Deeper than Indigo

Chapter 3: Judgement?

Hinata twiddled her thumbs nervously in the medical office as she quietly waited for the time to pass. Today was the day that she would receive an official diagnosis on her condition, and Hinata was especially nervous. Not only would she be finding out what had happened to her, but she would be meeting her doctor– who happened to be one of her medical idols, for the very first time. An important event since Hinata's doctor was of an illustrious bloodline, one that far surpassed her own since she was the granddaughter to Konoha's Shodaime, great niece to Nidaime, and the current Hokage as well, made 5th after Sandaime's courageous sacrifice of his life that sealed Orochimaru's ability to do ANY jutsus.

It had been a little more than three months since the disastrous chuunin exams and the village had been thrown into relative chaos. War had been declared on Konoha by the combined forces of the Sound and Sand Village and while they were rallying well, but one fact remained: Konoha was still without a leader.

Until she arrived.

Hinata gave a soft little sigh as she leaned her head back against the stiff waiting room couches. The door that led to the hallway down to Tsunade's office opened and Hinata repressed the urge to flinch in surprise. Her appointment wasn't for another half hour and Hinata had only arrived early to try and rally herself into not freaking out that she was facing her medical idol.

Thankfully, it wasn't Gondaime, but her apprentice Shizune who was whistling a soundless tune and pet pig Ton-ton. Turning to set the black pig down, Shizune was just about to leave when she caught sight of Hinata, who was quietly watching her.

Shizune suppressed the urge to sweat when she realized that she didn't even notice Hinata's presence until she had physically spotted her. There was no bright aura or 'feel' that would notify her that girl was there. If it weren't for Hinata's obvious presence in the office couch, Shizune would have missed the Hyuuga heiress completely.

"Ah, Hinata-chan!" she called out a little cheerily for her own ears. "I didn't know you were out here! A bit early for your appointment with Tsunade-sama aren't you?"

Surprised to that Shizune was talking to her; Hinata could only manage a faint nod as she felt herself beginning to flush.

"Would you like me to tell Tsunade-sama that you're here Hinata-chan?" Shizune asked kindly, feeling a bit sorry for the shy girl.

Hinata shook her head in refusal as she whispered out, "It's okay Shizune-sama. I just... I just wanted to come a little early..."

"Ah." Moving closer to the girl, Shizune sat down as she continued on easily, "Nervous of your first meeting with Tsunade-sama?"

Hinata nodded mutely.

Shizune smiled reassuringly at her. "Well, don't be. Tsunade-sama doesn't bite and she's very nice…" Shizune frowned as she remembered the beating Tsunade had given to the legendary pervert Jiraiya. "Well… she is usually is, just don't do what Naruto-kun or Jiraiya-sensei do when they're around her 'kay?" At Hinata's confused look, Shizune leaned to elaborate, her voice dropping to a whisper, as if her sensei could hear her from the distance of a hallway and three doors down: "Don't call her old or well preserved for age. She doesn't take to well to that." She smiled at Hinata's surprised giggle and flashed her a thumbs up sign. Looking up at the clock, Shizune picked up Tonton as she said, "Ne ne Hinata-chan, you'd better get going. Tsunade-sama is waiting for you." She gave Hinata a little wave before she left the office.

Feeling a bit relaxed, if not more confident, Hinata stood up and moved towards the door. Taking in a deep breath, and squaring her shoulders, Hinata opened the door, and went in.

"So you can still see the chakra pathways Hinata?" Tsunade stood directly in front of her, watching intently. Hinata nodded. "Can you see what I'm doing?"

"Hai Tsu-tsunade-sama," came the soft reply. Hinata twisted her hands nervously, still in awe of being in the same room as her medical idol. "You are directing your flow to the diadem."

Tsunade smiled. "Can you tell from where Hinata?"

"A-ano… I'm not sure Tsunade-sama. I-I see several places where it is coming from, s-some more clearly than others."

"Aa, sou ka." Tsunade moved her hand into another seal, splitting her chakra flow into two and repeated her question again when she had first begun. She watched as the Hyuuga heiress nod and noted that the girl was still fidgeting. She released another seal and stopped the flow of her chakra. Without even her asking, Hinata nodded. Tsunade began to feel worry a little, wondering if Hinata was really seeing anything at all. "Hinata-chan," she began carefully. "Are you sure you can you see still see the chakra flow?"

Again the heiress of Hyuuga nodded.

Tsunade quickly went through the motions of releasing a seal. Her chakra flow remained still. "And now?"

"All around you Tsunade-sama." As if sensing the Hokage's unease, Hinata formed the seals that would turn off her blood limit. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, outwardly calm even though inwardly she was beginning to panic. It was beginning to feel like she was before the tribunal the elders had regarding her byakugan. They had pronounced her blood limit dead and her as a useless member of the clan.

"No, no Hinata-chan. I just-"

"Please don't lie to me Tsunade-sama," Hinata whispered. "If... if I am u-useless... as the elders say... than I am useless." Hinata's head bowed as she felt grief once again overwhelm her. "I-I had hoped..." she stopped, realizing that she was not alone in her despair. Hinata stood up quickly, about to excuse herself and go when the Hokage spoke.

"Hinata." There was a hint of steel in her voice.

Startled out of her misery, Hinata looked up at her idol and saw something that the legendary pervert sennin tried to avoid like the plague when his teasing when too far: a furious Tsunade. Hinata wanted to cry, she hadn't meant to make her angry at all! Guiltily remembering her behavior, Hinata stared down at her feet as her hands began to twist nervously around themselves.

"Hinata. Look at me."

Trying to steel herself for the emotional upheaval to come, Hinata looked up and at the village leader. "Ha-hai Tsunade-sama?" she squeaked.

"I didn't give you permission to leave did I?" Tsunade asked, her voice dangerously soft.

Hinata shook her head.

"Nor did I tell you your blood limit was useless did I?"

Hinata shook her head again.

"Then you will stay here, in this office Hinata, until I give you leave to go," Tsunade said through clenched teeth, trying desperately to stamp down the urge to head over to the Hyuuga estate and beat the living day lights out of each and every one of Hinata's elders. Tsunade had never liked her peers when she was growing up, and after witnessing how Hinata had reacted to her worry, she liked them even less. "Now sit down Hinata," she ordered, "and reactivate the Byakugan. We will find out what went wrong."

Hours later, after Hinata had been sent home with her sensei Kurenai as escort, Tsunade sat in her chair sighing as she tried to figure out the puzzle that Hinata's condition presented. Sure enough, Hinata could still see chakra and the paths it took as she and Shizune tested her but it made no sense on how she could still see them after she and her apprentice has stilled the flow.

The door opened, it was Shizune with a tray containing Tsunade's evening tea. Tsunade nodded absently to her student as she still continued to ponder on Hinata's predicament. Perhaps she needed a second opinion? But who would she speak to? Not many people considered medical-nins as a prestigious job like those of the ANBU or hunter-nins.

Tsunade's train of thought was interrupted by the loud clunk of the tea cup on her desk. She looked up to see Shizune smiling determinedly as she pointedly thrust the tea in front at her. Tsunade made a face at her apprentice before she picked up the cup to drink.

The companionable silence was broken when Shizune took a seat and began to speak. "Ne ne Tsunade-sama, didn't you think it was strange that while Hinata-chan could correctly identify where our chakra flow was, she saw another?" Tsunade grunted, not really paying any attention to the young woman before her, but Shizune wasn't deterred. "Didn't you also think that it was odd that that she also asked us if we had healed anyone prior to our meeting with her?"

Her attention caught, Tsunade placed the cup down. "Now that you mention it Shizune, it was odd." Tsunade frowned. "She was even able to name the technique you used on old man Tsuyoshi this afternoon."

"Shizune nodded. "An upper level medical technique that you taught me when I became jounin."

"How did she know that? Has Hinata been given access to the jounin level medical scrolls?"

Shizune frowned as she considered the question. "I don't know Tsunade-sama. I would have to ask Kurenai to find out."

"Why don't you do that Shizune? Perhaps that would help us figure out Hinata's condition."

"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune grinned. "I'll be right back," she called out to her sensei before disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

It was near noon when Tsunade had come to a conclusion: she didn't know what was wrong with Hinata but she definitely wanted to find out. It was interesting to note that while Hinata had been able to correctly identify the chakra pathways that she and Shizune had been using, she had also seen other chakra pathways used as well. The Hyuuga Heiress had also gone so far as to try and name some of the jutsus Tsunade and Shizune had been using beforehand. For a young girl who was not yet thirteen, it was impressive, especially considering that the majority of the jutsus used were medical ones. There weren't too many shinobi that Tsunade knew of that had even a fraction of the knowledge Hinata carried. Hunter-nins might have due to the nature of their jobs, but that was the darker side of the healing arts, not what Tsunade and her apprentice normally practiced.

Tsunade's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a timid knock on the door. Tsunade straightened herself up as she called her visitor in, a decision forming in her mind as she greeted the young girl.

Hinata sat across from Tsunade, hands clasped tightly as she waited to hear the results from yesterday's examination. Hinata stared at her shoes, unwilling to lose control in case the news was as bad as her family had declared. It was shameful enough that she had lost control in front of her family, she didn't need to do that once more in front of the pillar of Konoha.

"Hinata-chan," came Tsunade's voice.

Hinata's hands tightened as she squeaked out her reply. "H-hai Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade leaned forward on her desk. "Shizune and I have spent much of last night discussing your 'ailment' Hinata-chan. Despite the inconsistencies of the results, I still have not yet been able to properly diagnose you. However," Tsunade continued, steepling her fingers, "what Shizune and I have decided is that you show a rare gift for medicine Hinata. After much deliberation last night that we would like to offer you apprenticeship to become a medical-nin. What do you think?"

End of Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay of my update that was supposed to happen last year. -;; So many things happened like no more internet and moving homes. But it's out now right? -;; Chapter 4 is in the works, and I hope you guys will leave a review to let me know what you think of Chapter 3 so far! I had kinda written myself into a hole and stopped with this story for a bit because I had no clue on what to do. Those emails sent to me asking for my updates and encouragements really helped! Thanks for reading my blurb!