by Part 4
Yami nodded, amazed that Shikamaru would bother to find out so much about her. “Good,” Shikamaru continued, “I hope you are planning to join us and not send you sister instead.” Yami gulped and shook her head. “That’s the great ninja I’ve heard so much about!” Shikamaru was smiling and his tone was anything but condescending so Yami knew he was being sincere. She smiled back at him and he continued, “I trust Ino’s told you a little about this mission? From what I hear, you have amazing hearing and can mold your chakra in such a way that those with the Byakugan can read words?” Yami again nodded and Shikamaru continued, “that’s going to become very useful. I want you to continue training with my friend here learning to listen for only one voice. Your head bobbing about like a kitten with too much catnip won’t be very useful to us, but if you can work past that with Ino while we wait for the Sand ninjas to arrive, you will become a key player in our mission and return a hero.” With that, Shikamaru left to think about these plates of brass he was supposed to get without encountering too much resistance.
“Shikamaru talked to me,” Yami said in awe, “he made things seem so clear, and, Ino,” she asked looking at the older ninja in admiration, “did you really say that about me?” Ino just grinned remembering what it was like to idolize someone and turned to the training grounds. Yami took the hint immediately and asked, “can Neji or Hinata come train with us too? I want them to be able to read my chakra writing…” after Ino agreed, Yami listened to see where they were. It was hard to concentrate, but she finally found Hinata talking to Naruto and Sakura about Gaara. “Hinata is with Sakura and Naruto about twenty miles west of here as the crow flies. Can you get her while I try to find Neji?” Ino took off and Yami started to concentrate again. As soon as she found him, talking to Tenten and Rock Lee, Hinata and Ino showed up. “oh, there he is! About five kilometers east of here talking to Tenten and Rock Lee! Can you get him too Ino? I want to get started with Hinata right away.” Yami announced without looking up. Ino took off again, grinning to herself that such an amazing ninja would look up to her.
Hinata smiled nervously and asked, “how am I supposed to communicate with you? Something to do with the Byakugan, wasn’t it?” Yami agreed and started to mold her chakra like she’d been taught. Hinata looked through the Byakugan to see the chakra in this little girl start to form words. “Amazing!” She couldn’t help but cry out, “let’s see, you’re saying…’do… you …like ….this …mission? …I’m …really …nervous …about …it. …You …like …Naruto, …don’t …you?’ Hey! Make that last one disappear before Neji gets here! Thank you. Now you’re saying, ‘how… come …you ….care …if …Neji …sees …that? I thought all of ….Konoha knew, …except for Naruto, …of course…Oh good! ….Ino’s found Neji and ….they’ll be here soon. ….What do you think ….of my chakra …..writing?’ That’s amazing! And you write very clearly, I don’t think Neji or I will have a hard time reading that, but, from what I understand, we’ll be at quite a distance from each other. Can you make the writing bigger?”
Yami cringed, she hadn’t thought of that. Screwing up her face in concentration, she jumped when a twig snapped not twenty feet away. “Who is that?” Hinata asked, nervously poking her index fingers together, “is it Neji and Ino?” Yami nodded, then went back to trying to make the chakra writing bigger but still legible. “I’m going back to Sakura and Naruto to see if I can read if from there. From what I’ve heard about you, you’ll be able to hear me even when I’m way over there?” Yami assured Hinata she could and Hinata left just as Ino came back with Neji.
“Was that Hinata?" Neji asked, not hiding the distain in his voice. Yami explained and Neji started his Byakugan. “Let’s see what you have to say to me, knowing that Hinata’s watching too… ‘I …hope ….Hinata …can …see ….this. Could one of you ….explain how the ….Byakugan …works?’ ….sure I could! Wait, Hinata’s going to explain it? Oh, okay.” Neji was clearly dejected, but Ino wouldn’t have any of that.
“Why doesn’t Yami write what she hears and Neji can read it to me so I can learn too and we can make sure that nothing is being left out or explained wrong.” She suggested. Neji clearly liked this idea and Yami said that Hinata was okay with it too, but was getting weird looks from Naruto and Sakura. Ino giggled and asked Yami if she could ask Hinata to ask Naruto and Sakura to join them. “That way,” Ino explained, “Sakura and Naruto can get used to this other source of information that we’ll be using on the mission.” Yami told her that Naruto was coming, but Sakura was going to stay behind to get used to her end of it. “Sounds like a smart idea,” Ino consented and they waited, not for long, for Naruto to come.
“All right! Teach me Hinata-Chan!” Naruto cried as soon as he got to the group. Turning to Neji, he asked, “and if Hinata messes up, you’ll tell us, right?” Neji agreed and Naruto turned to Yami. “You’ll be telling Hinata everything we say? And us everything she says?” Yami explained that she’d only tell Hinata the parts that she thought were important from now on and would like them all to be quiet while she listened. Naruto groaned, “I have to be quiet? That’s not my strong suit!” Yami and Neji laughed as Yami told Hinata what Naruto had just said and then translated for Neji what Sakura and Hinata had answered to that, in unison. Naruto grumbled, but sat down on the ground determined to be quiet while the Byakugan was explained.
Yami nodded, amazed that Shikamaru would bother to find out so much about her. “Good,” Shikamaru continued, “I hope you are planning to join us and not send you sister instead.” Yami gulped and shook her head. “That’s the great ninja I’ve heard so much about!” Shikamaru was smiling and his tone was anything but condescending so Yami knew he was being sincere. She smiled back at him and he continued, “I trust Ino’s told you a little about this mission? From what I hear, you have amazing hearing and can mold your chakra in such a way that those with the Byakugan can read words?” Yami again nodded and Shikamaru continued, “that’s going to become very useful. I want you to continue training with my friend here learning to listen for only one voice. Your head bobbing about like a kitten with too much catnip won’t be very useful to us, but if you can work past that with Ino while we wait for the Sand ninjas to arrive, you will become a key player in our mission and return a hero.” With that, Shikamaru left to think about these plates of brass he was supposed to get without encountering too much resistance.
“Shikamaru talked to me,” Yami said in awe, “he made things seem so clear, and, Ino,” she asked looking at the older ninja in admiration, “did you really say that about me?” Ino just grinned remembering what it was like to idolize someone and turned to the training grounds. Yami took the hint immediately and asked, “can Neji or Hinata come train with us too? I want them to be able to read my chakra writing…” after Ino agreed, Yami listened to see where they were. It was hard to concentrate, but she finally found Hinata talking to Naruto and Sakura about Gaara. “Hinata is with Sakura and Naruto about twenty miles west of here as the crow flies. Can you get her while I try to find Neji?” Ino took off and Yami started to concentrate again. As soon as she found him, talking to Tenten and Rock Lee, Hinata and Ino showed up. “oh, there he is! About five kilometers east of here talking to Tenten and Rock Lee! Can you get him too Ino? I want to get started with Hinata right away.” Yami announced without looking up. Ino took off again, grinning to herself that such an amazing ninja would look up to her.
Hinata smiled nervously and asked, “how am I supposed to communicate with you? Something to do with the Byakugan, wasn’t it?” Yami agreed and started to mold her chakra like she’d been taught. Hinata looked through the Byakugan to see the chakra in this little girl start to form words. “Amazing!” She couldn’t help but cry out, “let’s see, you’re saying…’do… you …like ….this …mission? …I’m …really …nervous …about …it. …You …like …Naruto, …don’t …you?’ Hey! Make that last one disappear before Neji gets here! Thank you. Now you’re saying, ‘how… come …you ….care …if …Neji …sees …that? I thought all of ….Konoha knew, …except for Naruto, …of course…Oh good! ….Ino’s found Neji and ….they’ll be here soon. ….What do you think ….of my chakra …..writing?’ That’s amazing! And you write very clearly, I don’t think Neji or I will have a hard time reading that, but, from what I understand, we’ll be at quite a distance from each other. Can you make the writing bigger?”
Yami cringed, she hadn’t thought of that. Screwing up her face in concentration, she jumped when a twig snapped not twenty feet away. “Who is that?” Hinata asked, nervously poking her index fingers together, “is it Neji and Ino?” Yami nodded, then went back to trying to make the chakra writing bigger but still legible. “I’m going back to Sakura and Naruto to see if I can read if from there. From what I’ve heard about you, you’ll be able to hear me even when I’m way over there?” Yami assured Hinata she could and Hinata left just as Ino came back with Neji.
“Was that Hinata?" Neji asked, not hiding the distain in his voice. Yami explained and Neji started his Byakugan. “Let’s see what you have to say to me, knowing that Hinata’s watching too… ‘I …hope ….Hinata …can …see ….this. Could one of you ….explain how the ….Byakugan …works?’ ….sure I could! Wait, Hinata’s going to explain it? Oh, okay.” Neji was clearly dejected, but Ino wouldn’t have any of that.
“Why doesn’t Yami write what she hears and Neji can read it to me so I can learn too and we can make sure that nothing is being left out or explained wrong.” She suggested. Neji clearly liked this idea and Yami said that Hinata was okay with it too, but was getting weird looks from Naruto and Sakura. Ino giggled and asked Yami if she could ask Hinata to ask Naruto and Sakura to join them. “That way,” Ino explained, “Sakura and Naruto can get used to this other source of information that we’ll be using on the mission.” Yami told her that Naruto was coming, but Sakura was going to stay behind to get used to her end of it. “Sounds like a smart idea,” Ino consented and they waited, not for long, for Naruto to come.
“All right! Teach me Hinata-Chan!” Naruto cried as soon as he got to the group. Turning to Neji, he asked, “and if Hinata messes up, you’ll tell us, right?” Neji agreed and Naruto turned to Yami. “You’ll be telling Hinata everything we say? And us everything she says?” Yami explained that she’d only tell Hinata the parts that she thought were important from now on and would like them all to be quiet while she listened. Naruto groaned, “I have to be quiet? That’s not my strong suit!” Yami and Neji laughed as Yami told Hinata what Naruto had just said and then translated for Neji what Sakura and Hinata had answered to that, in unison. Naruto grumbled, but sat down on the ground determined to be quiet while the Byakugan was explained.
