Pale lilac eyes fluttered open and a soft sigh escaped her lips. This all too familiar feeling had overtaken her once more. The urge to... 'go'. For most the urge to get up and go would be to get out of the house, but for her, it was a much different sense of the word. A small smile crossed her lips as she hopped out of bed and began rummaging through her clothes. This was always an adventure for her, there was never the same thing twice. She loved that though, sure she would see some of the same people, but nothing was ever the same each time. Those around her...They wouldn't notice she was gone, the difference in time was significant. She felt like she was there forever, when she would only be there for maybe a day or so.

That's right... she could use time space ninjutsu, however it was different than that of what most shinobi could use. She could actually travel through time.

She sighed once more as she slipped on her shoes and made her way out of the compound. She couldn't help the smile as she strolled down the streets of old Konoha, it was hectic and strange. Everything was bustling with activity, much like in her own time; but it was still much different. Her eyes spotted her father as he strolled down the street, her mother in tow. She could tell they were her parents because her father was a spitting image of Neji, the boy beside him looked exactly like him as well. Hiashi, Hizashi, and her mother were an odd bunch.

Her mother had long deep blue, almost black tresses that hung down her back in a low ponytail from the base of her neck, unlike Hizashi and Hiashi's hair, which was bound near the end of their hair. Her father reminded her of Neji, he had a cold and ignorant look adorning his face. Her mother walked beside him with a dirty look on her face, Hinata's mother had the personality Hinata's own thoughts held. A fierce fearless woman who took no trash talk.

In her mind Hinata had this confident and strong voice, which was the exact opposite of what she actually was. Hinata's mother on the other hand was quite the... well... quite the bipolar one... Hinata had always guessed that their mother is where Hanabi had gotten her explosive personality from. Her name, meaning firework, fitting her younger sister to a point. Hiashi said something and her mother punched him across the street towards her. Not long after her fist had connected with Hiashi's face her mother blushed dark red and ran over to him, asking if he was ok and apologizing profusely, proving Hinata's point of her mother's personality.

Hinata frowned and turned off in an alleyway, trying to avoid contact with the Hyuuga. She never did like making contact with people she knew. It always ended up in trouble when she returned, being as why she only associated with vendors. The vendors would be too old to remember her in her own time, or they would think she was a cousin or something of the version of her they met. She loved interacting with everyone here as they treated her respectfully despite not knowing her strength or weaknesses. Unlike in her own time where everyone knew of her as the meek girl who lost against her cousin in the exams. A sigh escaped her once more as she continued on towards an all too familiar place that always beckoned to her.

She was adventuring more towards the Uchiha district now, for some reason walking by their compound has always given her a sense of... well she wasn't sure how to explain it. It made her feel welcome and safe, as if she belonged there. The Hyuuga compound wasn't that far from it, but the Hyuuga compound had never quite felt like home, not the way the Uchiha compound had... the Hyuuga compound had always given her a paranoia that dwelled deep within her and made her think the entire clan was out to get her.

She strolled by the Uchiha gates and the Uchiha that were out and about began muttering and talking. She nodded to them respectfully and some of them nodded back. Others, like Izanagi, advanced on her. Izanagi and his group enjoyed talking to her every time she walked by. Izanagi had a thing for pouring his heart's deepest feelings out to her every time she came to this time. "My lovely Hinata, will you not take my proposal this time?" he asked and Hinata smiled. Izanagi looked like an older Sasuke with the stress lines Itachi had, yes, he was good looking... but you don't go to the past to date people....

"Forgive me, Izanagi-kun." Hinata said and bowed politely. "I'm afraid I cannot accept your proposal, for my father forbids me to marry as of yet, he has... plans for me." Hinata said and Izanagi frowned and gently grasped her hands within his own. "Then, my dearest, I will wait until the day your father allows you marriage consent, for his plans will surely fall through. Seeing as you refuse to marry anyone he has chosen for you." He said with a small smile.

Hinata shook her head. "Do not wait for me... you can find someone else, Izanagi-kun... I will not be here much longer, because my father wishes to send me away for marriage, this time there is nothing I can do." Hinata said and Izanagi was downcast. "You are an incredibly patient daughter... So many others would have run, or eloped." Izanagi said and Hinata nodded. "Yes... well... I cannot afford to disgrace my clan in such a manner as eloping. I am precious to my family after all. If one were to ask my father, he could possible say yes, but that is only a possibility, Izanagi-kun." Hinata said and Izanagi was once again hopeful.

Hinata bowed and wished him well. She turned away from him and frowned, in two days Izanagi meets his demise fighting for his younger brothers' life. That was always the thing that always stayed the same about this time, they always died. She figured she would give him something happy to think of before he passed, maybe give him something to fight to survive for. Hinata frowned as she looked back at Izanagi. He wasn't smiling, for he rarely smiled, but she could see the happiness in his dark eyes. She smiled as she saw his brother jump up and down exuberantly. His younger brother Hikaru grinning at his older brother as he bounced up and down chattering happily to his brother. Hinata frowned, Hikaru was only ten and the same day Izanagi died fighting for him, Hikaru was killed by the bandits that killed Izanagi. The fight would be futile, but she couldn't risk interfering.

Hinata sighed and looked up at the dimming sky. Her trek to the gate was silent, just as she preferred. She strolled out of the village and her eyes flashed. An invisible cloak surrounded her and she reappeared outside of konoha in her own time. It was a shame she had to leave the past. She preferred to stay there, where no one knew how weak and useless she supposedly was. They saw her as a strong, beautiful, and independent woman; even if they had never seen her fight they treated her as if she was an amazing Kunoichi. She knew it was selfish to want to stay for that reason alone, but it did good things for her confidence.

She walked back into the village after being gone for a week. She knew no one had noticed, she was only gone a day their time. The difference in time was odd that way. The makeshift village was bustling with activity which was mainly people rebuilding things and rushing to gather supplies. Everyone was preparing for the war they all were going to fight in the next few days. Hinata sighed and made her way to her father, he was no doubt wondering where she had gone. He had told her yesterday he was not going to be fighting in the war. She knew today his mind would be swayed. Tsunade wanted her in the fight, seeing as she had improved considerably as of late... as well as other reasons. Tsunade just wanted to... well... ruffle her father's feathers; that was saying it nicely.

Hinata crammed her hands into her pockets and huffed in dismay. She opened the door to her father's makeshift home. "Hinata, just who I was looking for... you will be fighting. You will be under the Kazekage's command, so don't you dare disappoint me." He said and she nodded. She hated the way he spoke down to her all the time. She supposed it could be his own way of protecting her, but it did nothing for her self esteem. "I thought I was going to be under-"She began but he held a hand up to silence her. "The Kazekage requested you personally." He said and Hinata nodded, a slight heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. "Yes sir." She said and he told her to be on her way. She grit her teeth and glared at the sky, she had accidentally run into Gaara during her second chunnin exams. She had gone to fight them again, since she already knew exactly what Ino would do.

It wasn't that she liked beating up Ino; she was just perfecting her jutsu. She had released the past Hinata from the genjutsu she was held in before she had seen her and left her dazed and confused. That Hinata had gone one way while she had gone another, Gaara saw this and was immediately intent on figuring out what this was. She had vanished right before his eyes, cursing herself in her mind as she faded from sight. Hinata sighed and stretched. No doubt the kazekage had done his research and figured out that once every fifty years a Hyuuga child is born with the time warp ability, also known as the Veil of Time. It was a trait brought in from when the Hyuuga clan had been two separate clans and joined as one through marriage no one knows what the two clan names were, they just knew that one of them was Hyuuga.

Hinata's eyes flashed as she thought of lady Tsunade, she wondered what it had been like during the war she was in. Hinata faded from view and appeared in konoha in the past. Jiraiya ran by and she ducked into an alleyway, as per her usual routine when she saw someone she knew. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned to see a blonde with scrutinizing brown eyes, Tsunade. "What are you doing out and about Hyuuga?" she asked and Hinata tried to find the words to say but they evaded her. "What is your name? I have to report you to Hanabira and Hiro Hyuuga." She said and Hinata clenched her jaw. She said nothing, but the veil of time wrapped around her, transporting her back to her own time.

She reappeared beside the vendors and their makeshift shops. She panted, that was close. She saw Tsunade walking by, as if searching for someone. She caught glimpse of Hinata and when she got near she furrowed her brow. "I need to speak with you." She said and Hinata cursed herself mentally. "I'm not very good at avoiding the kage in the past am I?" she asked, her voice with a slightly depressed tone to it. Tsunade shook her head with a smirk. "You got away from Jiraiya and Orochimaru because they were too busy avoiding me." She said as they walked to the Hokage cabin. "You are lucky you didn't run into Orochimaru. You wouldn't be here today if you had, you realize this?" she asked and Hinata nodded.

"Gaara already knows of your ability?" she asked and again Hinata nodded. "Being as why he wanted you in his brigade." She summed up and Hinata nodded. "I think he thinks I can go back and stop the Akatsuki... but I have already tried... I would have only run into you three sooner." Hinata said and Tsunade nodded. Hinata was silent for a while then she looked up at Tsunade with a frown. "I went back to the time where Itachi killed the clan... they understood why he had to do it..." Hinata whispered and Tsunade sighed. "You saw it happen?" she asked and Hinata shook her head. "I heard it. But I did notice something about the Uchiha... they were confused about my eyes... and some of them seem drawn to me, as if I were bonded with the Uchiha clan..." she said and Tsunade nodded. "You are a Hyuuga with light amethyst eyes. They aren't pale like a blind person's eyes anymore, they are a deeper purple than they used to be. The Hyuuga don't notice, because the identity of the jumper is supposed to be hidden within the clan." Tsunade said and Hinata nodded in realization.

"If the Jumper is found... the Hyuuga kill them... Don't they?" Hinata asked knowing the fear of the woman's response was ebbing closer to the surface. She knew it wasn't going to be anything she wanted to hear but she needed to know. Tsunade only nodded to her and sighed deeply. "I don't know if your father would kill you, but the clan elders don't appreciate the Jumpers going back and learning all of the clan's secrets..." Tsunade said and Hinata nodded. "I see, well I will have to be a little more careful..." Hinata said and Tsunade nodded. "How long have you been doing this?" Tsunade asked. Hinata thought for a moment then decided to tell the truth. "I have been doing this... going on three years now..." she said and Tsunade seemed surprised.

"On your fifteenth birthday?" she asked and Hinata nodded. "The last Jumper didn't activate the Veil of time until he was 18... the jump must have activated early in you for a special reason... anyways... keep this a secret, I won't make you jump unless it is a life or death situation. If there is something in this war that causes us a bit of trouble... I may need your help." Tsunade said and Hinata nodded with a smile. "I prefer to jump. When I jump, I feel at peace, like I belong in the past. But I get the feeling there is something in the past further than I have ever gone that calls to me, I just haven't found it yet." Hinata said and Tsunade smiled.

"That is how a jump was described, Hizashi claimed to have found someone who loved him for his flaws in the past." Tsunade said and patted Hinata on the shoulders. "Be careful, and remember, if you die in the past, you can no longer return to the time where the person who killed you lived. Not even if it was twenty years before he killed you, if you die at the hand of that person, the entire lifespan of that person's time is off limits according to previous jumpers." Tsunade said and Hinata nodded. She knew Tsunade was going off information given to her, but something told her that it might not be true. She wasn't going to tell the woman that though, probably wouldn't end well.

"Hizashi informed Hiruzen of everything he learned and that seemed to be something one of the previous jumpers had told him. I don't know the exact truth to it, but I would very much like for you to be careful, alright?" Tsunade asked and Hinata nodded again before bowing and turning on her heel towards the door. Tsunade held the door for Hinata and Hinata walked out quickly, not wanted to really hear any more on her dying. The thought put a bad taste in her mouth and understandably so.

Hinata made her way to her training spot and she sat underneath the large tree that sheltered the site with its massive branches. There was a deep scar in the tree's trunk, and she knew there was something stuck within the tree, but she could never bring herself to remove it from the tree. The glistening silver within the scar always caught her eye, though. Gentle fingertips traced the crevice of the tree and eventually skimmed across the shining silver within its bark. The surface of the silver was cold and eager to suck the heat from her fingertips.

Hinata sucked in a sharp breath as the tree began to shift and adjust under her touch. The more of the silver she traced her fingers over the more of the tree that shifted to reveal the object within. The cracking of the tree's trunk made her pull her hand away from the scar, which made the tree stop responding. Hinata stumbled back away from the tree and blinked in confusion as she looked over the area of the tree that had cracked and split open slowly. It had begun to crack beginning at the scar, then it parted like water as if redirected away from the source.

The old tree had its own chakra, Hinata had noticed this when she had found the tree. Which explained a lot about why the tree bent and adjusted to her touch, as if reacting solely to her. The villagers called it the tree of life and it even had large beads tied around the trunk naming it as a holy tree. The silver of the item revealed itself more to her and she stepped forward tentatively to touch it once more, hoping to completely reveal the object.

The silver item was revealed to be a beautifully carved katana. She gently lifted the blade from the tree and looked it over. It had a solid black sheathe and the hilt was made of black and red cloth with silver strands woven in and at the end, the silver strands braided out with red strands to hold bells within the braid, the silver she had originally seen were said bells. She looked over the blade and smiled softly as she unsheathed it partially and took in the beautiful engravings on the blade.

The sword had its own chakra source, which hummed happily to her holding it. The chakra was similar to her own, but was also mixed with someone elses, which surprised Hinata. The tree closed once the blade was removed and light purple flowers blossomed all over the tree's branches in bursts of vibrant color. Hinata stared in awe as the beautiful flowers blossomed as if they were triggered by her taking the katana. The blossoms were the color Tsunade had described her eyes as, pale amethyst.

Hinata looked back at the blade in her hands. She unsheathed the blade the slightest bit and etched into the surface was the name Tsubaki. "The silent flower... lovely." Hinata said and smiled. She turned to the empty training field and unsheathed the blade. She swiftly swung the sword in front of her then seven quick slashes and she slowly sheathed the blade. The moment the hilt touched the sheathe, the ground exploded up and slash marks were everywhere.

Hinata's breath hitched and she couldn't form a legitimate thought. The pure destructive power of the blade was... awe inspiring to say the least. She hadn't been expecting this in the slightest. Her mouth was agape, she was only getting a feel of wielding the blade, but that had been unexpected. "That is why you are called the silent flower..." Hinata managed to whisper, staring at the blade in awe.

Her brow furrowed as she studied the blade. The blade appeared new, but she could tell it was decades old, possibly even a century old. The sword was hand forged, the cloth hand sewn, and the name of the blade etched in by hand, they had tools to help with most of that now... she gripped the blade tightly and ran to the one person she knew would know about the blade. She skidded to a stop outside a vendor. He was really old but was as youthful as Gai was. "Toruna!" Hinata called and the old man smiled at her, his eyes caught sight of the blade and his smile vanished.

"Hinata... where did you find that?" he asked and she held it up to him. "I was on the training ground and the scarred-up tree opened up when I touched it. I was just coming to ask you about the blade." She said softly, her head cocked to the side slightly in confusion. He was scanning the sword with his weary eyes. He seemed to not want to really be near the magnificent blade. "The destructive and beautiful Tsubaki..." he whispered; she hadn't even had to unsheathe the blade for him to know. That blade right there... Madara Uchiha forged that blade himself. No one ever found out why, but they knew it was just as destructive and deadly as he was, many had seen the power of this blade and many had lost their lives to it." He said and she offered to hand the blade to him but he flinched away and held up his hands.

"My hands cannot touch the blade, Hinata. If anyone but the one the sword chooses holds the blade..." he made a fearful face and drug a finger across his neck. "It kills them; the blade is only wielded by the ones it finds worthy. The last person that wielded the blade held it once, and then she was found dead. No one knows how she had gotten the blade, but she died without it. Days after her death the blade was placed under that tree, marking her grave. Many had seen Madara with the blade, and some still believed he placed it there as her grave marker, but others say the blade used her chakra and came to her after she died." He said and Hinata looked down at the blade.

"So... this is an evil sword?" she asked and Toruna chuckled. "No... the blade itself is not evil. Madara sealed away part of his soul into the blade, so he could choose who wielded the blade after his death. Kind of odd, don't you think?" he asked and Hinata's eyes softened as she looked over the blade. "A man such as Madara would only forge a blade with part of his own soul in it for a reason, but I doubt a fearsome man such as himself would name his own blade Tsubaki. Never have I heard of a man naming his sword after a flower. Usually, it is something along the lines of destroyer." Hinata said with a soft laugh. "What are you trying to say Hinata?" Toruna asked.

Hinata smiled up at him. "Well... Maybe the blade wasn't meant for himself. What if Tsubaki was meant for that woman? It seems logical; flowers are a temporary statement of love and are very bright and obvious. But to receive a katana, a woman would never suspect that receiving a blade named after a flower could be the ultimate gift of love, one where he never had to truly say anything... One that was as mutual a bond between the two as the moon has with the stars." Hinata said softly, her head seemed to be up in the clouds; so Toruna thought it over for a moment.

"You may be a hopeless romantic, but it does make sense... Why else would Madara stroll back into a village he defected from to place a sword on the grave of a woman he didn't know. The scary thing about that was, Madara died the same day the woman died some believe that they died at the exact same time... so the thought of him placing the sword on her grave sends tingles down my spine. Ghosts... oh dear me, my poor old heart couldn't take that." Toruna chuckled and Hinata laughed.

"Thank you Toruna." Hinata said as she walked away. He waved her off and smiled. "Be careful with that blade Hinata!" he called out and she turned back and nodded. She strode silently into her father's wood house. He looked up at her and eyed the blade she held. His eyes widened visibly. "You wield Tsubaki?" he asked and she nodded. "Yes, father." She said and sat on her feet in front of him on a tatami mat. "Then you must be worthy of this blade..." he said and his eyes appraised her katana.

"A blade forged from the pure will of a ninja is a dangerous item, Hinata. Madara forged this blade using his fire style, cloth from his own person, part of his own soul, bells from the hair ornament of his deceased mother, his father's prized steel statue of the Uchiha clan symbol, and the silver his deceased younger brother held. Blades like that one are incredibly rare... a young woman such as yourself, who is worthy of the power he placed in that blade, shows true testament to your skills. I place all of my pride within you, Hinata. Prove to me that my pride in you is not for nothing." He said and she nodded.

"I will not let you down, father." Hinata said and her father nodded. "Tsunade has also changed your placement once more." Her father said and Hinata frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes not leaving her fathers. "I requested it, I know what you are Hinata. Tsunade and the Kazekage know as well, I am guessing?" he asked and Hinata nodded hesitantly. "I see, and you know the clan cannot know of this?" he asked and she nodded. "Good, the reason your placement has changed once more is because of your abilities. You could save more lives than you know, Hinata. You are a free roaming shinobi in this war, when you are needed someone will telepathically contact you. You can jump to minutes before the death of an ally and kill the one who kills them. This is a life and death situation now Hinata, the shinobi alliance is counting on you, even if they don't know it yet." Her father said and Hinata nodded.

She stood and made her way to her room within the wooden house. She set the blade down beside her bed and she lay there, thinking of a legitimate reason to run and forget that she even had the veil of time. She sighed and killed those thoughts. Her eyes drifted to Tsubaki, the beautiful blade shimmering in the light of the moon. Her heart jumped in slight fear when the image of a person reflected on the surface of the blade. She looked around and no one was there. The image of the person made her heart race. She couldn't tell if it were fear or surprise. She had never seen the man that reflected off the katana before. He looked about twenty one to twenty three. She couldn't tell... he reminded her of Izanagi... except his eyes held a look that scrutinized her.

Deep rumbling chuckles echoed in her head, although she thought they were in her room. She looked around frantically, but found no one. She glanced at Tsubaki's reflection in the mirror. The Katana lay against the floor, but the image of the man she saw in the blade reflected in the mirror in full, for only a few seconds. But those few seconds were just enough time for her to realize who the man was. "M-Madara... Uchiha..." Hinata breathed, only able to truly tell who the man was because she had seen the statue of him at the valley of the end. He looked younger in the reflection, than he did in the statue. And just as well he looked exactly like Sasuke... only older.

"Thank you, for allowing me use of your blade, Madara-sama." Hinata whispered, eyeing the blade and the smirk that appeared in a flash of his face said his intent well enough. He just wanted to feel the power of the blade be used once more. The blade had been left at the tree of life in the training grounds for who knows how long. Hinata couldn't sleep so she went to what was left of the konoha library. She searched for a few hours until she found what she was looking for. The files they had on Madara were few and limited, but that still wasn't much of an issue for Hinata.

What was an issue though was that they had very few on his actual abilities and none on his death. They had some saying he fought Harashima Senju, some telling the story of him and his younger brother Izuna, and that was pretty much it. Apparently when Madara was younger he was a kind hearted fun loving young man whose rival and best friend was Harashima Senju. The war between the two clans took his younger brother, and destroyed Madara, having already lost two other brothers in the fight between the clans, which Hinata had found very much believable. It doesn't take much to turn someone so hateful, just loss.

Scrolls stated that other than his fire techniques and Sharingan, not much else was known of the abilities Madara had. Hinata felt sorry for the Uchiha, his entire world was taken from him by the very one who was supposedly his friend. The Senju took his younger brother from him, but the Uchiha declared him a thief, a liar and had claimed he'd stolen the eyes from his younger brother, leading him to his death to do so. The way they treated Madara led him to defect from the clan after they joined with the Senju's village, causing him to leave the clan within the hands of Madara's uncle because his father was deceased.

Hinata rolled the scrolls back up and rested her head on her cheek. "Madara... who where you really?" she sighed, then yawned and stood. She placed the scrolls back in their respective places and made her way home, holding the blade close to her as to not let anyone who snuck into her room during the night to attempt to steal the blade, because no doubt the entire village knows she has Madara's sword by now. Rumors flew fast in the village now, so she knew she had a few things to worry over, but she wasn't going to let them get to her. "Oyasumi..." she whispered to herself and drifted to sleep.

:-:-:-:-:

She awoke the next morning with a yawn followed by a curious glance at the blade. The face of the broken man within the blade was no longer there making her feel uneasy; instead the blade shimmered lightly in the light coming through the window giving a beautiful glimmer to the fearsome blade. A small smile crossed her lips and she shoved herself off of the tatami mat, the blade secure in her grasp. She felt the chakra hum in contentment and she smiled.

She swiftly changed and secured the blade to her hip, today was to be used for training purposes only. This day had been set aside by her father so she could focus on bettering herself for the upcoming war instead of wasting her time with minor clean up things around the compound. She was to work extensively with both her chakra and Tsubaki. She was out of her normal attire, which surprised her father when she strolled from her room. She wore a navy sleeveless shirt and baggy khaki shorts with her weapons pouches on her upper thigh as usual.

"You're taking up the training day I see..." he said and she nodded. "Yes, father. I need to learn how to use Tsubaki so I'm not hurting comrades." She said with a slightly embarrassed look. He nodded. "Make me proud, I will come to train with you later today." He said and she jumped lightly. "Y-yes father!" she stammered in surprise and he offered her the smallest hint of a smile. She bowed swiftly and ran from the compound in an echo of hurried footsteps. She heard her father chuckle softly and she could picture him shaking his head at her antics.

She ran through the village with a bright smile on her lips. People often called out to her and waved, so she returned their greetings with waves and bright smiles. She had almost made it out of the front gates when a familiar blonde completely stopped moving in front of her, causing her to skid to a stop and crash into his back. She stumbled backwards and he turned around. "Ah... g-gomen, Naruto-kun..." she sighed as she straightened herself up.

Sakura and Kakashi were staring at the blonde unamused. "Ah, its fine Hinata-chan. I wasn't doing anything important anyways, not like I would like to be doing." He sighed exasperatedly and she blinked up at him. "What's wrong?" she asked and he gave dirty looks to the pinkette and perverted jonin behind him. "They don't want to train with me before I go, they claim they have other things to do but they haven't done anything all day. I followed them..." he grumbled and Hinata giggled lightly, her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggles.

"Well... Naruto-kun, I was about to head over to the training grounds to work on my swordsmanship, and elemental chakra... would you like to join me?" she asked softly with a slight blush and he grinned and wrapped an arm around her neck in an excited hug. Tsubaki rattled restlessly and she looked over to the blade with a curious glance, as did Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. "Whoa... what's up with your sword Hinata?" Naruto asked and she stepped away from him and pulled Tsubaki in front of her.

"That's the lost blade Tsubaki!" Sakura chirped excitedly and Hinata nodded. Kakashi just watched the exchange with a curious glance. "That's an Uchiha blade, how did you come across it?" Kakashi asked suddenly and Hinata stared at the blade in curiosity. "I actually have no idea, the blade... chose me... I guess t-that's what you's call what happened..." Hinata squeaked in surprise of that fact Kakashi spoke to her. Naruto reached for the blade but upon instinct Hinata swiped it out of his reach with a relieved sigh.

"Baka... don't you realize that the blade Tsubaki can kill you!" Sakura snapped and her fist found Naruto's head very swiftly. He whimpered and held his head. "I don't know about the stupid sword..." he whined and Hinata smiled softly. "It's Madara's sword, Naruto. See?" she asked and unsheathed the blade halfway, revealing a flash of Sharingan eyes; which caused Sakura to cringe away from her and Naruto to stare at the blade with a confused look.

"Huh? How is he in there? Isn't that practically impossible?" he asked and Sakura sighed and rubbed her brow. "Maybe you shouldn't use big words, I think you are confusing yourself more than you are understanding the fact the blade is dangerous." She sighed and Hinata giggled again, sheathing the blade. "Well, I have to go train, so if you would like to come with me you can Naruto." Hinata said quietly with a soft smile and he nodded exuberantly.

"Yes!" he exclaimed and Hinata smiled once more. "We will tag along too, I'm curious of your skills Hinata-chan." Sakura said with a smile, but Hinata knew she was only going to be following along to see what the blade could do. Sakura had never been interested in her before... Hinata smiled at her though, it wasn't in her to be rude and she knew Sakura knew it. Kakashi crammed his hands in his pockets and followed them to the training grounds with the lake.

Hinata stepped on the water without so much as a ripple forming, while Naruto splashed the water all over the place; typical of the blonde. She waved her hands over the water with a smile; the water forming trails to follow her hands as they moved. Naruto watched in amazement, seeing as he hadn't yet perfected his elemental chakra control to the extent Hinata had. "How do you do that?" he asked and she blushed lightly. "It just came to me when we were younger... I guess it helped me form my techniques better..." she mumbled and twirled her wrist above her head, the water spiraling above her in a similar movement.

"I'm trying to learn more damaging techniques to help me..." she said and Naruto grinned. "I have a wind affinity, so I don't think I could help, but that's cool." He exclaimed and she blushed lightly, but blinked and a smile crossed her lips. "You mean like this?" she asked and formed a hand sign, then her cheeks filled with air and she blew the wind right at Naruto. The blonde hadn't been expecting the wind and was sent sliding across the surface of the water. "Whoa! Hinata! You can use wind too? That's so cool!" he exclaimed and she smiled.

"Alright, enough fooling around; how about I set this match off?" Kakashi asked with a crinkle of his eye. Hinata nodded and Naruto gave him a thumbs up. "Alright, get to it." he said simply and Hinata fell into a defensive stance. She watched Naruto for a moment as he vanished into the surrounding trees and sent out his clones. She lunged forwards and sent her flat palm into the gut of one clone before ducking to avoid a punch from another.

The lightness of her body when she used the gentle fist made her way of fighting much easier. She felt weightless and as if she could fly, a similar feeling as when she went through the veil of time. She smiled and dove to her hands to avoid a punch from another one of Naruto's clones, but at the same time she had dove straight into a group of his clones. She clutched both hands together atop the water and spun with her legs out in a T shape, taking out a group of clones.

She propelled herself back to her feet and looked up to see Naruto's infamous Naruto barrage coming down at her. Tsubaki hummed and she swiped it from its sheathe with a flick of the thumb. Three swift swipes towards the clones and she made a move to sheathe the blade, but nothing had happened. Kakashi and Sakura stared at her like she was crazy, that was until the hilt had hit the sheath and every one of Naruto's clones had exploded.

Naruto hit the ground from his branch being cut out from under him. "Whoa..." he was pretty much speechless. Kakashi raised a brow and Sakura's jaw appeared to become unhinged. "That was AWESOME!" Naruto exclaimed and Hinata giggled. "It is the blade's ability, not my own." She said softly and she felt a spark from the blade. She blinked and saw him staring at her, his eyes were unreadable; but his face was so... she couldn't really describe it... his face seemed serene, but also a bit excited.

He looked so small within the blade, just standing there with his arms folded behind his head; similar to how Naruto usually does, but... he seemed more mature... and majestic. Odd thing to say about an extremely dangerous man whose soul resides within the blade, but it was the only word to truly describe him... her eyes flickered up to see Naruto charging at her again. She swiftly sheathed Tsubaki and dropped into a defensive stance once more.

She took a deep breath to calm herself and when he was within her range, her eyes snapped open and she shot up into an offensive stance. She swiped his fist away from her face and ducked under and around his arm to slam her palm into his back. He stumbled forth and she watched as he got over his surprise. "Wow... I don't think I ever realized how fast you could be Hinata..." he chuckled as he turned around and straightened himself back up to run for her once more.

She could tell Naruto wasn't really going to get all that serious in the spar with her, but Sakura looked antsy from only standing there on the sidelines. Hinata didn't necessarily like how pumped the pinkette was getting. Hinata realized she hadn't been paying that much attention to the fight at hand when Tsubaki began humming dangerously. Her eyes flickered to Naruto and she almost squeaked in surprise when he and three of his clones where right upon her. She lunged forwards with her arms out and Naruto coughed in surprise when she connected with his stomach.

He fell over backwards with a pained look. "Ow..." Naruto whined and Hinata squeaked and blushed, running around to crouch beside him. "Sorry! I'm so sorry Naruto!" she squeaked and Sakura sighed and pinched her brow. Kakashi just chuckled and shook his head. "It's fine Hinata-san, he's just never taken an actual fist from a Hyuuga. To be frank, I don't think anyone has ever felt the fury of a Hyuuga fist." Kakashi said simply and Hinata blushed.

"That was an accident..." she said softly and Naruto whined once more. "M-my ramen..." he whined and Hinata sighed in defeat with her head and shoulders slumped low. She looked defeated on the outside, but on the inside her mind was irate, just because of the blonde and his odd worries. She was pulled from her thoughts before she could even begin to dwell on her confused inner's ranting by Tsubaki's humored hum. She could tell the swords reactions based solely on the fact the blade's chakra had merged with hers.

She sighed and held a hand out to the blonde, offering assistance to help him up but a series of poofs around them and Naruto sighed and stood. "I'm on it. I'm on it." he grumbled and Hinata blinked as she stared at the newcomers. "Bye Naruto." Hinata sighed and he grinned. "Don't worry! We can train again when you get back. That's a promise!" he yelled exuberantly as he ran to catch up with the others. Hinata giggled lightly, the typical antics of the blonde were still adorable for someone their age.

"Ano... Hinata." Sakura called out and Hinata looked over at her. "Yes, Sakura-san?" she asked and Sakura blinked and turned her face away and began scratching her cheek. "Uh, you wouldn't mind training with me, would you?" Sakura asked and Hinata frowned. "Forgive me, Sakura-san, but I have to train with my elemental chakra. It's what my father set this day up for. Forgive me if I have to decline." Hinata said but she noticed the irritated tremor of Sakura's brow.

"That's fine, you can train with your element, but with me as an opponent it would be a challenge. Whaddya say?" Sakura asked and Hinata pursed her lips, she was persistent. Hinata nodded and Sakura grinned. "Cha! Alright!" she cheered and ran at Hinata. Hinata flipped backwards away from Sakura, who seemed to be trying to get her as far from the water as possible, now that wasn't fair in the slightest. Hinata dove towards Sakura's right side as the fist came at her. Hinata rolled across the ground and up into a crouch.

Hinata swiftly stood and ran across the surface of the water, only stopping to slide around on the surface of the water to face the pinkette. Sakura didn't halt her progress, not even as trails of water shot at her with wind swirling around them. Sakura nimbly dodged each one and continued towards Hinata. Sakura jumped and her fist came down towards Hinata, but right before impact water rose up and created an orb around Hinata, which not soon after froze.

Sakura's fist cracked the ice and as it crumbled away Hinata barely had time to attempt a dodge, which proved unsuccessful as Sakura's fist connected with her stomach and sent her into a tree. The pain was gone as soon as it had come, and Hinata struggled to her feet. Sakura only stared at her, her face coated in pure shock. "Oh, uh... sorry Hinata... but I gotta run. I forgot Tsunade needed me for something." Sakura managed to say as she tripped over her own words.

Hinata hit her knees and tried to regain her breath. She felt the man in the blade watching her again. The blade lay on her legs in front of her nearly sheathed. He had a wicked smirk on his lips for some reason. She blinked and in her reflection she saw something move across her forehead. She blinked and her hands rushed up to feel her forehead, but nothing was there. she figured she was just seeing things because she was tired.

She sheathed Tsubaki and flopped backwards kicking her feet up into the air as she did so. Her eyes slid shut as she took a deep breath. They opened once more and she saw her father and Neji shaking their heads at her good humoredly. "The pink one is quite troublesome is she not?" her father asked and Hinata laughed breathlessly. "Well, uncle I guess that's what you have to expect from the Hokage's apprentice, huh?" Neji chuckled and held a hand out to Hinata.

She grasped his hand with a grateful smile. "You held up well against her without use of gentle fist, I must say. Very impressive Hinata." Her father commended and Hinata smiled and bowed politely. "Thank you father." She said and Neji smirked. "So... you beat Naruto." Neji said and Hinata blushed. "I uh... I..." she stammered and her father chuckled. "You did well. For him to have taken out the akatsuki, you felled him fairly fast. I'm proud of your improvement." "T-thank you!" Hinata stammered and her father patted her on the head.

"I'd say our training for the day is done, you seem to be doing well enough without me." he said and Hinata's jaw slackened a bit. "You should practice more with the sword. You will need it in the war." He added and she nodded. "Y-yes sir!" she exclaimed and Neji smiled at her. "Well done, Hinata-sama." He said and she grinned. They waved her off as they walked away. She sighed and flopped back down on the ground. "I need a bit of rest." She sighed with a pout.

Hinata stared up at the sky until something blocked her sight of the puffy white clouds overhead. She blinked a few times until a familiar face faded into view. "Ino-chan?" she asked and the blonde grinned. "You haven't caught the lazy disease have you? You have been hanging out with us more than normal after all." Ino giggled lightly and Hinata smiled. "N-no Ino-chan. I'm just a bit tired. I did just fight with Sakura-san after all. She k-knocked the breath right out of me." Hinata sighed and Ino snorted.

The blonde flipped her hair over her shoulder and offered a hand out to Hinata, who graciously took it. "So, Hina-chan where do you want to hang out until Shikamaru finishes his duties. He can help you train with blades if you ask." Ino offered, eyeing the elegant blade in Hinata's grip. "Oh um... no thanks, I'm going to learn it myself. I wouldn't want to bother anyone else." Hinata said waving her hands with a small smile.

Ino shrugged and smiled at her friend. They walked through the woods leading back into the village and through the new gates. They waved at everyone who was working and they waved back at the two teens. Ino bumped her hip against Hinata's and winked at her. "Hey, Hina-chan, so is the cute Uchiha Izanagi still asking you to marry him, ne?" the blonde gossiper asked and Hinata blushed.

"Uh... n-no, there is nothing I can do to save him." Hinata said and Ino pouted with a frown. "Ah, well that stinks. I'm sure you'll find someone perfect for you." Ino said with a wink. "Preferably Uchiha. That sexy mysteriousness they have is just... so alluring." Ino said and Hinata really wanted to roll her eyes. "The only way I could find an U-Uchiha, would be in the past. I would prefer to stay where I am..." Hinata sighed and Ino snorted. "Doubtful! There's Sasuke!" Ino laughed.

Ino glanced at her dark haired friend and didn't miss the annoyed twitch of her brow in the slightest. "Come on Hinata-chan! You were the only one he would even willingly look at in our academy days, everyone was so jealous. If he ever comes back you could give him a go." Ino stated with a certain glint in her eyes that meant she wasn't going to let it go. Hinata sighed and crossed her arms over her chest with a hmph.

"Oh, are you giving me attitude? Is the little outgoing you in your mind getting let out?" Ino laughed and Hinata pouted. "Ino-chan..." she whined and Ino sighed. "Yeah yeah yeah... I know, Sasuke betrayed us and is in a whole heap of trouble because of it, and if you associate with him you will be too." Ino pouted but nudged her friend with her shoulder. "So... what about Naruto? That ever go anywhere?" she asked and Hinata shook her head.

"No, I still adore him though. He's my best friend." Hinata said and Ino huffed. "What about me? and... uh dog breath and bug boy?" Ino asked and Hinata glanced at her with a slight annoyance but the taunting look on Ino's face made the darker haired girl sigh. "You're all my best friends. There is no ranking." Hinata said with a smile and Ino scoffed. "But... if you ever had to choose one person to take into the past with you, who would it be?" Ino whispered and Hinata giggled.

"You, of course! Kiba would miss the amount of dogs and Inuzuka running rampant, Shino would miss the familiarity, and Naruto would probably lose his mind." Hinata giggled and Ino grinned. "Well why would I fit in so well in the past anywhere?" Ino asked and Hinata blushed a bit. "The guys in the past..." she whispered and Ino grinned wickedly. "I figured. And you'd miss me if you ever found you a sexy Uchiha to go gallivanting around with in the past and wanted to gossip." Ino laughed with a wink and Hinata huffed lightly.

"Says you..."she muttered softly. Ino blinked in confusion as the blade in Hinata's grasp began humming in excitement. "Whoa... what's your blade so worked up about?" Ino asked and Hinata blushed with a slight pout. "I-I think you just stroked his Uchiha ego a bit more than it needed to be..." she whispered and pulled the blade up in front of her and unsheathed it.

Ino grinned at the man sitting cross legged in the blade. The cocky, humored smirk on his lips extremely noticeable from the distance Ino was at, even with his head propped on his elbow which rested on his knee. "I see, well. Typical Uchiha." Ino said with a slight smirk. Hinata sheathed Tsubaki and looked at Ino. "Hm?" Hinata made a noise of confusion at her friend.

"Haha... cocky and good looking. Sucks he's trying to wage war on us huh?" Ino sighed and the sword rumbled impatiently. Ino frowned at the blade but Hinata ignored it and attached the blade to her hips. "Ah and as usual the hopeless romantics are travelling in a pack once more." Neji chuckled and the two girls frowned at him and Shikamaru. Ino rolled her eyes and prodded Shikamaru with a finger in his chest while nagging at him in her high pitched voice which Hinata droned out.

"Neji-nii, father let you leave early?" she asked and he nodded. "He asked me to meet up with you and get you some dinner wherever you feel like it." he said and Hinata smiled. Ino raised a brow and latched onto Neji's forearm and batted her eyes flirtingly at him. "Neji-kun, may I tag along?" she asked with a pout and Neji rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Yeah, sure." He sighed and Ino hugged him.

"Yay! Thank you!" she cheered and the two males sighed. "I guess you would like to sit at a different table than us huh?" Shikamaru asked and Ino shook her head. "Nah! No gossip tonight!" she laughed and they sighed in relief. Neji smiled and ruffled Hinata's hair. "Neji-nii!" she whined and he smirked at her as he and Shikamaru walked ahead of them. She knew Neji secretly liked the attention he got from Ino, seeing as she was a pretty young woman. She knew he loved Tenten, but Tenten was boyish and didn't give him that type of attention. Neji would never leave Tenten for Ino, but... it did something for Neji's ego she guessed.

She and Ino exchanged smiles as they rushed to catch up to the two in front of them.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Sakura stood in Tsunade's makeshift office with a worried look on her face. "But what if there is something we don't know about her? Like secret abilities or something? I hadn't meant to hit her that hard, but I felt her collar bone shatter. Then she just stood up like nothing had even happened." Sakura said and Tsunade frowned. "Why would it be so bad if Hinata could heal herself?" Tsunade asked with her fingers crossed in front of her face.

"Sakura, I understand you have a bit of a worry, but Hinata is a wonderful and sweet young woman, I highly doubt she would hide something from her family and the Hokage. Especially something as important as what you say you saw." Shizune said with a frown and Sakura grit her teeth. "I saw it! The only person I have ever seen use it is Tsunade sama!" Sakura snapped and Shizune frowned.

"I will keep an eye on her, especially since she now has one of the lost blades. I'm sure it's just a side effect of bonding with the blade, Sakura." Tsunade said and Sakura grit her teeth. "You said it yourself Tsunade shishou... that blade belonged to Madara! What if he has a jutsu cast on the blade and its using Hinata... what if it's stealing her chakra to make itself stronger?" she asked and Tsunade frowned.

"So far the only thing that I've seen is that it has given Hinata more strength. I'm sure you're just worrying over nothing Sakura. I promise I will watch after her when I can. If I find anything out I will let you know." Tsunade said and Sakura nodded. "I understand you're worries, but you need to be getting prepared for the war... we do have to be as prepared as we can be." Tsunade said and Sakura nodded.

Sakura left the room and Tsunade sighed. "Shizune, you remember what confidential information I told you about Hinata, correct?" Tsunade asked when she no longer felt Sakura's chakra within the building. Shizune nodded and a look of realization crossed her face. "I get it! So you think the blade may be giving her chakra that has certain abilities etched into the existence of that chakra!" Shizune whispered excitedly and Tsunade nodded.

"Exactly. I'm not sure what the abilities are, but if Hinata can use them... then somewhere down the line someone with a similar chakra system to Hinata was able to use them. They might not work as well with Hinata's chakra because she doesn't have that particular chakra pattern. But... I believe the blade is going to make her stronger." Tsunade said and Shizune nodded. "I think it will as well. But what if we are wrong and it's only making itself stronger?" Shizune asked and Tsunade sighed.

"Then we will cross the bridge when we get to it now won't we?" Tsunade sighed and reached around under her desk for the bottle of sake that she had hidden while Sakura and Hinata's father had randomly decided to visit. She sighed and uncorked it once more. "What am I going to do with myself Shizune... I really don't want to be in yet another war... the bloodshed is just... haunting. You never get over it..." Tsunade said with a saddened look.

"The sheer amount of people lost... not in this upcoming war... but every war before it and the causes of them... my grandfather... Jiraiya... Dan... everyone I have ever cared about. What if I lose Naruto... what if I lose Sakura? What if I lose you again?" Tsunade asked, her voice trembling as tears streaked over her cheeks from her haunted eyes. "I don't want to lose anyone else... I'm so tired of losing everyone... all those I grew up with, who I taught... I don't want to lose them..." Tsunade managed with a choked sob as she gripped the bottle of sake in her grasp.

Her shoulders shook and Shizune crouched beside the blonde woman and patted her knee comfortingly with a hand on Tsunade's forearm. "Tsu-chan... we will win. We just have to have trust in our friends. Now chin up, you're upsetting me and Ton ton." Shizune said with a distinct wavering in her voice. Tsunade wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands and downed a gulp of her sake.

"Yeah... I can't just get all mopey." She laughed and rubbed her eyes some more. "You would probably make Naruto cry." Shizune said as she rubbed her own eyes. "Even worse, if Orochimaru had seen me all bent out of shape like that he may as well have broken down as well." Tsunade laughed brokenly. "Yeah... I can't quite picture him crying, but I think it would make our situation worse." Shizune laughed and Ton ton snorted as she rubbed up against Tsunade's leg comfortingly.

"Well! You still have paperwork to do before we can all go defend our pride! Get to work!" Shizune said with a small smile as Tsunade groaned. "You would..." she grumbled...