Chapter 41: Chapter 41: An old friend

Haku didn't look at Hinoka in the eyes as he said, "We should get out of here that jutsu won't last for forever."

Hinoka hesitated before exclaiming, "I can't leave yet! I need to help Sasuke!"

Haku suddenly kicked Jugo sending him flying back before kneeling in front of Hinoka gently lifting her hand off her wound before placing his. Ice suddenly started surrounding it stopping the bleeding as he said, "That should stop the bleeding for now, but you'll still need proper medical treatment. I'll take care of this 3 for now."

Hinoka was taken aback before saying, "Thank you." As she stood up slowly making her way towards Sasuke.

Haku grabbed needles as he blocked another attack from Jugo.

As Hinoka finally reached Sasuke she knelt down as she started healing him. Sasuke glared at her as he asked, "Why are you helping me?"

Hinoka hesitated before saying, "Cause no matter what I can't let you die. I mean I did say I'd be your most trusted partner. That you wouldn't have to worry about me betraying you. I'm sorry, for beating you up so badly I guess you could say I wanted you to see how powerful I am."

Sasuke looked at her surprised as he thought, "Just who are you?" before asking, "And yet I feel like my safety isn't your only goal. The hatred hidden deep in your eyes can't be of someone who doesn't want revenge."

Immense bloodlust released from Hinoka as she stared at Sasuke with a blank look as she said, "I never said helping you was my only goal. I want to kill Danzo Shimura. Not just kill him but torture him, I'll make him surfer to the point his begging for me to kill him. And eventually I'll kill him but only after my anger is satisfied. That... that is my goal."

Sasuke looked at Hinoka in fear when her bloodlust disappeared and she stopped healing him saying, "Well I've taken care of all the life-threatening injuries. So, I'll take my leave now since the others would try to kill me otherwise."

Sasuke sat up clenching his stomach still trying to figure out who she was when he noticed she was about to leave. He grabbed her hand as he exclaimed, "Wait!"

Hinoka turned back to him surprised as he let got off her hand. She kneeled down patting him on the head as she said, "Make sure you rest a lot your wounds need to heal. And if you ever need help just call; I'll help you cause no matter what I'll always be on your side."

At that moment Sasuke saw the image a 12-year-old Hinoka smiling, he hesitated as he said, "H-Hi-"

Hinoka suddenly started falling but before Sasuke could catch her Haku did.

Sasuke glared at Haku as he said, "Haku…"

"It's been a while, Sasuke; I'm guessing if I asked you to return to the village you'd refuse." Haku replied.

"Just who is she?"

"I don't know, I'm just following orders."

"Who's orders?"

"I can't tell you that you're a rogue shinobi."

Sasuke started getting angry as Haku continued, "You know Naruto and Sakura going to keep coming after you-"

"If they keep getting in my way then I'll kill them."

"Are you really capable of that?"

Sasuke didn't reply as Haku picked up Hinoka saying, "You should help your friends over there."

Sasuke looked ahead as he spotted Suigetsu on the floor paralyzed and Jugo in a block of Ice while Karin was knocked out. Before thinking, "He took them all out alone and without hurting any of them…"

He looked back at Haku only to see he was gone.

Haku carried Hinoka running as he thought, "She's lost a lot of blood and all most all her chakra… I need to find somewhere to treat her and quickly."

Two days had passed as Hinoka laid asleep in a forest, she abruptly sat up placing her hand on her face as she started panicking looking for her mask when she heard a voice, "Is this what you're looking for?"

She turned around seeing Haku holding her mask as she froze when he continued, "Lord Hiashi already told me. I was sent to retrieve you. Don't worry I was the only person he told."

Hinoka sighed before saying, "Do you hate me for making you all think I was dead?"

"No…"

"Then… why haven't you looked at me in the eyes once?"

Haku froze hearing the question before saying, "I failed…"

Hinoka sat up as she asked, "Failed?"

"To protect you, you became my new master and yet I wasn't any use to you. After you 'died' I easily became a genin on orders from Lord Hiashi, I didn't have any regard for my life I didn't care if I lived or died. Then I went on mission with Sakura, after I almost died, she realised I didn't care. She broke into tears scolding me as she said, "The only person that can kill you is Hinoka, so till then no matter what you can't die. After that I trained harder became a chunin then a Jonin I also ran personal missions for Lord Hiashi, I grew stronger. And then when he told me you were still alive. I didn't feel like I deserved to look at yo-"

Hinoka suddenly started laughing as she said, "You needed Sakura's help to remember? And I never thought that the person dad trusted the most wouldn't be a Hyuga."

Haku sat down next to Hinoka as he said, "I've told you what's been disturbing me so now it's your turn."

Hinoka froze her smile disappearing as she said, "So you noticed."

"I've seen you smile a lot, and this is the emptiest smile I've ever seen… What's wrong?"

"I'm scared… Do you know Orochimaru the snake sannin?"

"Yes, the one who trained Sasuke, right?"

"Yeah, I'm one of his experiments…" Haku looked at Hinoka surprised as she continued, "He was trying to create a dōjutsu like the byakugan and the sharingan. He was using babies as test subjects, and I was the only one that survived, one of the people working for him betrayed him and dropped me at the leaf village. Dad, Hiashi adopted me. And now I have these eyes that make the injuries gained in my genjutsu happen in real life but on a lower scale. But the longer I keep them activated the more I feel like I'm losing myself."

Hinoka ran her hand through her hair stopping halfway as she said, "I didn't plan on returning to the village till I killed Danzo but now I don't want to return to the village no matter what… I mean what if I lose control and kill somebody? This time when I lost consciousness I was standing on a lake of blood. The farther I ran the more I started seeing dead bodies. I have pieces of memories from when I fought Sasuke. The only thing going on in my head at that time was to kill any and everything in site. The fact I was able to move like that with such an injury. The speed, the strength I possessed then, it… it scares me, Haku what should I do?"

Haku looked at Hinoka who had a scared look on her face but was still smiling and her hands were trembling. He paused before saying, "My kekkei genkai… no... I… I killed my father and members of my village when I was younger and couldn't control my kekkei genkai… I still see their faces in my dreams."

Hinoka looked at Haku shocked as he continued, "I won't let you kill anybody you care about… I won't let you go through the same thing I did."

Hinoka paused before saying, "Thanks... Haku."

Unknown to Hinoka in her mindscape a frozen forest, a girl with long black hair and black eyes, Yukino hovered above a crystal-clear lake. Her hands chained to a tree branch.

She opened her eyes as a figure drenched in blood started walking towards her.

'Drip, drip, drip…' the blood from the person fell into the lake each step she took turned the lake redder and redder. Yukino glared at the person as she asked, "So who exactly are you and what was the purpose of chaining me here?"

The person didn't reply as they walked closer and closer to her. Before placing their hand on Yukino's cheek as they said, "I. You. Problem. Seal." Before walking back as the blood on the person's hand marked Yukino's face.

The chains suddenly came off as Yukino fell unto the lake. Yukino cracked her fingers and in a flash she was on the person's left about to kick them in the face when the lake suddenly opened under her foot. She fell as the person looked at her there face emotionless.