The Windows to the Soul

"Are they finally gone?" Naga irritatedly asked.

Kamui casually nodded.

Confused, Himiko turned to Naga, seeking clarification.

"Are who gone?"

"I'm not completely sure. I just know that there were two people peeping on us." Naga explained with a scowl.

Himiko's eyes widened as she jumped up.

"Really!? And you didn't say anything!!??" Himiko asked in outrage.

Kamui shook her head.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. It was Jiraiya of the Sanin peeping on us by himself with my dad talking to him while looking away. Based on how it went though, I don't think they realized who we were until the end. Dad flashed him away pretty quickly when he heard our voices."

Himiko's outraged confusion didn't abate. It only grew from the explanation.

"W-what…" Himiko stuttered out. She slowly backed up, disgust marring her face. "A-are you s-saying you let some old man peep on you!? Are you some kind of exhibitionist or something!?

Kamui shook her head, unfazed at the accusation.

"Not at all. I've just accepted that people are going to peep on me. Do you know how much blood would've been spilled if I made a big deal every time someone tried to peep on me?" Kamui explained matter-of-factly.

Himiko's eyes narrowed with fury.

"So, people can peep on you, and you don't care!?"

Once again, Kamui shook her head.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of, so…" Kamui pondered. "Not really. Still, my mom got angry at me when I explained the same thing to her, so I came up with an appeasement. Whenever I enter a public bath like this, I apply a genjutsu to myself that directs attention away from my erogenous zones. Truthfully, the old pervert's the first one to bypass it and see me naked since I invented it. I don't think he was even trying. He's just that skilled."

Himiko fell silent, trying to process what she'd just been told. It was a lot to take in. To think that her current lord was an exhibitionist, even if it was more out of a lack of care than anything.

Naga, on the other hand, decided to voice her own confusion.

"Does it have anything to do with our… your biology." She carefully asked. "I've noticed some of the same feelings sprout in myself, though they only surfaced after fath- Orochimaru… planted the first sample of that core into me."

Kamui shrugged.

"No idea. I've always felt that way. I just don't get why the other girls are so sensitive about their bodies being seen." She explained.

A mischievous grin bloomed on Himiko's face, replacing the outrage that had been there.

"Oh~. Why were you so against Naga wearing those revealing clothes then? If it isn't a big deal~, what was the problem?"

Naga's eyebrow raised at the seemingly irrelevant question.

Kamui's was the same.

She moved to respond, "That's becau…"

She paused.

Thinking back, she wasn't really sure. It was a good question, one she couldn't find the right words to answer.

Seeing the girl's confusion, Himiko's grin grew even broader.

Naga pondered the question herself, trying to guess the answer.

Before the conversation could continue any further though, they were interrupted.

"You're here." A soft, but confident voice came from the hot spring's entrance.

Turning, they all noticed Hinata approaching the group, still fully dressed. Clearly, she wasn't here to use the hot springs.

One thing Kamui noticed was the steadiness of her steps. When she first met her, the girl reminded her of a puppy, cute and meek. She would've sworn that the girl was afraid of her own shadow. Now she was different, stronger. More than anyone else, including herself, she'd train herself to the bone over the last few years. Rarely came a time when she didn't come to class dirty, disheveled.

Hinata was the only one out of the class that posed a threat to her, not with the clan's version of the gentle fist of course. Kamui was just the only one who knew since the girl never showed that improvement in her matches. She always feigned weakness. Well, feigned isn't the correct word. By the time she came to class, she was already exhausted from training.

Funny enough, Kamui only knew of three people in the class outside herself who noticed her holding back: Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino. Of course, those three couldn't grasp the truth like she did, but they did realize Hinata wasn't giving it her all. From the 'distance' she observed between Hinata and Kiba during their last meeting though, it was very likely the whole team had been given that revelation and he'd probably learned it the hard way like everything else in his life.

It was an… interesting feeling having some of the context behind this change. Considering Neji's sister would've been Hinata's cousin, likely close cousin…. It wasn't pretty.

'I wonder if she's here to tell me off too?' She idly thought.

Even if it wasn't likely given Hinata's generally gentle personality, it was possible. Although she wouldn't assign any blame onto herself, she could understand how someone else could.

The group moved to the water's edge to greet her.

"It's great to see you again Hinata!" She happily said. Kamui turned to her team.

"Girls, this is Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuga Clan and the person with the strongest Byakugan in the village. Hinata, these are Himiko and Naga, the other two genin assigned to my team." Kamui introduced.

With an elegant smile, Hinata spoke, "It's a pleasure to meet you two. I'd heard there were two powerful kunoichi who'd recently joined the village, so meeting you here is fortunate."

"Likewise." Naga replied with a small smile, feeling a sense of kindship for some reason.

"Oh! What beautiful eyes! I'm so jealous! They look like little moons!" Himiko joyfully said, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

Hinata's head tilted in confusion.

"Am I the first Hyuga you've seen?" She asked.

Himiko shook her head.

"Not at all, but your eyes were the clearest. Eyes are the window to the soul and for people like Kamui and me, one's character can be easily grasped when looking into the eyes of those with dojutsu. Unlike the other Hyuga clansmen I've been seeing, whose eyes emit baleful pride, prejudice, and self-importance, yours are bright and clear, reflecting your sincerity and the beauty of your character." Himiko explained.

Hinata's eyes widened at the unfamiliar concept.

Glancing to Kamui, she asked, "Is that true Kamui? I've never heard of something like that."

Kamui nodded.

"It's true and the main reason I've never questioned my father's warning to keep away from the rest of the Uchiha. To help you understand, your eyes are bright and clear, while Neji's, for example, are cloudy. His don't have the inky taint the others do, but it's clear that his anger is clouding his ability to reason.

"Actually, we can see these details in the eyes of those without dojutsu too; it's just not as clear. Funnily enough, Naruto's been blessed with a far greater talent in this ability than even myself, though that likely has much to do with other factors. To him, it's instinctual."

Hearing this, Hinata blushed at the mention of her crush's talent, something she'd long recognized. Confident she may be, but her admiration of his smile and everlasting positivity was still something that drove her to this day, even if it had taken a backseat to more important motivations.

Once she processed the rest though, her smile dimmed defeatedly.

"You can see that much? How terrible the world must look in your eyes…" She mumbled, eliciting confusion in the group. Regaining her bearings, she looked back up to Kamui.

"I won't ask what quality the three of you share to possess that ability as I already have an idea. I actually came to apologize for my cousin's words and actions. Due to circumstances I've heard he's shared with you, we've all been… stressed, him especially. I want to implore you on his behalf to forgive him. I promise his actions do not reflect on his character."

Kamui let out a tired sigh.

"Hinata." Seizing her attention. "I know you care for him, and I understand that he's gone through a lot."

She paused, trying to craft the best words for this delicate subject.

She continued, "But we are shinobi. The reason for my harsh words and actions are because based on how he acted, I deemed him a danger to Konoha. I don't know him very well, so I can't speak of him outside of a mission context, but how he handles emotional trauma is dangerous."

At Kamui's pause, Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by Kamui's raised hand.

Kamui continued, "That said, the jonin on the scene have taken responsibility, so it's no longer my business unless I'm put on his team again. I've already made my beliefs known in a formal report so it's no longer in my hands. If you want to convince me on a personal level though… I'll reserve judgement. You're one of the few in the village that I completely trust Hinata, so if you'll vouch for him, I'll wait before I dismiss him."

Hinata pondered Kamui's words for a moment before nodding gratefully.

"I guess that's all I can hope for now." Hinata softly said, giving Kamui a look of gratitude. "Thanks for everything Kamui. I really appreciate it."

"Of course. That's what friends are for." Kamui happily replied.

"I guess I'll get going then." She turned to the other two. "It was great meeting you two."

Receiving nods from them, she turned to leave, but was interrupted when called.

"Wait!" Kamui hastily called.

Hinata paused.

Turning around, she asked, "Did you need anything else?"

Kamui's face grew a mischievous smirk of her own.

"Can you hold out your hand Hinata? I missed your last birthday, so I had a present for you. Hopefully, you'll forgive me for being late."

Hinata's brow furrowed. Despite her confusion though, she stretched out her hand, palm up.

Kamui walked out of the hot spring, up to Hinata, and clasped her hand with both hands.

Hinata's eyes widened as she felt chakra pour into her hand and engrave something on her skin. It wasn't painful, more of a tingling sensation. What set off the alarms in her head was that the tingling stretched from her hand and made its way up to her eyes.

If she didn't already have a profound trust for Kamui's honesty, she'd have killed her on the spot. Letting someone place a seal on her involving her eyes was extremely risky.

Soon, the tingling reached her eyes, a phenomenon she rightly assumed connected the seal to her senses.

'Is she…?'

Soon, the tingling stopped and Kamui pulled back her hand.

Pulling her hand to her face, Hinata noticed a black ink-like mark on the palm of her hand depicting a key. Soon, it faded, leaving her palm looking like nothing was there.

"W-what is th-his?" She stuttered out.

A treacherous spark of hope found purchase in her mind. It took all her willpower to suppress it, trying to prevent it from growing into a bonfire that would destroy her should the situation not be what her suspicions proclaimed it to be.

She was failing. There wasn't a whole lot else this could be given the situation and that hopeful spark grew.

"As Kunoichi, especially ones with valuable bloodlines, we're always vulnerable to and are frequently victims of slave seals, chakra-based 'collars' made of programmed chakra capable of taking away our free will. When I was little, my aunt taught us the basic elements that comprise their structure.

"The seal I put on you targets those structures, an Uzumaki technique taught to all of their shinobi, especially their women. Unfortunately, it only works for those with special sight; luckily, you meet that requirement. As long as you can see all the components of a seal, which you can with your Byakugan, all you have to do is feed the seal on your palm with chakra and touch any part of it; the seal will do the rest.

"Hinata, with an active Byakugan, physical contact, and enough chakra to fuel a shadow clone, any known slave seal can be removed. What's best is that your seal is only visible when you fuel it with chakra. Otherwise, the only indication it's there is the tingling sensation it'll give you when your eyes see a slave seal. A final benefit and the 'reason' I'm giving this to you is that it prevents any of those slave components from taking root on your body."

Tears pooled in Hinata's eyes at the explanation, at the confirmation of her suspicions.

"Happy belated birthday Hinata." Kamui stated.

"Oh Kamui, thank you!" Hinata pulled her into a hug, her body trembling from her sobs.

Slowly patting Hinata on the back, Kamui consoled,

"All you ever need do is ask and I'll be there. I'm always happy to help."

Like a match to an oil field, Kamui's words ignited Hinata's sobs into a river of tears, her promise confirming the truth that'd been eating at both Hinata's and her cousin's trauma since his return.

They could have asked for help. At any time, had they just asked, everything could have been alright.

Was everything that'd happened really their fault?

Once Hinata eventually calmed down, the two spent the next hour going over the details of the seal, its uses, its restrictions, etc. It wasn't until they were done when both realized that the Uchiha's teammates had already left.