the chance to make contact. Refusing to let her teammate win, Kiri shifted her weight and flipped him off the boulder all together. Hitting the ground hard, the young chuunin had the breath knocked out of him, and it took him a moment to recover. When he did, however, he had looked up just soon enough to see his female counterpart kick the large boulder he had been resting on previously. It flew several hundred feet before crashing into the side of another, much larger boulder, and cracked into several small pieces. Cackling madly, Kiri turned around, gazing upon her fallen teammate on the ground. Eyes still blazing with fury, a smirk made its way onto her previously enraged expression. Amusement laced into her tone as she countered, "Looks like you're coming with me," and as she continued, her expression had turned almost deadly, "and if you refuse, what just happened to that boulder will also happen to your face." The threat rang clear and Ryuu completely understood what he had just gotten himself into. The logical part of himself was telling him to get himself back to camp as quickly as he could (because, truthfully, no one wanted to willingly mess with the child of a Kage), but sadly, the logical part was not being heard. The majority of himself wanted to push her further, to see how far she would go until she snapped. Ryuu opened his mouth to answer to her threat, but before he could get a word out the rest of his team appeared in the clearing.

"Ryuu! Kiri! What is taking you two so long?" Their other teammate, Seiichi, called out to them. "You've been out here forever!" The boy sported a mess of choppy black hair that always seemed unruly. His mist headband, which was tied around his forehead, was unlike how his teammates wore theirs. They tied theirs onto their arms. His features were delicate for the most part-his cheekbones were high, and his facial structure was sharp and pointed-but his face had a weathered look to it. Although that was not uncommon for most shinobi, it was unusual in ninja of their young age. His eyes, a pale, but enchanting green, narrowed when he took in the sight of his female teammate clearly irritated, and his other teammate lying on the ground on his back. Clearly, Ryuu had found a way to piss her off again. Seiichi ran his hand over face, sighing in exasperation. Really, couldn't they just get along for once? They were always fighting, always arguing. It was enough to drive anyone crazy!

Beside Seiichi stood an equally irritated, but considerably older shinobi-their sensei, Shigekazu-sama. Being of Jounin rank, their sensei's attire was pretty standard-the jounin vest and weapons pouch he was currently sporting was the only thing that would draw attention to him in civilian society. His face was stern, jaw angular and a serious expression (the "obey" expression, as Kiri had coined it) almost permanently resided on his face. His grey-blue eyes were faded, almost as if they dulled with age. They were quite entrancing to look at, all of his students agreed, but they never openly stared. That would have been quite awkward; after all, he was their sensei. Assuming his sensei responsibilities for the first time since he and Seiichi had entered the 'clearing', he sternly ordered, "Get up, you two. I've had it with your petty arguments-either the two of you get along, or I'll start leaving you behind." Their sensei's eyes found the male still on his back on the ground, and he continued, "Ryuu, get up now. I've sick of your goofing off! We are on a mission, and you are expected to act like a professional shinobi, and respectable representative of Kirigakure. Your current behavior is unacceptable. Your recent promotion to chuunin does not give you the right-and it certainly does not give you the privilege-of slacking off and making your teammates do all the work, nor does it constitute you running off on your own. Get your act together, or I will have you demoted. I am still your sensei and you will do as I say. Is that understood?"

Ryuu sat up and nodded, his expression suddenly serious and somber. Internally, though, he was almost freaked out. Oh man, did sensei look pissed!

Expression still hard, the patience-drained sensei turned to face his only female student, whose eyes were currently wide as saucers. If the jounin weren't so tired of the two's antics, he wouldn't have been so harsh, but they had really been trying his patience lately. Ever since Ryuu had gotten promoted, he'd proven himself to be a handful. Contrary to Ryuu's prior quiet and reserved disposition, he'd been very…self-absorbed lately. He'd been shirking his duties, ignoring his teammates (and his own orders, on a couple of occasions) and Shigekazu had just about had it. Ryuu wasn't the only one acting up, however. He, as a former genin himself, understood what his other two charges were going through, having to accept the fact that one of their teammates had been promoted…before themselves, even…but that didn't mean they had to get all defensive about it. Especially Kiri…she had been acting extremely out of character lately as well. She had a better excuse than Seiichi, though. Kiri, being the daughter of the current Mizukage, had responsibilities to fulfill, and watching one of her teammates be promoted before her must have been frustrating. After all, Shigekazu himself was the son of the sixth Mizukage, so he knew firsthand how she must feel. That did not give her an excuse, however, and he wasn't about to go easy on her.

"Kiri, you have become increasingly frustrated because of Ryuu's recent promotion. Everyone can see that, but the only thing you can do about it is focus on yourself and improving your own ninjutsu. You cannot hope to truly succeed by tearing down others, especially your own teammates. All of you-" he broke off and gestured to Seiichi, including him into his speech as well, "need to realize that you draw strength from each other. That is why we are assigned teams like this. We make up for each other's weaknesses, and learn to work with other's strengths. Only by learning from our past experiences and each other can you truly advance and become better shinobi. Do you understand?"

The three nodded, and Shigekazu sighed. He admired his students, he really did. He saw the hidden potential, the friendships they had with each other, and even the admiration all three of them possessed for himself, but sometimes…sometimes he just wasn't paid enough. Sighing, the jounin calmed himself and turned to his newly promoted charge, "Why did you run off, anyway? And what took you so long?"

Ryuu instantly replied, "Well, contrary to popular belief, I had done all the chores that had been asked of me, and I wanted to relax for a bit." Ryuu shot Kiri a look, and inwardly smirked at the infuriated glare she sent back at him before continuing. "I wasn't going to go that far-honestly sensei I know better than that," his charge pleaded, his own gaze meeting his senseis once again, "but I found several trails of chakra leading this direction and I traced them to this location. They go back a little farther than those rocks," the boy nodded about a mile southeast, motioning towards the large rocks he had taken notice of earlier, "and the trail ends there. I was going to sneak a little closer and see if it was something worth getting you guys and investigating over, but Kiri was getting closer, screaming my name, and I decided against it."

Shigekazu's eyes narrowed as soon as the boy mentioned the alleged chakra trail, and immediately started sweeping the area for any other chakra remnants. After a quick inspection, he realized his student was right-there was a faint, but distinct chakra trail leading to the precise location Ryuu had described. He was also right in saying there was more than one-the traces indicated at least two, maybe three different chakras. How had he missed that? He was a jounin for Kami's sake, he should have at least…noticed…something…

Wait-he recognized those chakras! The other one was new to him, but those two…it belonged to enemies he had fought long ago, there was no doubt in his mind. Although it was true he was a shinobi and he'd fought many other enemy nin, Shigekazu remembered these two specifically, because they were the only ones who had fought his father…

…and got away.

Yes, Raiden of the Cloud and Arashi of the Mist were tricky, cunning, and seriously messed up bastards.

Shigekazu's recollections of the men were vague, but from what he could remember Raiden had a wicked amount of chakra, and his control of said chakra was flawless. He truly was a formidable enemy, and his chakra was only the beginning. He was highly intelligent, and had a knack for manipulation, along with a strong thirst for power-a thirst that was never quenched, it seemed. The man would work himself to the bone, developing new and increasingly more dangerous techniques with his three chakra elements. Most jounin only had two, but Raiden had managed to discover and perfect three-lightning, wind, and fire. The fight between Raiden, Arashi and Shigekazu's father and the two had been over 20 years ago, but Shigekazu remembered it well. It was the day he had lost his father, after all.

FLASHBACK

"You think you can stop me Shige? Go ahead and try." Raiden sneered at his opponent. "You're a pathetic excuse for a kage, and a leader. You didn't even notice until last minute I was here-and here I thought this was going to be a challenge. It seems I will have to live with the disappointment, however." The rouge nin chuckled.

A 14 year-old Shigekazu flinched at the accusations made against his father, his blood already boiling with rage. How dare this foreigner challenge his father, the Mizukage, like this! He, who was totally ignorant to the abilities and responsibilities of his father! They would show him, he and his father, that is, who that idiot rogue nin was messing with! Wouldn't they?

Shigekazu turned to his father, Shige, and saw that he was keeping himself composed, but the way he was standing…he wasn't actually intimidated by that man, was he? No, surely not his father! He was the all-mighty Mizukage, he was a great ninja, and he would defeat this man easily!

"Shigekazu," his father spoke to him quietly, "alert the village immediately of an intruder. Inform them of my whereabouts, I will try to detain him and keep him here. After you have done so, go and help with the other preparations or evacuations, if necessary."

Shigekazu was outraged, and his whispered answering tone showed it, "No way, father! I want to stay here and help you fight-we can take him out together, I just know it! We can't lose! Please father, don't send me away, I can-"

"Shigekazu." His father quietly spoke with authority, "This is not an option. I am not speaking to you right now as your father, but rather as your Kage. I have given you an order. Do not seek me out after you're done reporting, either. I want you to stay out of this if it can be avoided-"

Shige's sentence was cut off, however, when a familiar figure soon appeared beside Raiden. After the new intruder stilled, he turned to the side to address Raiden, as the man had formerly introduced himself. He smiled, handing over an also very familiar-looking scroll, as Raiden praised the man and accepted the scroll with a pleased smile. Wait-that scroll contained information on the village that his father had recently updated this afternoon! That man must have…

..but wait! That was no ordinary man, that was…!

"Arashi-sensei?" A young Shigekazu dumbly managed, "Wh-wha-?"

"Isn't it obvious, Shigekazu?" The man smirked evilly. "Isn't it obvious that I'm not on your side anymore?"

"God Arashi! And here I thought you said the boy was brilliant!" Raiden choked out a laugh.

"That is enough!" Shige muttered darkly, "You will not speak to or about my son in that manner! Your fight is with me, and not he," the Mizukage then turned his attentions to his son's sensei, "Arashi, you know I have to ask. Why?" The Kage stared at his former student and friend with barely veiled shock.

"You never did understand, did you Shige?" Arashi laughed, "You're too busy with your 'Way of the Mist' nonsense to realize you're just forestalling new methods and improvements. You're holding back the entire village with your peaceful ways and other utter nonsense! Luckily for me, though, I have a brain. I understand the importance of power, and furthermore, the need to be the one who acquires the most. That's why this village pales in comparison to any other-because you feel as if there is no need to fight! You, Shige, believe that everything can be simply negotiated. You see violence as a last straw…but Shige," Arashi laughed, "Some of us, including myself, think differently. I hereby defect from Mizugakure. You have nothing more to 'teach' me, sen-sei." The ex-mist jounin mockingly sang.

"Ahhh, yes," Raiden interjected, "You see, Mizukage-sama, Arashi and I understand that in order to become stronger, you need power, and not just the power you can get from your sensei's and other old teachings, as you so very strongly believe," continued Raiden, "Arashi and I, we both know-and it's time you realized this as well-that there are far greater powers in this world to be had."

"So you're betraying your village and my trust because you're power hungry?" Shige asked his former student, disbelief evident on his features, "That's not like you, Arashi. I knew you from when you first asked me to privately train you, on top of Akemi-sama's tutelage, and while you were always curious and ready to learn, you were never obsessed with power to this degree." The weary Mizukage shook his head. "It seems, however, that I have been wrong. I should have foreseen your betrayal, but even if I had I doubt I would have believed it. Though, even with this turn of events, I cannot bring myself to regret being your sensei. You were a good student, but, as always, you are too stubborn to see the big picture. Yes, power is necessary, and yes, power does make a person-and a village-stronger, but if violence and bloodshed can be avoided, it is imperative we do so. After all, you make many more alliances than enemies by trying to be friendly and neutral. My only regret is that I allowed you to become anyone's sensei, let alone my own son's, because now I know that you never have been fit to properly instruct our youth on how the 'Ways of the Mist' truly work." Shige turned his head slightly to his son and spoke quietly, "Shigekazu, I want you to know that I am proud of you, and always have been. I will not survive this battle, and it's unlikely that you will arrive with reinforcements in time to prove my prediction wrong. Do not be upset, however, this comes with the responsibility of being Mizukage, and I was more than aware of the probability of this happening when I took office. Promise me though, Shigekazu; If you have learned anything from this night, let it be that those who seek power were once good. When someone gets greedy, they allow that greed to cloud their judgment, and they tend to make mistakes and break bonds that they will never be able to mend. Don't ever become that way, Shigekazu. Human nature is the lesser of the two evils you have seen tonight, so do not drive yourself to hate, but to love. And finally, I have this one last thing to ask of you. Please pass on the teachings and traditions of the old ways. Teach them to the younger generations that will replace you, to prevent any such thing as this from happening again. Do you understand?"

Shigekazu nodded, desperately trying to hold back his tears. Shinobi do not cry, after all.

"Good," Shige replied. "Now when I attack, that should give you a distraction and enough time to get away from here. Go immediately my office building, and find Jiro. Trust no one else. Inform him of the threat within the village, and do as I asked of you previously. Understood?"

"H-hai, Mizukage-sama." Shigekazu shakily answered, his voice cracking.

"Very well then," Shige nodded, "On the count of three, run. One, two, three."

A loud rumble was heard as water and wind clashed, lightning lighting up the misty haze of the previously darkened rooftops of Kirigakure. With tears streaming down his face, Shigekazu ran as he had never ran before, pumping chakra to his feet in order to reach his destination sooner…as if he had a chance to save his father. Yet, if his father had said his goodbyes, he must have known himself that he would not make it. As he made his speech, Shigekazu only wanted to interrupt and fight him, however he bit back his protests and finally became a man. His father knew it was the end, and he, as the Mizukage's son, would not argue. He finally accepted his fate, and rather than argued and pleaded like a small child. He would grow up and listen, just once, for his father. He would show him that he was behind his decisions, at least one time. He would show him that he was proud of him.

Looking back at the roof of the building on top of which his father was currently battling, Shigekazu was struck with a sudden realization. This was the last time he would see his father. Water and wind were swirling around him, high level jutsus and other attacks were flying left and right, but his father would not back down. He was standing strong, fighting for his life, his son, and his village. His father's eyes were so filled with a cool determination as Shigekazu looked at him up close for the last time, and from a distance he could almost picture his father's expression and intense focus throughout the fight, as if it were just another training session between he and Shigekazu himself. As Shigekazu watched his father fight those two enemy nin, however, he was almost blown away by the sheer amount of pride he held for his father at that moment. And the next day at his father's funeral, Shigekazu walked away from his father's grave with tears streaming down his face, accompanied by a small smile.

END FLASHBACK

Shigekazu grimaced at the memories that came rushing back full force, but he soon suppressed it. He was on a mission with his genin/chunin team, after all, and now was not the time to reminisce. He had to make a decision…risk his team's lives and get closer to spy on Raiden and his lackeys, or to continue on their way to their own mission. It would be the better choice to just send a message back to Kirigakure, informing them of the situation, and continue on to their own mission, but Shigekazu decided against it. He knew that these were powerful nin, and if the message wasn't received by Kirigakure officials in time, Raiden and his cronies would be long gone. With no guaranteed timeline, Shigekazu had little to no choice. They had to act…this could be a matter of their village's security. The nin had killed a Mizukage in the past, after all.

"Alright you three, listen up, and listen good," Shigekazu addressed his team, "this is important. I know these chakra signatures-or at least, two of them. I believe there are three, however, even if the last one is very faint…faint even enough to compare to the other two, and the other two-who I am positive I have encountered in the past-are exceptionally strong ninja. It is essential that you do not underestimate them. Do you understand?"

The three nodded, and Shigekazu proceeded to inform them of the situation and exactly who they were dealing with. After he had finished, he gave them their assignment-they were to observe only, and were not to engage the enemy under any circumstances, even if he himself stayed behind to fight them off. After the terms were squared away and they all agreed on an emergency plan, the four instantly took off toward the chakra signatures.

The next day their bodies were recovered by Sunagakure's border patrol, with little to no signs of a struggle.

And I am TOTALLY unsatisfied. That was way too much like the third Hokage's death for my liking, but it's reallyyy hard not to copy a scene like that. It's just so…I don't know…unflexible to do a kage death scene. There are only so many scenerios one can think of, and I really tried hard not to copy someone else's work or do something stupid. I'm sorry I let you guys down if you didn't like it, but I really did try!

Also, as for my genin team…did you like them? Kiri was my favorite…the Mizukage's daughter and she had a nasty temper…but only when provoked. :P kinda like myself, haha. Btw, in case you were wondering, her full name? Kiri no Seishin? It means spirit of the mist. I thought it was cool, so…yeah. I used it. Haha! Just so you know, it about killed me to kill off that genin team. They were my first OC's ever, and…well…I'm learning many things as an author, and one of those things is it is VERY hard to kill off your own ideas, including characters. All well, though. I tried to make this set the tone to the story and introduce the antagonists (at least SOME of them…muahaha!) to the story, since I know everyone's all excited about the plot. :P Well, anyways, I'm sorry for the wait and I hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to review and leave me things!
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It Was You, Hinata