Soul Fire Chapter 45

Soul Fire a NaruHina fan fic

Volume 5

Chapter 45: Confusion

The number 45 training ground was one of the most battered, broken, devastated, and often loudest places in the Leaf Village. This was due largely to the fact that it was the preferred training ground of one of the Leaf’s best and most heavily drilled ninja squads. The leader of this squad was considered a slave driver by some, insane by others, and weird by just about everybody.

“Alright, Team Guy, let’s make good use of this downtime,” Might Guy said with his usual excess of enthusiasm. “We’ve been taking it too easy these last few months. This is the perfect opportunity to get back on track.”

His favourite pupil, Rock Lee, would have normally cheered in agreement, but all of his attention was elsewhere. He was sparring with his team mate and greatest rival. Lee was never more focused and determined than when he was facing off against the acclaimed genius Neji Hyuuga.

His rival, however, was not quite so focused. While his body ducked and weaved around Lee’s endless barrage of punches and kicks, Neji’s mind was swimming with thoughts and fears about the state of his clan. His uncle was crippled, his cousin was in hiding, and his fellow branch members were secretly planning changes within the clan’s leadership. And Neji’ still couldn’t decide who he should be supporting.

“Severe Leaf Hurricane!”

Neji’s train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a green and orange blur. An explosion of stars filled his head. And the next thing he knew, he was lying flat on his back staring up into his sensei’s black bowl framed face.

“Neji, what was that?” Guy said with disbelief. “Were you even paying attention? I’ve never seen you take a hit so easily.”

“Guy Sensei is right,” Lee added, filling Neji’s vision with a second black bowl. “Clearly you were not focusing all of your attention on our sparring match. That kind of attitude is insulting to your opponent. It is not like you at all, Neji.”

Neji sat himself up and rubbed his bruised cheek. Lee hadn’t hit him particularly hard, but with Lee any hit was bad enough. “I’m sorry. I just … I have a lot on my mind at the moment.”

Might Guy’s enormous eyebrows pinched together in a frown. “You’ve had a lot on your mind for several days now. I wasn’t going to ask, but if it’s starting to affect your training…”

“It’s nothing,” Neji said quickly. He stood and turned away from them. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Guy and Lee shared a look. “Maybe you should take a break to clear your head,” said Guy.

Neji didn’t argue. He retreated to the edge of the training ground. There was a battered old wooden bench hidden amongst the trees there. Neji often used it as a place to meditate, or just to get some time away from his overenthusiastic team mates. He certainly needed some time to himself right then. It looked like someone wasn’t going to let him have it, though.

“Alright, what was going on back there?” It was Tenten, the fourth and only female member of Team Guy. “Lee and Guy Sensei were right – you never let your guard down like that. What’s wrong with you today?”

“It’s nothing,” Neji said. “I just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

Tenten planted her hands on her hips and gave him an eye. “Well you must be thinking about something pretty important if you actually let Lee beat you in a sparring match,” she said with a slight jab to his ego. “So what’s so serious?”

Neji wouldn’t look at her. “It’s none of your concern, Tenten.”

The bun-haired brunette wasn’t going to give up that easily. “Is it about your uncle requesting that you be taken off duty? Because if that’s what you’re worried about, then it is my concern,” she shot back. “As long as you’re off duty, the whole team is off duty. It affects all of us, so why won’t you tell us what it’s all about?”

“That’s not it,” He said, still looking the other way. “And I already told all of you that I don’t know why Lord Hiashi had me taken off duty.”

“Well if that’s not your problem, is it about your cousin running away with Naruto, then?” she guessed.

Neji shot her a glare.

“Yeah, that was a pretty big surprise to everyone,” Tenten said. “I guess I never really knew Hinata that well. I would’ve never imagined a girl like her would do something like that.”

“It’s not what you think!” Neji snapped.

“Hey, you don’t have to yell at me,” Tenten pouted. “I wasn’t implying anything. I’m just saying it was a big surprise when they disappeared all of a sudden. Who would have thought those two would become missing nin?”

Neji glowered at her. “You still don’t understand.”

Tenten glowered back. “But you understand though, don’t you?” she probed. “You know what really happened – why they left the village and everything. Is it true that they were the ones who hurt your uncle?”

Neji looked away again.

She knew she’d hit on something. “That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it? Your uncle is injured and his daughter has disappeared. So the head family of the Hyuuga clan is having major problems. That means your whole clan is in trouble. Admit it, that’s what you’re worried about.”

Neji let out a resigned sighed. “Yes, that’s what I’m worried about. And that’s why it’s none of your concern. This is something that the Hyuuga clan has to deal with. We don’t want anyone else getting involved.”

Tenten rolled her brown eyes and gave an annoyed huff. “You know, Neji, one of these days you’re going to have to start trusting your team mates.” She took a seat on the bench next to him. “We’re not just the people you go on missions with. We’re supposed to be your companions – the people who help you out with all of your problems.” She leaned around to try and catch his eye, but he wouldn’t take the bait. “Look, I know Lee and Guy Sensei might be a bit hard to talk to, but I’m not. I’m the normal one, remember? I’m not going to start shouting about the power of youth or anything. Just tell me what the problem is. I might be able to help you out.”

Neji didn’t answer her.

She turned away and folded her arms. “Fine! Be your usual stubborn, silent self, then. I guess the genius doesn’t need anyone to help him solve his problems.”

Neji took a long, deep breath. “Alright, Tenten, you win.” He faced her with a sombre stare. “I attended a secret meeting last night. Some of my fellow branch members are planning to challenge Lord Hiashi’s absolute control over the clan. They want to petition him to give up some of his power and grant more freedom to the branch houses.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” Tenten said hesitantly. “I mean, I don’t like to say it, but your uncle does seem to be a little too dominating. I still can’t believe he actually used that seal against you.”

Neji shut his white eyes and shook his head slowly. “Maybe he did, but he’s still my uncle. He took me into his house and raised me for most of my life. I should be able to forgive him for what he did. And in any case, I don’t know if the clan would be any better off if the branch houses shared some of his authority. I don’t even know if they would get that far.”

“What do you mean?” Tenten asked, sounding a little worried.

Neji paused. He’d wanted to tell someone, but he was afraid of the trouble it might cause. “Some of the other branch members don’t think that Lord Hiashi would be willing to give up his power,” he said hesitantly. “Some of them have even said that we will never be free as long as the head family lives.”

“What?” Tenten jumped out of her seat. “You’re saying someone is planning to assassinate your uncle? Neji, you have to go to the Hokage right now!”

“Calm down, Tenten!” Neji hissed. “And don’t shout like that. I didn’t say that anyone was planning to assassinate Lord Hiashi or anyone else.” He took her arm and pulled her back down onto the bench. “You’re overreacting. You know what my clan is like. The branch houses have never been happy with the way the head family controls us. Someone is always talking behind their backs, making cheap threats, saying they’d like to change the way things work. But no one ever actually does anything about it.”

“But the main branch is in trouble right now,” Tenten protested. “If somebody did try to make a move against your uncle…”

“That’s not going to happen!” Neji insisted. “It was just a foolish comment spoken in anger. Nobody is going to try to assassinate the head family!” he said, sounding much more sure of it than he actually was. He was still holding her firmly by the wrist. “Now listen to me, Tenten, you are not to tell anyone about this conversation. Understand? This is a matter for our clan to deal with alone.”

Tenten scowled. She pulled her arm out of his grip. “You know, Neji, you may outrank me, but that doesn’t mean you can just give me an order like that. If I think there might be a threat to the village, it’s my duty to report it to the Hokage.”

Neji backed off. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But please, out of respect for my clan, let us try to resolve this ourselves.”

Tenten stood again, still frowning. “I’m going to go back to Guy Sensei and tell him you want to take the rest of the day off. I should probably tell him what’s going on with your clan, too. But since you apologised, I guess I’ll think about it.” She started to walk away, paused, and looked over her shoulder. “You know, after all this time, I’d have thought you would have figured out who your real family was.”

Neji’s stern exterior wavered as he looked up at her.

“I wonder what your father would have done,” Tenten said, and strode off behind the trees and out of sight.

---

Another day of intense physical training had passed. And the residents of the hidden tree house were settling in for their usual evening of theory training.

The teens hadn’t actually seen much of their sensei that day. She’d been working on something special in preparation for Hinata’s pharmaceutical lesson. A small copper pot was bubbling away on top of a hot plate in one corner of the infirmary. The concoction inside was almost ready, so Hitomi was using the spare time to write out another study guide for her young apprentice.

Hitomi was simply amazed by the progress Hinata was making. In less than a week, she’d already memorised the ‘beginners guide to medical ninjutsu’ scroll that Tsunade’s apprentice had given her. Now every few days she would be begging Hitomi for something else to study. The girl absorbed every piece of text she was given like a sponge.

Her student clearly had an enormous drive to improve herself. Hitomi still couldn’t be sure where it came from, though she had her suspicions. She had a kind heart, and a strong desire to help others, but there was something else. Something pushed her to spend every spare moment studying and practicing, doing anything she could to learn faster. Hitomi had found her asleep on the couch with a scroll in her lap more than once.

A soft knock sounded on the infirmary door. Hitomi didn’t have to guess who it was. “Come in, Kiddo.”

Hinata stepped in. “Um, Sensei, is it time for my next lesson yet?” she asked.

“You’re early again,” Hitomi said, “as usual.”

“I’m sorry, Sensei,” The girl rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet and smiled coyly. In her hand, Hitomi spied the anatomy scroll she’d given her just two days earlier. It looked like she’d already memorised it, and was eager to be tested.

“Alright, Kiddo, come on in then,” Hitomi said with a fake sigh of annoyance. “As long as you’re here, we might as well get started.”

The girl smiled and practically leapt into her chair by the examination table. “I’m ready, Sensei,” she said enthusiastically.

Hitomi laid her pen aside and spun her own chair around to face her. “First of all, let’s see if you memorised that booster pill recipe.”

Hinata squinted and wrinkled her nose in concentration. She began reciting the process for making Hitomi’s special energy recovery pills.

Hitomi sat and listened. As she’d expected, the girl had memorised the entire process perfectly. “Excellent! I think I’ll let you try making some on your own next time. We’ll have to make more soon, thanks to Whiskers.”

“Oh, you gave him another check-up, didn’t you? Is he going to be alright?” Hinata asked worriedly. Naruto had, amazingly, been even more energetic than normal after mistaking a batch of booster pills for candy and eating every last one of them.

Hitomi rolled her eyes. “He’ll be fine. I caught him swinging from the ceiling beams again, so I sent him to his room.”

Hinata took a deep breath in relief. Then she paused and started sniffing the air. “Sensei, what’s that smell?” She spied the hot plate in the corner.

“That is this evening’s lesson,” Hitomi answered. “But first, a pop quiz: which part of the body is the most difficult to channel chakra through?”

“The feet,” Hinata answered quickly.

Hitomi smiled cheerfully. “Wrong.”

Hinata blinked. “Uh, w-what?”

Her sensei giggled. “Don’t worry, Kiddo. Most people would say you were right. But then most people don’t know what I’m about to teach you.”

Hinata leaned forward in her chair eagerly. “What are you going to teach me, Sensei?”

“I’m going to teach you one of my favourite, most useful, and most closely guarded techniques,” Hitomi said, smiling at her interest. She stood and drew her knee-length white mane over her shoulder. “Tell me, Kiddo, what do you think of my hair?”

“Your hair?” Hinata smiled bashfully. “It’s the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks. But you know your hair is nice, too.” She stepped around the girl and ran a hand under her waist-length blue-black hair. “That shine is impressive. It’s a lot of work to maintain, isn’t it? I’ll bet you brush your hair every single night.”

She nodded. “One hundred strokes before I go to bed.”

Hitomi crossed behind the examining table. “Tell me, has anyone ever told you that you should cut your hair short?”

Hinata began to fidget a bit. “Um, y-yes. Some people say that it’s silly for a kunoichi to have long hair because it can get in the way.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told that plenty of times,” Hitomi said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s always blowing in your face, getting in your eyes, catching on things. And your opponents might try to grab hold of it in combat, right?”

She nodded. “They’ve tried that once or twice.”

Hitomi leaned over the table and looked her student in the eye. “So the question is: why didn’t you cut it?”

The girl pouted. “Because I don’t want to cut it. I like having long hair.”

Hitomi’s lips curled in a knowing, sympathetic smile. “I know exactly what you mean, Kiddo.” She stepped over to the hot plate and started stirring the pot on top of it. “They are right, you know. Long hair is not at all practical for a kunoichi. With all of the problems it causes and the dangers of it getting caught in battle, it would be better if we’d just give up and cut it short,” she said with a wavering sigh. “It’d be nice if you could keep your long hair without having to worry about all of those problems, wouldn’t it?”

The girl shrugged. “I suppose so,” she said, looking a little forlorn.

Hitomi smirked. “Well I guess I’ll have to teach you how, then.” She took the copper pot off the heat and stirred it appraisingly. “Yep, looks like it’s almost ready.”

“What do you mean?” Hinata craned her neck to get a peek at Hitomi’s concoction.

Hitomi brought the pot over and showed it to her student. “This is one of my most closely guarded secrets,” she said. “I came up with this recipe years ago. And despite several attempted thefts, I’ve never let anyone else have it.”

The small pot was filled with a smooth, creamy white paste, still bubbling from the heat.

“What is it?” the girl whispered, as though would-be thieves might be hiding just outside the door.

Hitomi whispered back, “It’s my super-secret, chakra reactive, diamantine hair cream.”

Hinata goggled. “Hair cream?”

“Yup,” Hitomi grinned. “This is my favourite pharmaceutical creation. And it’s almost ready. All that’s left is to add the perfume and let it cool.”

She took the pot back to the bench and measured out the concoction into two small mixing bowls. “Come over here, Kiddo. You can give me a hand.” She picked up a mortar and pestle and began grinding its contents. The scent of vanilla filled the room. “Mmm, I love that smell. It reminds me of Mom’s cookies,” she said dreamily. She poured the crushed seeds into one of the bowls. “Alright, now hand me that bottle of lavender oil.”

The girl delivered the small bottle of purple liquid. Hitomi removed the cap and waved it under her nose. “Do you like that scent, Kiddo?”

Hinata inhaled the sweet lavender aroma and hummed contentedly. “It smells lovely. I’ve always liked lavender.”

“Good, because this batch will be yours,” she said as she measured out a few drops into the second bowl.

Hinata squinted. “It’s for me? But you still haven’t told me what it does.”

“You’ll find out soon,” she said, looking out the window at the darkening sky. “Oh yes. It looks like conditions are going to be perfect tonight.”

---

The girls stepped out onto the forest floor. Both were wearing bath robes and slip-on sandals. Each also carried a bucket, towels, brushes and combs, and a pot of Hitomi’s secret concoction.

A frigid mountain wind blew past them, and Hinata immediately broke out in shivers. “Sensei, what are we doing out here? It’s freezing!”

“I know. Conditions are just right,” Hitomi said cryptically. She took in a breath of the cold night air and gave a kind of contended shudder. “Let’s go.”

The silvery light of the moon peeked through the forest canopy. It wasn’t quite full yet, but there was just enough light to see. The two made their way to the edge of the trees and down the slope into the rocky glade. Below the tree house, the small spring water pond reflected the black, starry sky. A light mist hung over its glossy surface.

Hitomi kicked off one of her sandals and dipped a toe into the rippling waters. She pulled it out very quickly. “Ooh! Yeah, that’s perfect.”

“Sensei, please tell me we’re not going swimming,” Hinata said fearfully. She was dancing on the spot and rubbing her arms vigorously.

Hitomi giggled. “Don’t like the cold, huh? It’s okay, Kiddo, we’re not going swimming. But we do need a lot of very cold water.” She reached into a pouch she was carrying and offered something to the girl. “This’ll help.”

Hinata held out a shivering hand. It was a pill of some kind. Even in the moonlight, she could tell that it was bright red. “Uh, w-what does this one do?” She still wasn’t a fan of pills.

“I call it a Hot Shot,” Hitomi said. “Swallow it fast, and try not to let it touch your tongue.” She threw one of the pills into the back of her throat and gulped it down.

Hinata, not too eagerly, tried to do the same. Unfortunately she couldn’t quite swallow fast enough. Her whole face turned bright red, but for once it wasn’t from embarrassment. The pill burned hotter than the spiciest curry she’d ever tasted.

Hitomi laughed again as she watched the girl fan her tongue with both hands. “Yeah, that happens to everyone the first few times.”

Hinata coughed and gasped. “That was horrible, Sensei!”

“I know, they’re not to everyone’s tastes,” Hitomi said, grinning. “But you’re not so cold anymore, are you?”

The girl paused to think. Hitomi was right. An intense heat was bubbling up from her stomach and out through her veins. The icy mountain wind was still blowing, but her shivers were gone.

“I’ll teach you how to make them later,” Hitomi said. “But for now, let’s start rinsing out our hair.”

The girls knelt down on the large flat rocks that ringed the edge of the pond. Hinata dipped in a finger. With the Hot Shot pill fizzing away in her stomach, almost making her sweat, the water was chilly but bearable.

As she dipped her bucket in, she noticed her sensei was doing something. Hitomi had her back to the girl. It looked like she was forming hand signs. Hinata saw her pull back her sleeve and examine something.

“Sensei, what are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing important,” Hitomi said breezily. “Now, you want to soak your hair thoroughly and get it as cold as you can.” She draped a towel over her shoulders, drew her long white hair around and dipped it into the pond.

Hinata did the same, and they both began pouring water over their heads. The cold was a shock, but with the warmth of Hitomi’s pills it felt brisk and refreshing.

“If you want to know why we’re out here,” Hitomi said, “it’s because my hair cream only works when it’s applied cold. It took me a while to figure that out. If it’s too warm, the consistency of the cream will be ruined, and it won’t bond properly with your hair.”

“You still haven’t told me what it does,” Hinata said, as she tried to stop a cold trickle from running down her spine.

“You’ll see, Kiddo,” Hitomi said, being deliberately cagey now. “Just trust me.”

They continued rinsing in the icy water for several minutes. When frost was almost beginning to form in their hair, the girls started applying the cream.

“That’s right. Start from the roots and massage it into your scalp,” Hitomi instructed. “Then comb it all the way down to the tips. And make sure you take your time. This is all about being thorough.”

They did take their time. Hinata methodically applied her lavender scented cream to every inch of her hair. She inhaled the sweet, flowery aroma. The girl really did love lavender. It conjured up some of her favourite memories – memories of her mother.

The aroma of vanilla wafted over from Hitomi’s side. The woman smiled dreamily as she swept her brush through her long white hair. “I always enjoy doing this. You know, us girls need to take time out to pamper ourselves every now and then. Too much heavy duty ninja training can make you forget what it means to be feminine.”

Hinata nodded. She liked looking after her long, dark hair – something else that reminded her of her mother.

“Hey Kiddo, you know you really are doing well in your medical lessons,” Hitomi said. “I can’t believe how fast you’re learning.”

Hinata smiled coyly. “I’m just trying my best.”

“I’ve never seen anyone so eager to learn,” The woman continued. “Where do you get all this motivation from?”

Hinata turned a little and started brushing across her face to hide her blush. “I-I don’t know,” she mumbled.

Hitomi didn’t miss the gesture. “Oh really? I thought you might be working hard to try and impress somebody,” she probed.

The girl shifted and fidgeted. She wasn’t about to tell her that Naruto was her motivation. She wanted to be strong enough to stand beside him, and she saw her medical studies as the way to make that happen. “I guess … I guess I just want to make sure I don’t hold anyone back.” That was true as well.

Hitomi smiled cheerily. “You don’t have to worry about that, Kiddo,” she said, pretending to buy it. It looked like the girl still wasn’t ready to open up.

They continued combing the thick cream into their hair while they chatted about the girl’s cooking and the woman’s clothing and other unimportant things. With the pots almost empty, their hair began to take on a smooth, waxy sheen.

“Okay, I think it’s time to rinse it out,” Hitomi said eventually. “Now this may sound unrelated, but do you know anything about the process of forging swords and other steel weapons?”

Hinata thought. “A little bit, yes.”

Hitomi began gathering her hair behind her head. “Okay, well the most important part of the process is called quenching. That’s when you take the red-hot metal and plunge it into cold water. The sudden change in temperature contracts the metal, binding the iron and carbon together to make steel.”

“Um, yes that does sound unrelated,” Hinata said with a perplexed squint.

Hitomi chuckled. “You’ll understand in a minute.” She knelt right on the edge of the pond and took a deep breath. Then she plunged her whole head into the icy cold waters, throwing her hair forward along with it.

She stayed under for at least a minute, holding her breath. Hinata could see her long white hair beneath the surface. It fanned out around her, following the ripple pattern of the water. Above the surface, Hitomi’s fingers dug into the rocks and her toes curled. It looked like she was in agony.

Just as Hinata was trying to recall her pulmonary resuscitation lesson, Hitomi threw her head back out of the water, gasping for breath. Hinata shielded herself against the icy spray from her hair.

“Damn! If that doesn’t wake you up, you must be dead!” Hitomi exclaimed. She grabbed for her towel and rubbed her face vigorously. She emerged from behind it smiling. “That’s what I call quenching,” she said amid deep breaths. “Like I said before about the steel forging process, when you plunge your hair into the water, the cold makes everything contract and binds the key ingredients from the cream into your hair. The colder the water is, the better it works. And that is damn cold water!”

To the girl’s astonishment, her sensei seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She was grinning wide as she shook the water out of her ears.

“Your turn now,” she said enthusiastically. “Go for it, Kiddo.”

Hinata wasn’t so sure she would enjoy it as much as her sensei seemed to, but she knelt by the pond and prepared herself anyway. With a deep breath, she plunged her head under, throwing her hair forward as Hitomi had. The shock almost made her lose her breath. The cold felt like a thousand tiny needles piercing her skin. It was indeed agony. She knew she had to endure it, though. For whatever reason Hitomi was making her do it, she wanted to do it right.

The freezing water seemed bent on testing her resolve. Maybe half a minute in, the girl was beginning to waver. Her heart thundered. Her lungs began to ache. But the worst thing was the pain in her scalp. Something about the cream seemed to make the cold more intense. She could feel it seeping in through every hair follicle. Her lessons on hypothermia and frostbite sprang to mind.

When she couldn’t hold on anymore, Hinata threw her head back and gasped. Her sodden hair slapped her on the back. She shuddered uncontrollably with the pain and the cold. Her eyes felt like they’d frozen in their sockets. “Th-that w-w-was h-horrible!” she squeaked.

She heard laughter and something soft and warm fell over her head. “Quick, dry your face,” said Hitomi. “You’ll feel better in a second.”

Hinata grabbed the towel and desperately tried to rub some of the warmth back into her cheeks. It came back quicker than expected, and she remembered Hitomi’s hot shot pill.

“So, did you enjoy that?” Hitomi asked with a touch of teasing.

Hinata’s head shook vigorously beneath the towel.

Hitomi laughed again. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it!” the girl whined. “I don’t ever want to do that again.”

“Oh, something tells me you might change your mind once you’ve seen what the cream does,” Hitomi said playfully.

Hinata poked an eye out from under her towel. “Does that mean you’re finally going to tell me?”

Hitomi was wearing her most mischievous smirk. “Well now that you’ve used it, I can show you what it’s for.” She stood and sauntered around behind the girl. “Look down into the water,” she said.

With a bit of apprehension, Hinata leant over the edge of the pond again and looked into its surface. All she could see was the rippling reflection of the stars, and her own face looking paler than usual in the moonlight.

Hitomi’s reflection appeared behind hers. “Do you see anything?” she asked.

Hinata shook her head.

“Keep watching,” said the woman as she gathered the girl’s hair at the nape of her neck.

Hinata stared at her reflection as hard as she could, but nothing seemed to be different. She was concentrating so hard that she didn’t see Hitomi reaching into her robe. By the time she saw the glint of moonlight reflecting on metal, it was too late for her to react.

Hitomi gripped her hair hard and drew the long, straight edged knife underneath it. The girl’s heart lurched when she saw what her sensei was going to do. She gasped. Hitomi swept the knife in a wide arc, and Hinata’s long, midnight hair flew after it.

The girl grabbed at the back of her head. She was too shocked to scream. How could Hitomi have done that to her? She pulled away from the water’s edge and spun around to face her attacker. The woman was still holding the knife, and she was smiling devilishly.

“So, which was a bigger shock: that or the water?” Hitomi asked, barely supressing her laughter.

Hinata sat in the dirt, staring up at her. Tears were beginning to bubble up beneath her eyes. “S-Sensei … h-how could you?”

“What, didn’t you notice?” Hitomi’s smirk turned to a sweet, sympathetic smile. “Oh, Kiddo,” she shook her head. “You might want to take a second look before you freak out any further,” she said, sweeping a hand under her white mane.

The girl fumbled for the nape of her neck. She caught what was left of her hair and tried to pull it around her shoulder. Slowly she pulled, and pulled, and kept pulling. Her shiny blue-black hair slipped over her shoulder and hung down to her waist. She looked up at her sensei, baffled. “B-but you…”

Hitomi chuckled despite herself. She took the knife, looped her long white hair over the edge of it and sawed the blade back and forth. Not a single hair fell away.

Hinata pouted. “Sensei, why would you do that?” she whined. “Why would you play a trick like that on me? I thought it was a real knife!”

Hitomi continued chuckling and shook her head. She approached the girl, knelt in front of her, and showed her the knife. “Who’s playing tricks?” she said. She snapped a loose thread off the hem of her robe and dropped it over the upturned blade. It floated gently down onto the edge and sliced itself clean in two.

Hinata goggled. She grabbed at her hair again to make sure it was still there.

Hitomi took a lock of the girl’s hair and wrapped it tightly around her fist. “Now you know the secret of my hair cream,” she said, and pulled. But Hinata’s hair just slipped through her fingers, and the girl barely felt a tug. “After using my hair cream, your hair is stronger than steel and slicker than silk. You don’t have to worry about it getting caught in battle, because nothing can hold on to it. And even the sharpest blade won’t be able to cut it. That’s the first benefit of my diamantine hair cream.”

Hinata couldn’t find her voice. She ran her fingers through her hair. It felt different now. It was smoother and lighter, so light she could barely feel it.

“Not bad, huh?” Hitomi said with a cautious smile. “I guess I should say sorry for that little prank. You really do love your hair, don’t you?”

The girl was finally managing to breathe again. “S-so you actually tried to cut it?”

Hitomi gave a pained smile and nodded. “Sorry. But as you can see, it didn’t work. The only thing I know of that can cut your hair now is sharpened wind chakra.”

Hinata continued to gawk at her long blue-black hair. In the thin moonlight it looked like it might have taken on a whole new sheen. “But Sensei, what if the cream hadn’t worked on me? You could have really cut my hair off.” she said shakily.

Hitomi hung her head. “Once again, I’m sorry. I’ll try to remember not to pull anything so drastic on you. Playing pranks is one of my dirty little habits,” she said sheepishly. “But hey, do you want to see what else you can do with your hair now?”

After a moment, Hinata gave a hesitant nod.

She smiled. “Okay, check out this trick.” Hitomi stood and turned her back to the girl. “No hands,” she said, holding them out at her sides. Then, as Hinata watched, her hair began to ripple. Without being touched, it divided itself into three locks which began to slowly twist themselves around each other. In a few moments, Hitomi’s hair had tied itself into a long, thick braid.

To Hitomi’s relief, Hinata giggled. “That’s useful,” the girl said.

“Okay, now check this one out,” Hitomi said. She turned back around and stared intently at the girl. Her hair began to turn from a shimmering white to a steely grey. It grew darker and darker, eventually taking on a midnight hue exactly the same as Hinata’s.

The girl covered her mouth and laughed a little bit more. “You look completely different, Sensei. But couldn’t you do that just by using a transformation jutsu?”

“Transformation can’t do this,” Hitomi said. She knelt and swept her hair around her like a cloak. Its colour shifted again, and her body almost seemed to disappear. Her hair had taken on the colours of the rocks behind her, like a chameleon.

“That’s amazing!” the girl exclaimed. “But wait, you didn’t use any hand signs.”

Hitomi nodded. “That’s right. This is direct chakra manipulation, not ninjutsu,” she explained. “It’s like water walking. You don’t need any hand signs to do it. I’m channelling chakra through my hair and adjusting the way light reflects off of it.”

Hinata frowned. “I don’t think I get it.”

Hitomi paused to think for a moment. “Okay, think of it like this. When you use ninjutsu, your chakra leaves your body. Once it’s free of your charka network, there’s nothing to hold it together, so it just bleeds away. That’s why you have to use hand signs. The hand signs prepare your chakra, giving it a kind of scaffold for it to form around.”

“Uh, yes I understand that,” Hinata said. “But what holds your chakra together when you pour it into your hair? You can’t just channel chakra through your hair because there are no chakra pathways running through it.”

“That’s exactly it! You nailed it, Kiddo,” she said with a smirk. “The active ingredients in my cream are made up of a series of complex molecule chains which mimic the properties of the human chakra network.” She nudged the girl on the shoulder. “That means your hair is now an extension of your chakra network.”

Hinata blinked, and stroked one of her bangs. “That sounds … strange,” she said honestly. “So, what can I do with it?”

“Who knows?” Hitomi shrugged. “I’m still trying to think up more ways to make use of it, myself. You see, this is an entirely uncharted area within the science of chakra manipulation. I call it ‘Artificial Network Extension’, and it’s my own invention. I am exploring entirely new ways to use chakra. I’m discovering things that may never have been discovered before.” She tapped the girl on the nose with the tip of her finger. “And if you like, you can help me with my research.”

Hinata rubbed her nose. “You really think I can help you with that?”

Hitomi’s cheeky smirk returned and she shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. Just a few minutes ago, you said you never wanted to use my hair cream again. I guess if you can’t stand the cold, you’ll just have to miss out.”

Hinata pouted. “Sensei, stop teasing!”

She laughed. “Okay, Kiddo. The cream has to be reapplied every two or three months. So you’ll have plenty of time to decide whether you want to take the plunge again. For now, why don’t I teach you to try channelling some chakra through your hair?”

The girls spent the next half hour or so discussing complex chakra theory and trying out some of Hitomi’s techniques. Hinata found channelling chakra through her hair incredibly difficult. It was like learning to use a muscle that she’d never known she had. Eventually she was able to make it bunch at the base of her neck into a simple ponytail, but only for a brief moment.

“Can you teach me how to change its colour, Sensei?” Hinata asked.

Hitomi frowned in consideration. “I don’t know. That’s pretty advanced stuff.” She changed her hair black as she spoke. “You have to make your hair reflect a different spectrum of light.” It turned a deep red. “It’s a lot more complicated than simply pushing and pulling with your chakra. You might be able to learn it eventually, but it’ll take a lot more practice.” Then she seemed to notice something over the girl’s shoulder. An animated look of horror leapt onto her face. “Oh my gosh, a ghost!” she squeaked, and her hair turned white again.

Hinata melted into a fit of giggles and Hitomi quickly joined her. The girl slapped her shoulder playfully in punishment for her stupid joke, and the woman shoved back. They both laughed at their own silliness for a good minute.

Hitomi let out a long, contented sigh. “Thanks for spending time with me like this, Kiddo. I don’t get to do this sort of thing very often – you know, ‘girl time’. I mean I do stuff like this quite a lot, but it’s boring when you’re all by yourself.”

Hinata smiled wide. “Thank you for sharing your techniques with me, Sensei.”

Hitomi smiled back. “You’re welcome, Kiddo.”

“Sensei, why do you always call me that?” the girl asked. “You’ve been calling me ‘Kiddo’ since we first met.”

Hitomi scratched her cheek. “Oh, that’s another one of my bad habits. I use nicknames for almost everyone. Are you saying you don’t like it?”

Hinata shrugged. “I don’t mind. I was just wondering where you came up with that name for me.”

Hitomi stopped smiling all of a sudden. Her blue eyes wandered as though she was looking for an escape. Eventually they rose, hesitantly, to look up at the near-full moon. She took a long, trembling breath. “I’m sorry, Hinata.”

The girl paused. Her real name sounded strange coming from Hitomi’s lips. “Sorry for what?”

All the cheer was gone from the woman’s face. “I’ve been selfish,” she said. “It wasn’t just for your sake that I took you on as a student. It wasn’t even because of the debt I owed to Tsunade Sensei. I just couldn’t stand to leave you alone back there.”

Hinata was vexed. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Neither do I,” she groaned. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m not the right person to take care of you. I’ve never been able to take care of anybody.”

To the girl’s surprise, she saw the glitter of a tear on her cheek. “Sensei, are you alright?”

Hitomi didn’t answer. She stared at the near-full moon as though she was afraid it would fall on her. Its pale light shone in her hair and glistened in her fearful eyes. “My Kiddo…” she whispered to the sky.

Without warning, she dropped her head into her hands and began weeping openly. “I’m sorry, Kiddo,” she mumbled through the tears. “I’m such a selfish coward. I should have stayed, but… Damn it!” She started beating her thighs with her fists. “I’m so damn selfish!”

“Sensei, what’s wrong?” Hinata scooted over and put a hand on her shoulder.

“No,” Hitomi gently pulled away. “Please don’t.” She rubbed her face with her sleeve and shook herself. As suddenly as it had started, her crying was finished. She turned away from the moon and its gentle glow. “I’m fine, really.”

The girl was thoroughly confused by her wavering mood. “Sensei, what was that all about?”

Hitomi shook her head slowly. “It’s not your problem, Hinata. Don’t worry about it. The last thing I want to do is dump that on you.” She rolled her puffy eyes and gave a half-hearted smile.  

“Are you in trouble or something?” Hinata guessed. “Sensei, if there’s anything I can help you with, please tell me.

Hitomi gave a sad kind of chuckle. “Damn, you’re just too sweet. But I’m afraid you can’t help me. I have to fulfil my own responsibilities.” The girl was about to say something else, but Hitomi waved her into silence. “Hinata, I really want you to drop this, okay? Please, just forget about it.”

“Did I say something wrong?” the girl asked worriedly.

Hitomi patted her on the shoulder. “No, it’s not your fault. Nothing is your fault,” she said. “I’ve made some mistakes – done some things I regret.” She sighed hard. “All I’ll say is that you’re not the only one who ran away from her dad.”

---

Meanwhile, the boy had been lying on his bed trying, and failing, to fall asleep for the first time in two days.

After accidentally taking an overdose of Hitomi’s booster pills, he’d found it impossible to relax. He couldn’t concentrate. Noises seemed to be extra loud. And his brain felt like it was vibrating inside his skull.

Hitomi had been extra mad at him all day. And she stayed mad no matter how many times he apologised or tried to explain himself. How was he supposed to have known they were pills, not candy? They looked like candy, they smelled like candy, and they definitely tasted like candy. Medicine wasn’t supposed to taste like cream and honey. It was supposed to be bitter and nasty. Everyone knew that.

The white haired woman had put him on double physical training, to help him burn off his excess energy, she’d said. He wasn’t sure if she was just being mean, but either way, it hadn’t made him tired. And then she’d sent him to bed early. If anything, that had made things worse. What was the point of going to bed earlier when you couldn’t get to sleep in the first place?

Falling asleep had never been a problem for him before. The boy had tried every trick he knew. He’d tried counting sheep. He’d tried counting toads. He’d drunk a whole carton of warm milk (which had given him a stomach ache), but nothing seemed to work. He’d even tried reading one of the boring old history books from the shelf in the living room. That had always done the trick before, but not this time.

He looked out the window and tried to count the stars again. That wasn’t working either. The sky was clear and the moon was fairly bright. He began to wonder if it would be worth going outside to train a little more. Maybe he just wasn’t exhausted enough. Hitomi had told him to stay in his room, but he hadn’t heard anything from either of the girls in a while, so he figured they must be in bed already.

There was no way he was going to spend another whole night staring at the ceiling. So he snuck out of his room, tiptoed down the stairs, and out onto the forest floor.

It was freezing cold outside. The boy wasn’t sure if that would be good or bad for helping him get to sleep. But he was already out, so he did a few stretches and jogged to the edge of the rocky glade. He stood at the top of the steep slope that curved around the small pond and peered over the edge. Perhaps a late night swim would calm him down, he thought. While he was considering it, he began to notice a sweet, flowery scent on the wind.

“What the hell are you doing up here?”

Naruto almost leapt out of his skin. Hitomi had just reached the top of the slope, with Hinata following close behind. For some reason they were both wearing bath robes and carrying buckets and towels. He didn’t know why they were out there at night, but he’d obviously just been caught. “Oh … uh, I couldn’t sleep so I was just gonna do some, uh, late night training,” he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Hitomi’s blue eyes narrowed menacingly. “Oh please! You don’t expect me to buy that, do you? I thought I told you to… Wait a minute, how long have you been up here?”

“Uh, I just…”

“Were you watching the whole time?” she demanded to know. Her face was contorted in the most vicious of scowls.

“Uh, n-no,” he said, recoiling a little.

Hitomi pulled her bath robe tighter. “You were, weren’t you?” she insisted. “How much did you hear? You know if you tell anyone…” she shoved a threatening finger in his face.

The boy goggled fearfully. “Tell what to who?”

Hitomi was shivering, and breathing rather quickly. Hinata thought perhaps her hot shot pill was wearing off, but was that sweat running down her forehead?

“You dirty little pervert! I know what you were doing,” She growled. “You were trying to catch a peek at us, weren’t you?”

Hinata gasped. “Sensei, don’t say that!”

“Stay away from him, Kiddo,” she warned. “He’s been up here spying on us the whole time, listening in on our private conversation. And I’ll bet he was hoping we’d put on a little show for him, too!”

Naruto was getting more confused by the second. “What are you guys talking about? I didn’t even know you were out here!” he said, and threw his hands up in surrender.

Hitomi flinched at his sudden gesture. She stumbled back a few steps and almost tripped on a tree root. “Keep your hands off me!” Her voice was strangely shaky. “I knew you were a pervert, just like all the rest of them. You’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this, haven’t you?”

Hinata was horrified. “Sensei, why would you say something like that? Naruto said he just came down to do some training.”

“Oh, don’t be so naïve, Kiddo!” Hitomi scolded. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

Hinata recoiled from her sensei’s harsh words. “Y-yes, I do,” she said meekly. “Naruto said it, so I believe him.”

Hitomi sneered. “You are way too trusting, Kiddo,” she said, holding the front of her robe closed. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him. You know how he likes to barge into your room without knocking. And you don’t want to know what I caught him with the other day.”

Hinata looked like she was halfway between screaming and crying. “You’re wrong, Sensei,” she frowned into her chest. “Naruto isn’t like that at all. He might’ve forgotten to knock a few times, but he would never invade our privacy on purpose, especially to do … that.” She wrung her towel and winced as though she was in pain. “You would never do something like that, would you, Naruto?”

The boy shrunk into himself. Even the iciest mountain wind couldn’t cool his burning cheeks. “Uh, y-you mean peeping on girls?”

Hinata looked up at him through innocent eyes. “You wouldn’t … would you?”

Naruto’s jaw worked, but nothing came out. He wanted to say no. It should have been easy enough. Plenty of girls had accused him of such behaviour before, and he’d always been quick to deny it, whether it was true or not. But for some reason, it wasn’t so easy this time.

Something about that supportive but hesitant look made him feel very uncomfortable. It forced all sorts of memories to mind. All those times he tried to sneak into the girl’s locker room. All those times he’d been thrown out of the book store for reading magazines from that certain shelf. All those times he’d caught a not-so accidental look at his perverted sensei’s ‘research’. He couldn’t bring himself to deny it this time. And he couldn’t face her pleading eyes. The boy looked down at his feet in shame.

Hitomi snorted in disgust. “There, what did I tell you, Kiddo? Come on, don’t hang around out here with him.” And she strode very quickly toward the hidden stairs.

The girl lingered behind for a moment. Naruto wanted to say something to her, but he couldn’t find his voice. He couldn’t even bear to look up at her. Before he could think of what to say, she turned and hurried after Hitomi. He reached after her, but it was too late. She walked off with her head down and her shoulders tucked in tight.

Naruto stood alone in the freezing cold feeling embarrassed and utterly confused. He didn’t know what had just happened, but he felt an uncomfortable weight in the pit of his stomach which told him he’d done something very wrong.