Chapter-109

Neji walked through the cold, somber, and long corridors of the Hyuga mansion at a slow pace, carrying a silver tray with a bowl of soup, some bread, and a glass of water. His walk ended when he reached a door.

"Hinata-sama... I'm going in."

He didn't wait for a response; he hasn't had to for months.

The room was completely white, immaculate to the point where not a single stain would be seen anywhere. The only burst of color in the room was the long, dark blue hair that fell like a waterfall down the back of the room's occupant. She wore a long snow-white nightgown, sitting in a chair in the corner, just looking at the wall.

"I brought your lunch, Hinata-sama." Neji carefully placed the tray on the nightstand, where another tray held a half-empty bowl of rice and some bread.

She had barely touched the dinner she had brought last night.

Hinata looked paler than she ever was, having lost a lot of weight, becoming thin and fragile. Dark circles under her eyes and a strangely calm expression portrayed her exhaustion.

"Hasn't he come back yet?"

Neji frowned.

Every day, it was the same question.

Isn't he back yet?

She refused to believe in the death of the person she loved most, having faith that one day he would pass through the village's great doors again, illuminating her life with that warm smile that always made her heart race.

"No…not yet." Neji couldn't help but watch as his cousin tightened her grip around his wrists, wrists wrapped in cloth with a complex seal preventing her from removing them.

And hurting herself.

When Neji was recovering in the hospital after a few days of the Uchiha rescue mission, he found out from the main branch's younger sister, Hanabi, about how Hinata was found in the bathtub of her bathroom, with deep cuts on her wrists.

She had tried to take her own life.

He couldn't blame his cousin for trying.

What did she have?

A father who treated her like trash and saw her as a burden.

An indifferent younger sister.

The weight of being just a bargaining chip when the time of her maturity arrives, facing an arranged marriage by the elders of the Hyuga council. They would exchange her for whatever benefits them.

Naruto was an inspiration, showing that even a nobody like him could go far in fulfilling his dreams.

Hinata could also be more than her limited clan thought of her.

Never break your word and fulfill your dreams.

'That's my ninja way.'

"Fate was cruel to you, Hinata-sama."

Neji didn't have the words to describe how angry, sad, and frustrated he was. Not just with his clan or his uncle but with fate. How could things end so badly?

He could only approach his cousin and rest his hand on her shoulder. It was the only gesture of support he could offer. He couldn't do anything more than watch how his cousin... no, his sister fell to pieces, falling apart.

He wished with all his heart that Naruto was somewhere there.

"Please come back."

Neji stood next to Hinata, who continued staring at the white wall before her.

….

Dried blood dyed his hands and clothes red, but he didn't care.

He carefully left a bouquet of flowers in the usual place, the same place he had gone to so many times in a vain attempt to escape the gloomy and gray reality that surrounded him.

The wind blew gently, causing hundreds of leaves to fly from the trees around the only person present in that place.

Kakashi remained standing, with his head lowered, reading over and over again the names inscribed on the stone of the fallen; he had memorized the names of all of them.

His best friend, Uchiha Obito.

Her best friend, Nohara Rin.

His sensei, Namikaze Minato.

The only person that came to mind when he heard the word 'mama,' Uzumaki Kushina.

And one more name he never thought he'd see written on the stone.

Uzumaki Naruto.

It was a failure of a friend.

He was a student's failure.

He was a teacher's failure.

He felt that his sins were accumulating with each day he lived, weighing more heavily on him, to the point that he considered going the easy way and ending everything.

But... he couldn't take that path, not before finishing one last mission, one last assignment that still wouldn't give him the peace he wanted.

It would give him brief satisfaction.

And in desperate times, that was better than nothing.

"Tai Chi?" From the shadows, an Anbu wearing a rabbit mask made an appearance, kneeling behind the man who had joined her squad a few months ago.

Hatake Kakashi had once again taken up the mantle of Inu; he had once again been the captain of the Anbu hunter division.

"Si?"

"We have information that Sasuke Uchiha has been seen in the rice country."

"Okay, call everyone and get ready, we will leave in an hour."

"Hai!" The masked Kunoichi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving only her captain, who was still looking at a name on the stone of the fallen.

"Naruto... I know I was a bad teacher. I was rubbish for not simply reaching out to you when you needed me most, when you were just a little boy in a dark world... looking for you, talking to you, and just telling you... 'You won't be alone anymore.'"

Clenching his fists to the point of making them bleed, he felt his heart pounding and blood boiling.

"I... I... I'm going to do justice, even if I know you wouldn't have liked it. I'm going to do what I should have done that day... kill Sasuke."

Putting on his mask, Inu disappeared in a swirl of leaves.