The Veil Of Time

Ch 5: Lost and Found

Hinata rubbed her eyes in her embarrassment. She couldn't possibly have told him the real truth behind her not wanting to stay. Especially since his voice alone sent shivers down her spine; not to mention the fact the pictures did him absolutely no justice. Hinata saw a flicker of his face in her mind. "Yeah… the pictures make him look bad… and that is saying something…" she said, pink tinting her cheeks as she continued to write. She had begun rewriting what Tsunade's files had said. First-hand experience was much better than what rumors had told. From what she had read of Izuna, he had been a serious young man. Hinata laughed to herself despite her blush. That was nowhere near true from what she had seen.

The more she thought about why she couldn't stay with the Uchiha, the more she realized it was more so because she was too nervous to be around Madara because of her reactions to the simplest things he says or does… Well… there was also the fact that Butsuma tried to kill her after she left their compound. She couldn't forget about that one, he would most likely try and capture her again if he caught her leaving their compound again, but… he could also catch her here and no one would know…

Her thoughts flickered back to the Uchiha and she sighed, Madara seemed to want her to stay at the compound with them, possibly due to the threats that lingered over her head all the time now. She frowned slightly when she thought that over, but a small smile crossed her lips as she thought about how they treated one another. The Uchiha were nothing like the ones she had seen in her own time. Fugaku and Mikoto had been somewhat cold, but somewhat kind all the same.

Hinata knew that she was just being hopeful, but maybe the future Uchiha could be more like this family she had spent time around. They were all happy, despite the dangers lurking around every corner for them. No matter how much she tried, the idea of Sasuke and Itachi having a friendly competition eluded her. She sighed as she wondered how things were fairing in her time. She desperately hoped that Tsunade and the others were ok. She finished writing and closed the book with a sigh.

She stood, stretched, took one last look at the small grove of trees she had sought rest under, and smiled. It was a very calm day to say in the least, the sun was shining and a gentle breeze blew through the trees. Hinata stretched her arms out in front of her, and after a few resounding cracks, she made her way to the civilian village. She dropped her things off in the inn and they all greeted her as she left. She had dropped her armor off along with her duffle bag filled with food, water filled containers, a tatami mat, a thick wool blanket, and clothing/ weapon repair kits.

She had wrapped her ankles up in gauze halfway to her knees along with her arms to her elbow much like Neji had always done; except her fingers were not wrapped up, and neither were her feet. She walked through the woods to gather herbs and things of that nature; poisonous herbs and medicinal ones alike. She could share her medical knowledge with the people of this time, if anything. She had stopped to gather a patch of poisonous berries when a light thunk on the tree behind her caught her attention. She said nothing, but activated Byakugan all the same. "You do know you cannot eat those, right?" a deep, humored voice asked and Hinata placed the berries in a small glass jar she had carried with her. Her fingers trembled lightly in her fear, but she grasped the jar stiffly.

"Tobirama Senju… of what do I owe the pleasure?" Hinata asked softly, without turning around; she refused to let her fear show. "I saw you come into the Senju forest… thought I would say hi…" he said and Hinata sighed and stopped picking the berries. "Are you sure you weren't just hunting me down using your sensory skills?" Hinata asked forcing a façade of bravery, even if only for a moment, and he hesitated. "Ok… so you caught me. But may I ask, what are you doing out here? You've really made my father mad. If he catches you out here…" he droned off.

Hinata looked behind her, not expecting him to be hovering right over her. Her jaw became slack and a deep blush coated her cheeks as her hands began to shake and she stood and made a gap between them; confusing Tobirama. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked and Hinata shook her head rapidly. "No no no… it's just… I just… have personal space issues when it comes to guys…" she said hesitantly and he chuckled and jumped up to a tree branch above her. "So you are the shy type? Then why come out here alone, lady Hyuuga? Don't you need a body guard or something? Women love bodyguards or something… they always have one." He muttered; she caught the slight disgust when he mentioned women needing bodyguards.