Suigetsu didn't know what to make of this woman.
He had heard rumors—how could he not? Her appearances in Otogakure and dealings with Orochimaru had given her a certain mystique. Karin wouldn't talk much about her, but what little she let slip only deepened his curiosity. A woman who could track someone across distances that defied logic. Who rode Kuro, a beast faster than most summons, and maintained two shadow clones for hours without signs of fatigue.
When night fell, Hinata dismounted from Kuro with graceful ease. Suigetsu and Karin stepped down from the clones with more effort. Kuro let out a dramatic sigh and dropped to the ground.
"Phew! I'm exhausted," she said in a childish voice.
To Suigetsu's surprise, the snake coiled around Hinata unfurled, growing larger, her form gliding toward Kuro. She examined the beast, then cast a green-glowing jutsu from her tail, massaging Kuro's limbs and muscles gently.
"Eat well and ressst, you'll be fine tomorrow. I'll make sssure of it."
Suigetsu broke the silence, trying to draw conversation from the enigma beside him. "Your companions are pretty unique."
Hinata smiled, watching Mitsue tend to Kuro. "I've known Kuro since childhood. Mitsue joined us later, but she's irreplaceable now."
Noting the sword on her waist, Suigetsu tilted his head with curiosity. "I heard you're good with that. Interested in a little sparring?"
Hinata turned to look at him, her silver eyes glowing slightly.
Karin, munching on rations, scowled. "This really isn't the time to be playing games. We're still tracking Sasuke—and whatever got him, it wasn't trivial. We need to be in top shape."
Hinata smiled again, this time more mysteriously. "You're right, of course... but Suigetsu has the spirit of a swordsman. I can sense it. Just kenjutsu, nothing more. I have training blades just in case. If anything happens, Mitsue can handle it."
Their sparring didn't go the way Suigetsu had anticipated. She was graceful and overwhelming, powerful beyond her simple appearance—and clearly holding back. Sparring with her felt like fighting Sasuke with the Sharingan active. It was humbling, and revealing. Opportunities to test his sword against a sword master of this caliber excited him.
Two days later, they arrived at a cave nestled beneath the borderlands. Hinata led the way inside, triggering a few water-based Jutsu to disarm simple traps. The hideout appeared to be a forgotten refuge once used by Iwa-nin.
There, in a makeshift bed, they found Sasuke unconscious.
His recovery was swift thanks to Karin and Mitsue's coordinated care. As he stirred, Sasuke's eyes opened slowly.
"How long... have I been out?"
Karin answered quickly. "Kabuto estimated about a week and a half."
Sasuke's brows furrowed. "Too much time... and I still don't know why that masked man took me. But I know this—it was to force something from my brother."
Hinata nodded. "Then the plan still stands?"
Sasuke looked at her, silent for a moment, and then replied with steel in his tone. "Yes. It does. We need to find our last member—Jūgo. And we leave tomorrow morning."
<<<< o >>>>
That night, Hinata arrived in Yumegakure as she did every evening, her thoughts moving a mile a minute. The fact that Obito had taken Sasuke wasn't random—he had done so to pressure someone. If her suspicions were right, the person he sought to manipulate was Itachi, and the transaction had already occurred.
Her mind spun with questions, but she didn't hesitate. Upon arriving, she closed her eyes and extended her threads. Instantly, she found it—Itachi Uchiha, alone, meditating by one of the Silver Nodes near a great waterfall. The rhythm of the water seemed to echo his stillness.
Hinata, wearing the silver shimmer of the Silver Lady, walked quietly toward him. As she approached, Itachi opened his eyes slowly, already aware of her presence.
"You've come to ask what happened," he said without turning.
Hinata stood a few paces behind him. "Yes. I need to know why that masked man took Sasuke... and what he got from you in return."
Itachi's voice was calm, but there was a hint of weight behind his words. "I held something no one else knew about—a Mangekyō Sharingan… the eye of my best friend, Shisui. His power… was terrifying. It could rewrite a person's beliefs, reshape their will—subtly, completely."
Hinata remained quiet, her expression unreadable.
"Madara—he knew. Somehow, he knew. He took Sasuke not to harm him, but to corner me. And he succeeded. I couldn't risk my brother's life… so I gave him the eye."
Hinata stepped closer, her presence steady and luminous. "Everything is already in motion, Itachi. You will meet your brother—just as you wished. And when that moment comes, the plan we're crafting will ensure he returns to Konoha… not as a traitor, but as a hero."
Itachi closed his eyes again. For a brief second, his face betrayed a flicker of peace.
"Then I will wait," he murmured. "Until that time comes."
<<<< o >>>>
After her frustrating meeting with Itachi, Hinata made her way to the Crystal Tower without delay. There, already gathered, were her father Takama, Michel, Mitsue, Kuro, and Kaito—all seated in the central chamber of the Silver World's mindscape, where the plan could be discussed in full.
"I know it's unusual for me to summon you all at once," Hinata began, her tone firm but burdened. "But I've found evidence that Obito possesses information he should never have had access to. Worse still, he obtained Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan—the one containing Kotoamatsukami. And the way he acquired it is even more troubling. He abducted Sasuke and imprisoned him in Kamui's dimension, using him as a bargaining chip to force Itachi to hand over the eye. Faced with no other choice, Itachi gave in to protect his brother. That's the level of threat and manipulation we're dealing with now."
The weight of her words silenced the room. Everyone's expressions shifted to shades of worry and confusion.
Kaito broke the silence first. "How likely is it that Ren was the leak?"
Michel shook his head. "Unlikely. Ren doesn't fully remember the complete sequence of events. He knows fragments but not enough to explain how Obito would know about that specific eye."
Kuro, squinting in frustration, interjected. "I still don't get why this eye is such a big deal. I mean, yeah, it can control people, but doesn't it only work once every ten years or something?"
Mitsue folded her arms, her tail twitching. "That's true if the eye is used through Itachi crow. But Obito has Hashirama's cells. He can use his Mangekyō powers repeatedly without going blind. With that regenerative capacity, I suspect he can activate Kotoamatsukami more often than once a decade."
Takama's face darkened. "No one here is doubting the technique's power. A Genjutsu that alters your will without you realizing it is terrifying. But the real issue is how Obito knew about the eye in the first place. And what else he knows."
"I agree," Hinata said, stepping forward. "Which is why I propose accelerating the plan. I will go to Amegakure under the guise of the Silver Lady. There, I'll attempt to infiltrate Akatsuki, or at least reach Black Zetsu to attempt a negotiation... in secret."
Kaito leaned forward, his voice sharpened with worry. "Hinata... I know you can handle dangerous missions. But if you're right—and if Shikashi is involved—this could be far worse than anything we've planned for."
Hinata gave him a gentle look. "Then it's fortunate that my knight doesn't have to remain behind. You were there in the Takigakure incident, weren't you?"
The room fell silent again. There was nothing more to say—only action to be taken.
Soon, she would stand in the heart of Amegakure, and whatever awaited her there would shift the tides of their story once again.
<<<< o >>>>
In the shadowed outskirts of Otogakure, within the depths of a forgotten underground grove where natural chakra flowed freely, Kabuto sat cross-legged atop a raised stone, lost in focused meditation. Senjutsu markings danced faintly across his skin, flickering with unstable light as he tried to align himself with nature's rhythm. The silence of the cavern was absolute—until it wasn't.
A ripple of distortion pulsed through the air.
Kabuto's eyes snapped open.
"I was wondering when the shadows would come for me," he muttered, his voice smooth and composed as he reached for a kunai.
Obito Uchiha stepped into the dim torchlight, his orange mask gleaming faintly, followed by the fluid silhouette of Black Zetsu.
"You're difficult to find when you crawl so deep into the earth," Obito said calmly, his voice neither amused nor hostile.
"I prefer to be left alone when I pursue power," Kabuto replied.
With a flick of his wrist, Kabuto threw the kunai. It passed through Obito harmlessly—his body phasing as expected. But Kabuto didn't stop there. He was already behind Obito, his hands glowing with green chakra scalpels aimed precisely for Obito's spine.
In a blur, Obito twisted, allowing the attack to slice through air—and nothing more. He vanished into his Kamui phase and reappeared a meter away, now holding a chained kunai in hand.
"You've more skillful than expected, good," Obito noted, casually.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Kabuto answered, narrowing his eyes.
They clashed again—steel meeting steel, brief bursts of movement echoing against the cave walls. Kabuto darted low, trying to disrupt Obito's footwork, but Obito countered with a swift feint and vanished just before a devastating counterstrike.
Zetsu chuckled from the sidelines. "This could go on for hours. Shall we skip to the part where you listen to what he has to offer?"
Obito nodded. "I didn't come to fight you, Kabuto. But I did come prepared."
Before Kabuto could respond, Obito's second eye glowed—revealing a fully awakened Sharingan. The Mangekyō spun, dark and mesmerizing. In the next instant, Kabuto's movements faltered.
"What... is this—" he stammered, stumbling to one knee.
"Kotoamatsukami," Obito said, stepping forward. "The power to ensure that our interests are aligned"
The Senjutsu markings faded from Kabuto's skin as his breathing steadied. His eyes shifted slightly, and when he stood again, there was no sign of resistance—only calm.
"I understand," Kabuto said, his voice level. "You have a plan. And I am a part of it."
Obito turned to Zetsu, satisfied.
"Things will unfold in Amegakure soon. Stay close."
Zetsu nodded once. "I'll wait in the rain."
With a shimmer of Kamui space distortion, Obito and Kabuto vanished, leaving the underground chamber as silent as it had been before—yet forever changed.