Chapter 19

In the middle of the night, a few days later, the ground shook like it had the day the front gate had been bombed. Everyone woke up in a panic because the rumbles were much louder than before.

We each climbed under our beds in case the ceiling caved in; that's how strong it was. Like last time, sirens started sounding from far away and steadily became louder. No one dared speak as we waited for something to happen.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I held my pillow over my head. If the ceiling caved in, I wanted a bit more cushioning over it to prevent injury. When the sirens stopped hours later, it was past time for us to start breakfast. Kabuto hadn't come downstairs, so we stayed under the beds for a bit longer.

My stress levels were too high to fall back asleep, so I simply joined the circle Group B had started forming once we'd silently agreed it was safe enough to come out. Kiba ran a shaky hand through his messy brown hair with a serious look on his face, "What do you think that was?"

Ino glanced at me, and I nodded covertly to her silent question of if I knew something about this. After a while, she, Sakura, and I slipped away into the bathroom so I could tell them what I had learned from Madara weeks ago.

A wave of curious emotion rolled through me for a moment, and my eyes rose in response, but it disappeared as quickly as it'd arrived. After shaking my head at the odd sensation, I spoke quietly as we crouched in the back corner of the shower area, "Last time, it was everyone's parents trying to break us out." Their eyes widened in unison.

"What caused the shaking, though?" I frowned at the pink-haired girl's question, hesitant to explain but deciding to be honest since they'd already proven their trustworthiness.

"When your parents found out about your sister, Sakura, they rallied others and blew the front gate up, but the cops stopped them before they could do anything else."

Ino gasped, "Where did they even get a bomb?"

I shrugged.

"How is it you know all this?" We all three turned to see Hidan, Kisame, and a few other members of Group A blocking the exit. The former didn't have his usual confident grin and glared at me suspiciously instead.

I rose to my feet, paling, "I-I overheard Madara talking to Masumi." Inwardly, I was impressed by my own quick thinking, but the new arrivals didn't seem convinced.

"When would you have been close enough to hear something like that? And why wouldn't anyone else have heard as well? You had to have been alone with one of them."

My two friends seemed too shocked to come up with responses, but I tried to calmly resolve the situation again, "I'm not lying! I heard them talking a few days after it happened!" I wordlessly tried to plead with Hidan as he stared down at me, hoping that sleeping next to me for nearly two months had created some type of bond, enough so that he'd give me a chance. It was all in vain, though, as he suddenly looked angry.

Luckily, the sound of the door upstairs opening distracted us all, and we wordlessly headed out to the dining area to see all of the instructors coming down, Kabuto and Masumi included. They waited for us to quiet down before Madara calmly said, "I'm sure you're all wondering about what happened this morning, so we're here to explain."

He paused as he regarded the room before continuing with a serious expression, "There was an attack made on this facility by an unknown group, both last time and today. As a result, it's become clear that relocation is our only option."

A few whispers floated around the room, but he ignored them, "Two days from now, we will be moving to a secondary facility at nighttime to avoid putting any of you at risk of being injured."

Anger boiled in my blood. He really meant that he'll be sneaking us out, so the parents wouldn't know where their children were being held. "In the meantime, training will continue tomorrow as planned. The rest of the day is yours."

Orochimaru surprised us all by stepping forward, "I need the following participants to follow me: Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, Deidara Bakudan, Hidan Fumetsu, Gaara Subaku, and Kisame Hoshigaki."

Gingerly, Sakura, and I stepped forward together. Whatever the doctor wanted with us couldn't be good. Murmurs started floating about the room once more as the instructors led our small group upstairs. The sound was cut off in a snap when the thick door slammed behind us. Panic rose in my chest as we walked out of the basement, through the house, and outside. A handful of armed men were waiting for us there.

Sakura's hand suddenly grasped onto mine and squeezed it unconsciously. The gate was once again destroyed, but other parts of the extensive security wall surrounding the house were also damaged. The bombers obviously brought more explosives this time around.

Kiba spoke up despite everyone's confusion and fear, "Where are you taking us?" I turned in time to see Kabuto shove him forward as we started moving again.

Madara spoke calmly," Do as you're told, and none of you will be harmed. Now, get in." A large windowless van waited before us in the driveway, and we got in quietly, too afraid of the weapons the men leading us were carrying to argue.

The door shut behind us, and it was too late when I realized that the back area we were seated in was sealed off from the front. A pink-ish colored gas floated in through the air vents, and I felt myself struggling to stay awake. Sakura's hand went limp in mine just as I lost the battle.

When I awoke, I was back in the office Madara had taken me to when his nephew had inspected my eyes. The man was standing against the wall with his arms crossed and a glare on his face. I attempted to reach up and rub the sleep from my eyes but couldn't. When I looked down, I realized my wrists were tied down to the arms of the chair with a thick leather cloth. Immediately, my heart started pounding rapidly in my ears as I glanced around the room for an escape.

Madara spoke and interrupted my panic attack, "I'd intended for this step in your training to wait another few weeks, but it can't be helped. Those annoying parents are forcing my hand."

The door opened, and Orochimaru came in, dressed in surgical clothing with a medical mask and gloves on and everything. I tugged at my binds harder, "N-No, please, Madara!"

His frown tilted into a slightly amused grin, "Where's the ferocity you had when you confronted Masumi and me?"

My teeth gritted as tears began to slide down my cheeks. If I'd known just how dangerous a man he was, I wouldn't have acted so brashly back then. At that point, I thought he was just an ordinary man who wasn't capable of the atrocities he had committed. Obito followed the doctor into the room, dressed similarly.

"Relax, my dear. It'll only hurt worse if you struggle." My eyes landed on Orochimaru's yellow eyes as he adjusted my chair so I was lying almost entirely flat.

When he leaned over to, I assume, start whatever terrible act he intended to perform, I reared my leg back and kicked him in the chest as hard as I could. He was pushed several feet back where his back hit a cart containing surgical tools, causing them to crash onto the floor. The man looked enraged when he met my eye again, but Madara laughed, "Ah, there it is!"

I bristled as the doctor dusted himself off and turned to face me, ready to kick him again once he got close enough, but I gasped when a sharp pain rose from my thigh. I looked over to see Obito avoiding my gaze as he stabbed a syringe into my skin and pushed the top down until whatever substance it held was emptied entirely into my body.

My limbs immediately started to feel heavier and heavier until I could no longer move them at all. I couldn't even turn my head, lift a finger, or speak. I could only cry as the doctor approached and motioned for Obito to assist him by holding one of my eyes open. My chest heaved as my breath quickened in panic, but I could do nothing.

An oddly shaped tool was clamped over my eye, holding my eyelids back so his assistant wouldn't have to anymore. "Hold it steady, Obito. If anything's even slightly off, this'll all be for nothing."

I looked around frantically as the young man held the tool slightly to the side so the doctor could point a syringe directly in front of my eye. I realized what he was about to do, and a sound of angst rumbled through my chest.

"If you don't want to permanently lose your eyesight, I suggest you look directly at me and stay still." Terror had me following his orders.

I'm sure my unclamped eye was nearly as wide as the one being held open; I was so scared. The needle neared in a torturously slow manner until it finally pierced my pupil. My body jolted in response to the pain, and a scream started erupting from me. I couldn't stop it as the needle pressed further in.

"Okay, you're doing great, Hinata! Keep it up!" The doctor offered me words of encouragement, but they were lost in my deliria.

A sharp pain, like electricity, started shooting through my head and face, erupting from the needle as he injected whatever was inside directly into my eye. Sweat dripped from my skin freely, mixing with the tears. I've never felt pain like this in my life. My mind felt ready to fall apart rather than continue experiencing it, but I wasn't passing out for some reason.

After another few moments, the needle was slowly pulled out, and the doctor took a step back. I couldn't see out of the eye as it was undoubtedly bleeding. Madara was nearby, watching everything that happened, "When will the effects start to show?"

"She'll be blind for at least a day, but once her vision returns, we should almost immediately notice a change."

The Uchiha looked down at me with an unreadable expression before nodding and stepping back, "Understood. Continue with the other eye."

My abused eye squeezed closed once the clamp was removed. My vision didn't return even after I blinked a few times. I could feel blood dripping down my cheek, which did nothing to calm me. The fact that Orochimaru said my vision would return didn't even help.

My other eye was soon clamped open, and the process was repeated. By the time they were done with me, I felt incredibly unstable.

I was left sitting blindly in the chair for hours while the paralyzing agent wore off, and they apparently moved on to the next person. Flashes of worry and anger shot through me throughout the day, and I wondered what was causing them. By the time I realized the emotion wasn't naturally occurring, it'd fade, and I'd be left wondering if I'd actually felt it at all. Was it a side effect of one of the drugs they'd given me?

Obito had wrapped some type of cloth over my eyes, assuring me quietly that it was best to keep them closed while they healed.

Oddly enough, the pain was bearable. Sometime throughout the day, someone came and fed me in silence before leaving me alone again.

Finally, my limbs felt back to normal, and I heard the door to my room open again. Madara's voice met my ears while I felt the binds on my wrists being loosened one at a time. I wanted to cry, but it made the pain in my eyes worsen, so I tried not to.

"Time to go, Dear."

Bile rose in my throat at his pet name, but I kept my mouth closed as he grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet. There's no way for me to defend myself or escape when my sight is gone like this. I don't have any choice but to rely on him to get me back safely.

My hands shook in his larger ones, and I could practically hear his smile.

He moved behind me and put his hands on my shoulders like last time when I was blindfolded before leading me out of the room. We walked briefly before stepping outside, where I heard a few gasps.

"Hinata!" It was Sakura. She sounded weak, like she'd been going through something strenuous.

My hands twitched, and I hesitantly lifted them in search of her. After a moment, I felt hers meet mine, and tears rose in my eyes in relief that we'd met again. The salt in them burnt my injured irises, and I bit back a cry of pain at the sensation. Madara let go of my shoulders since he no longer needed to guide me.

I turned my head slightly when I heard my friend gasp again, "S-Sasuke!" One of her hands left mine, and I sensed her reach for, I assume, the young man in question.

I blindly grasped onto the hand I was holding with both of mine, "Is he okay? What happened?"

She hesitated before pulling her hand from mine and guiding my hands to her shoulder so I wouldn't lose her. I could feel her move to face away from me as she did something, "H-his eyes are covered like yours."

I could feel her nervously trembling as she slowly moved, and when I heard the door of the van open, I realized she must be helping the Uchiha boy into it because he, too, couldn't see. He didn't speak, so I couldn't tell exactly where he was. After we were all back in the van, we were knocked out with another anesthetic dose.

I had no idea where I was when I came to, and it terrified me. I was lying on what felt like my bed downstairs, but I wasn't sure since I couldn't see. Something wet gently brushed against my cheek, and I jumped. My hands shot up to push whoever or whatever it was away, only for my wrists to be enveloped by someone's hands. It felt like two different people's hands because one was larger. I tried not to cry again but couldn't help it, and a sharp sting shot through my eyes like a bullet.

"Stop, Hinata! You're bleeding again." It was Naruto's voice.

I stopped fighting, and my wrists were released. Matsuri's voice came from my other side, making me jump slightly in shock, "Can we remove your bandages?" I was helped to sit up and felt one of them unwrap whatever had been used to cover my eyes.

Another wave of a foreign concern washed over me for just a millisecond, making my eyebrows furrow. Naruto's voice was softer when he said, "What did they do to you?"

With nothing holding my lids down, I forgot about my situation momentarily and opened my eyes to try and look at his face. They both gasped, but I couldn't see a thing. My hands searched blindly until I felt him grasp them. Having a hold of someone helped ground me and made me feel less terrified.

"Is it bad?"

Naruto hesitated to answer, which made me uncomfortable.

My head turned slightly when Matsuri spoke instead, "Your eyes! They're-" She trailed off, and I desperately tried to see so I could study her expression, but my vision remained black as night.

Someone gasped further away, and I sensed their turn to look at whoever it was.

"Hinata! Your pupils are gone!" It was Tenten. She'd spoken so shocked that the rest of the room quieted down to, I assume, look in our direction.

My heartbeat picked up, and I pulled one of my hands from Naruto's to touch the skin beneath my eye. It felt dirty, most likely with dried blood and tears.

"G-Gone? What do you mean gone!"