The first thing I felt was the tight bandages wrapped around my shoulder. I tired to flex my hand, but it felt weak and sent a slight jolt through my shoulder. Damn, I knew taking a chidori to the shoulder would hurt, but this is much worse than I expected. I groaned at the slight discomfort of moving around. I opened my eyes and there was someone hovering over me, I readied myself to attack, but when my vision cleared, it was just Inari with a cheery smile on his face.

"You're awake! I thought you were going to break our promise." He said, hugging me tightly. I gently combed through his hair, humming in affirmation.

"Hey, I promised, and I wasn't going to break my promise so soon." I said, my voice slightly cracking and weak from lack of use. Inari melted more into my touch, his big round eyes meeting mine. I smiled brightly in return. "Where is everyone else. I need to talk to them." Inari jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, calling over his shoulder that he was going to get everyone else. In a minute, the door was busted down and in came my teammates, Tazuna, Tsunami, and Zabuza.

"Hinata, you're awake, you scared me so bad dattebayo!" Naruto yelled as he rushed to hug me. I prepared for the impact, but midair in his attack, Kakashi snatched him by the back of his shirt, a heavy sigh audible to all of us.

"Don't attack the injured girl." I giggled at Naruto's face, he moped like a puppy. I took one more look around and noticed Haku was missing. I looked to the tied up Zabuza, Haku should be with him.

"Guys, where is Haku, I wanted to talk to him." I watched as everyone began to shift uncomfortably and their faces looked crestfallen, Zabuza especially. "Guys?" I asked a bit more hesitant. If what I'm thinking is right, I don't think I'll be alright.

"Haku is dead." Kakashi said straightforward, his voice seemed distant.

"W-what, no." I whispered. Naruto grabbed my hand tightly and let me squeeze it. Zabuza finally spoke up.

"He's dead and you and I need to talk." His voice was gruff but lacking the usual snideness, he was demanding, yet seemed confused. I nodded, still shocked about my failure of saving Haku. At least I saved one of the two, but hopefully the Demon Zabuza isn't going to go back to his evil ways.

"Yes, leave us please. We need some privacy."

"Freak, I'm not leaving you with a monster like him. He tried to kill all of us." Sasuke said, his voice was cold and demanding. It sent a shiver down my spine at the tone. Naruto and Kakashi agreed with Sasuke, but I was not in agreement with them.

"As much as I love that you care, this isn't your decision. Zabuza is chained up and I don't think he's going to kill me. Give us 5 minutes please." They all reluctantly agreed and left the room, leaving me face to face with Zabuza. We both looked a little worse for wear.

"Why the hell would you put your life on the line for us."

"I didn't want you to die." I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Clearly, brat. I want to know why you would do that for us. What happened between you and Haku that made him cry out when you ended up in front of him." I thought back to what happened to Haku and I. I unconsciously touched my lips, something Zabuza noticed. "That damn boy, right before he died, he finally kissed someone. I was expecting it to be some brat like Naruto." Zabuza's voice was amused and proud, but had a twinge of sadness in it.

"Heh, yeah, well he kissed me. I got in front of the attack to save you guys because I didn't think either of you deserved to die. Haku was a pure heart and from what Haku told me, the way you took him in makes me think you're not a demon like people say, and I know how the bloody mist operated. I thought if I could save you, you'd come home with me and I could show you guys a life you deserve. That's what I told Haku before he sacrificed himself. He said he wanted that, but I guess I can never give him it. Maybe I could still help you with that though, I think Haku would want you to be safe and happy." I said, I was rambling, but I didn't know how to fully explain how I don't think they should die. I didn't want to talk about Haku because I felt like a failure for my inability to save him.

"Dumb brat. I don't need your sympathy, I'm a demon of the mist." I glared at him. "But, even if your teammates are annoying, I can't help but to trust you. If Haku trusted you, then to honor him I will too. If your Hokage allows it, I will return with you as your protector. I want to atone for my sins I caused for Haku, and for me to possibly reunite with him in death. You are an annoying brat but you have balls and I like that. It's what Haku would want and I failed him in his life, I wont fail him in his death." I sat staring at him for eternity. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Zabuza would say that, or want to protect me.

Having Haku die, and the fast connection Haku and I made really helped something I guess. Even if I failed saving him, I can save his precious person. Zabuza wants to atone for his sins and live for Haku, if that means protecting me, I'm ok with that. Plus Zabuza is a badass and funny, so I would like to have him around. I finally collected my thoughts and a wide grin spread across my face. No matter how much it hurt, I reached out pulling the large man into a hug, much to his dismay. His twitch in annoyance and his inability to get me off made me laugh.

"You look stupid with that face brat. Get off of me." I laughed harder. Our five minutes must be up because everyone barged in the room, Zabuza was dragged away from my side, him not resisting in the slightest.

"Hinata, what the hell happened, why were you hugging eyebrow-less 'ttebayo?" Naruto questioned in Naruto fashion. I explained the conversation Zabuza and I had, leaving everyone in disbelief. Kakashi still seemed way out of it though, I expected him to put up a fight but he just went along with it. After some time convincing them, everyone agreed to allow Zabuza to come, if he agreed to go to TI and prove his loyalty. When that was done with, it was time for me to learn what happened on the bridge. I asked about it, and I noticed how all eyes drifted to Naru, who looked tense. I figured out something big happened revolving around Naruto, possibly 9 tails related, I need to know what.

"Hey Naru, mind telling me what happened." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and his looked a nervous wreck. I grabbed his hand and promised that he could tell me anything and I wouldn't judge him. Finally after a few minutes of him fidgeting and debating in his mind, he told me everything he could remember. He told me about the overwhelming anger he felt surge when he thought I died and how it didn't matter who was there, he wanted to take them all out.

He then broke down crying, telling me about how he killed all Gato's men on the bridge without a second thought. I know the guilt was eating him, his heart is too kind and pure for that kind of pain. Finally, he told me about how he could do it, he told me about the 9 tails being sealed inside of him. He asked if I thought he was a monster, but instead of shunning him like I knew he thought I would, I hugged him tightly letting him cry out his pain.

"Naru, you idiot, I would never hate you because you have the 9 tails inside of you. I love you too much for that. Who would my pranking buddy be? Neither you nor the beast inside of you are demons, and even if you were I'd love you all the same." Naruto stopped crying and finally hugged me tightly telling me how awesome I am, how awesome he is with his super powers and how it will help him beat Teme, and that he's glad we can still be best friends. I have two people down and two to go. Sasuke basically dragged Naruto out of the room, leaving it just the two of us. Before I could say anything, I was trapped by a shaking Sasuke. His chin was resting on top of my head, and I was held tightly in his embrace.

"Dammit Hinata, I almost lost you, I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't protect you. What would I do if you died, did you even think about that. Why would you be such a baka and try to protect them like that?" I just let Sasuke continue to rant and yell at me, his voice trembling in sadness, pain, and anger. His grip on me continuously tightened.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm still here. You're not going to lose me just yet." Sasuke finally cracked a slight smile, although it ended up looking more like a grimace. I turned myself around and tucked my head into his neck getting comfortable, letting him hold me like when we were little. I stayed with Sasuke as he mumbled insults to me and lightly rubbed my injured shoulder.

I should have been offended by how many names he came up for me, but in reality I knew it was his way of showing me his love. There was a knock on the door and Sasuke finally let me go, he planted a kiss on my forehead and said how Shisui is going to kill him for me getting injured. I laughed at the truth of the statement, although I'm going to die from him and others too, when they fins out what happened. I'm most scared to face Shikamaru, him angry is scarier than even my dad, his anger is just so cold and makes you feel so guilty.

Tsunami stuck her head in saying its dinner time. My stomach growled loudly in agreement. I hopped out of the bed and basically ran down the stairs into the kitchen. I sat in the seat next to Inari and grubbed down on the food, eating so fast I didn't even taste it. Noticeably, the only person missing from Dinner was Kakashi. Even Zabuza, who was being fed by tsunami much to my enjoyment, was there.

Kakashi seemed so off and I know its because of what happened. I can't believe I didn't think about how watching another one of his teammates be struck by his chidori would mess with his head. That's how Rin died, fuck. I'm such an insensitive idiot.

I got up from the table and turned on my Byakugan looking around for Kakashi. I went outside and saw him sitting in a tree, staring blankly at his hands. He's normally so alert; yet, he didn't seem to notice me climb up the tree until I was sitting right next to him. He looked at me, his eye was still glazed over and distant. I didn't like that look at all, it was the same one I had when my mom died.

I tried to shake Kakashi out of his whatever it was, but nothing I did got a reaction. I needed him to talk to me, so I placed my hands over his and started pushing my chakra into his hands, slightly shocking him. He jolted slightly and his eyes sharpened, slamming me into a wall with a kunai at my throat before he realized where he was. He released me from the hold and moved away, face as unreadable as always.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about how you would feel when you hit me." I said my head down, unable to look him in the eye. I was expecting a reply, but instead, I got hit extremely hard in the back of my head, then pulled into a crushing hug.

"You are an idiot. You're strong, but you're not invincible Hinata. You're still a kid, you can't just throw away your life like that."

"I wasn't trying to throw away my life, I just didn't know what to do. I just...moved. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to put you through that." I didn't have any of the right words, I didn't know what to say for the trauma I brought back for him.

"You almost died, I almost killed you, just like... I thought you died. I thought I killed you, I killed a comrade again. I'm supposed to protect you, yet I failed again." Kakashi's voice was quiet, I felt like I wasn't supposed to be here seeing someone so strong so vulnerable.

"Hey, I'm alive. I'm fine, you didn't kill me. I'm fine, look at me. It's nothing but a little scratch." Kakashi rolled his eyes, falling back into his old self when he realized I was talking to him like some kind of traumatized person. Which he was, but he's too much of a hardhead to do anything about it.

I cracked a smile at his annoyed face of me calling it a scratch. For a second he looked ready to push me out of the tree. After a few more minutes of me touching his hair, which is so soft by the way, I got him to talk to me about it. He told me a bit about Rin and how she died, then why it was so hard when I did the same thing she did. I'm an asshole, I probably should have done something else but I didn't. Good job.

I can't wait to see how the village acts when Zabuza arrives. He is going to clash so hard with my stoic family, and I cant wait. His vile mouth versus the proper Hyuuga clan. Maybe I can get him to scare Kiba for me, thats always fun.

In the morning, we packed up and got ready to leave. I didn't have to do any work, Zabuza was forced to do it all for me. He also had to carry all of my stuff on the way home. We said our goodbye's full of tears and started our journey home. The journey was long but fun, because on the walk home, I got to bug Zabuza. He does not like happy physical contact, Naruto's idiocy, and basically everything.

He aslo has a short fuse so I could aggravate him easily. Even better than irritating Zabuza was getting Zabuza to help me irritate Sasuke, my favorite pastime. Zabuza is 100 percent a dick and knows exactly which buttons to push to piss off people like Sasuke.

Sasuke lost his cool after Zabuza taunted him about his duckass hair and how his 'girlfriend' is stronger than him. Sasuke turned to attack, but before he could, I wrapped my good arm around him and jumped on his back sending him sprawling to the ground, much to Naruto's pleasure. Also watching Zabuza call Sasuke a shrimpy duckass made me so happy I couldn't even speak without laughing. Sasuke's glare didn't work either, Zabuza was way more frightening. Kakashi just stayed out of it, reading his porn the whole way.

We arrived through the front gate and Izumo and Kotetsu prepared to fight Zabuza when they realized who he was. Zabuza was amused by the whole situation and prepared for a fight with the little Chunin punks trying to take him down. Kakashi stopped them with a few words and we went to the Hokage office, not without getting the attention of almost all higher ranking ninja.

As soon as Zabuza entered after us, all of the ANBU came out of their corners, ready to strike Zabuza down. Zabuza took out his sword ready to fight, but the Hokage stopped his ANBU and I made Zabuza stop, he was pissed about it and mumbling profanities to me under his breath.

The Hokage was exerting a scary level of KI and looked very serious, but the amusement at how Zabuza 'listened' to me was apparent. We explained the whole situation, Zabuza was sent to TI, and we got our money.

I waited for Zabuza to get out of TI and when he was released and allowed as my protector, we went home together. Lets just say, bringing home a mass murder as my first guy home was quite a nasty shock to my dad. Zabuza was forced to fight with my father to see if he was worthy of being my protector, he passed, although his sadistic personality made my dad uneasy. Along with my other friends, they didn't like the idea of my already crazy and foul mouthed self hanging out with an even worse mouthed Zabuza.

I got the lecture of my life from each person I went to visit, they were not happy to hear about my almost suicide and my befriending a rogue. Dad decided to make me go to all of the clan meetings I hate, and I had to dress nice and presentable for them. He also grounded me and made me stay in my room for almost 2 days without anything, I couldn't even go to the bathroom.

Shikamaru was the worst though, I thought his cold, quiet seething was bad but when he heard what happened, he basically attempted to murder me, yelling about how troublesome I am and how I am the worst friend ever for leaving and almost dying. I should have been touched that he cared enough to exert energy and yell, but Shikamaru promised me the worst type of mental torture for my troublesomeness, even to go far enough to go ask Shisui for help. I know that he meant it too so I'm more worried abut the brainiac than anything.

Zabuza, my so called protector, just laughed when he found out why I was so jumpy over the next week. I was afraid of a lazy ass brat. I was out walking around since I can't train yet, and Shikamaru came up to me, catching my in his shadow. He really gave me the worst form of torture. With Shisui's help, they dressed me in some frilly, non-ninja appropriate attire.

Then they decided to parade me around the village. Zabuza was laughing so hard at me, I wanted to smash his face in. He was making fun of me for being such a cute little princess, any credit I built up with him was taken away. Shikamaru also took me to see Kiba, the one person I needed to avoid looking like this. I cant have my rival seeing me like this. He died laughing saying how I was finally becoming a real woman, and that he knew I had a fetish for doll dresses since the first time Shisui put me in one.

He took pictures and berated me, not even scared when I promised him pain in the worst kind of ways. I wanted to hit him, but I couldn't with Shikamaru in control of me. At least I got the final laugh when Zabuza showed up and scared Kiba shitless by threatening him with his big ass sword to Kiba's throat. The look of pure terror on his face when I told him Zabuza was my new friend and mentor made Kiba go ghostly pale. I'm going to destroy dog boy.

He also got more pissed when I told him we were on an A-rank mission, I not so subtly rubbed it in his face, cutting his ego down a bit.

Shino and Choji were the least surprised at my befriending Zabuza because they both decided that with Naruto and I on a team, things were bound to get weird. It's very true though. It's also very fun to walk around the village with Zabuza, he is on constant watch and probation, but people are still wary of him.

I know it's a sight to see me the small Hyuga princess walking around with a big scary looking guy like Zabuza. Espically when he doesn't wear a mask and smiles with his sharp teeth, people look ready to pee themselves which we both take great pleasure in. Sometimes I wish I could be scary like that.

Neji had the best reaction to Zabuza, the ever so proper and destiny prone boy and foul mouthed sadistic demon clashed in the best of ways. Neji did not like Zabuza in the least, and Zabuza did not like Neji. They clashed in words, Neji saying it's Zabuza's destiny to basically suck, and Zabuza telling him his destiny crap can suck his dick.

Lets just say it was one of the greatest meetings ever, no matter how hard I tried, I could not piss Neji off the way Zabuza could, he even went to calling him an "improper swine" to which Zabuza retaliated with barring his teeth and calling Neji a bitch boy who will never make it as a real ninja. Neji also felt like Zabuza stole his job, but I promised that he was my big brother, and Zabuza is just my mentor, my senpai of sorts. What a wonderful duo they will be.

After 2 weeks of being home, I was cleared to train. I trained a lot with Team 7, Kakashi upped our training by a lot most likely for preparation of the Chunin exams. Him and Zabuza took great pleasure in our horrible training, they incorporated bloody mist training, basically full out survival training, but we were only aloud to use taijutsu while they could use anything they wanted.

I train more than most, but Kakashi and Zabuza's form of training must have been from hell. Not only did we run until we puked, Kakashi and Zabuza would make us practice dodging by them attacking us in any ways necessary, for hours nonstop. You'll never know true fear until Zabuza and Kakashi roll in the mist and begin laughing.

They forbid my Byakugan and attacked us mercilessly. Naruto, Sasuke, and I ended every practice nursing out cuts and massive bruises while our psycho sensei's read their porn. Never in my wildest dreams did I think calm and cool Kakashi would befriend hot headed Zabuza, I guess a mutual like for scaring children and their love to spar with one another gave them a bond. The up side to our torture training was we got even better and Kakashi bought us ramen a lot, I think I was basically becoming ramen. When I wasn't training with Team 7, I trained by myself or with my dad.

Training with my dad was well worth it, I finally competed the 8 Trigrams and my dad was glowing like a proud pregnant lady when I did. He was even willing to buy me and Hanabi dango as a celebratory gift. I told Sasuke and he paled, making me promise not to use it on him. The 8 palms was enough.

There is also that little detail of how the fuck is the Chunin exams going to go down...I mean a bloodthirsty Gaara and a Snake man who could kill me with a flick of a finger, just fan-fucking-tastic.

I want to help Gaara, he's such a kind dude later on and he deserves so much more than the shitty life that was handed to him. I want to show him people care about him, and with the help of Naruto we can do that sooner rather than later. Living with no love and everyone being afraid is not easy and I want him to feel love without Shukaku messing with his mind and ruining it. Orochimaru, as much as most people don't agree, I don't hate him. I firmly believe he is a psychopath, but I don't think he is a monster.

The way people treated him and his curiosity made him the way he is, also the bastard Danzo had a big influence on him turning evil. I also relate to Orochimaru a lot because I understand his curiosity and strong desire to learn and perfect everything possible, I am the same way, his turned him to the evil side of it, but I think that someday I can change his mind and show him how being on the good side will end up better. I wont be on his side right now, he's a massive dick deserving an ass beating, but one day.

If it comes down to it, I will fight Orochimaru with all of my strength to protect Sasuke. Orochimaru likes power and if I give him something better to focus on, or at least die trying, I can hopefully stall long enough for help or something.

My biggest problem is Kabuto, I hate him with every fiber of my being. I want to punch his four eyes until he bleeds. He defiled the dead, created so much death and chaos during the war, he has to die before he can get to that level of power. Orochimaru experiments for knowledge, Kabuto does it for pleasure. Both are wrong but only one of them was the cause for thousands upon thousands of death during the war...at least in the original timeline. If Kabuto dies, perhaps the rise of Madara and Kaguya can be stopped entirely.

There are only three people I want to destroy in this world right now, Danzo is number 1, Zetsu is number 2, and Kabuto is number 3. I also don't know what to do about the invasion, I cant prevent it, but I don't know how to make the outcome better. I don't know if I can save Lord 3rd and be around to help Gaara, Naruto is strong, he can handle it with ease but Gaara needs to know he has friends. What if that changes things. Either way, I don't know what I can do to even make a change in anything on that aspect of it.

During our missions which were all D-rank, Naruto fucked up a lot, like a lot. We ended up completing over 300 by now, but not without bodily harm to our clone boy. He may be a super strong ninja, but he's a complete dumbass. He pulled out herbs instead of weeds, fell off a waterfall, and allowed one of Kakashi's biggest ninken to pull him into a minefield, leaving him incapable of walking without aid of Sasuke and I.

Of course, Sasuke took this time to taunt Naruto and piss him off. As much as I love them, they both annoyed me so much with the nonstop bickering, it wasn't even that friendly anymore. To make our teamwork go back on track, I got the help of Kakashi and Zabuza and locked them in a room together for a few days, until they worked out their issues.

They finally teamed up to attack us and get out when we told everyone else that they were on a date. I mean, they kissed so it wasn't that hard to make people believe it. I took great pleasure in making SasuNaru happen and Shisui liked it even more than I did. Zabuza even took to calling Sasuke the Uke just to make his edge lord self have some emotions. Thank god Zabuza was placed under jurisdiction of our team, he made it even more fun to irritate people. Oh, team bonding at its finest.

CHUNIN EXAMS ANYONE?