[Hyūga Hinoe]

It was a bright and sunny day; the birds were singing in the trees, and the squirrels were fighting each other just as nature intended. All was right with the world... except for the likely possibility that bandits of a very crusty variety were probably practicing their swing waltz somewhere down the road. And while the village of Konohagakure no Sato was a rather 'live and let live' place, bandits often tended to make people dance with them, whether said people were willing or not, and the dances often ended with said people losing their possessions, their lives, or both. For this reason, a consignment of supplies heading from the village to a border town was going to be staffed with shinobi, to avoid unnecessary dance sessions with bandits.

One of these shinobi on guard duty was the recently Academy-graduated Hyuuga Clan's local miscreant, Hinoe. Even though her expression looked about as engaging as blank cardboard, the girl was quite eager to be going on her first mission as a Genin. Her arms folded as she leaned against one of the carriages that contained the supplies she was to guard, the Hyuuga awaited her partner, who was someone she regarded as a friend, and with whom she was eager to work with. The owners of the carriage kept away from her for the most part, not because she looked unapproachable, but because of the weird, violet-eyed raven which sat atop her head, cawing incessantly.

Nara Shun

[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

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”Hinoe-chan!” Shun jogged over from a bit further away. She only had regular gear with her and a half-empty backpack. Their trip should be over in eight hours and then they could decide if they wanted to stay in Oiwai or not. It was a border town that had visiting shinobi from Kusagakure frequently. Shun had been there once on a joint mission with Taka - an older shinobi with nice character and prosthetic limbs - but that time did not exactly go smoothly. Perhaps this time would be a cakewalk. It was best to be positive.

Shun smiled brightly as she arrived next to her friend. ”Yo!” though she was answered by a black bird first and the caw took her back a bit.

”Um, did you know there’s a bird on you? Is this voluntary?” she asked seriously. Maybe Hinoe was scared of birds and simply stood still?

Afterwards Shun would introduce herself to the two men driving the carts and would ask to go over the exact route with a map in hand. She beckoned Hinoe to join if the raven permitted and would point out a rest stop after the first 4 hours for a meal of sorts.

Afterwards, the girls and their guarded carriages were ready to leave.

”So, look at the headband! Welcome aboard!” she congratulated her Hyuuga friend and pointed to the headband around her own forehead and then to hers to emphasize the match. ”When did you graduate? How was the exam? Did Izusa-senpai run it?”

It was weird. Saying his name now made her feel a bitter taste in her mouth but no one would ever know. Hinoe could also never know. No one could. Just a week ago Shun got recruited for ROOT by Uchiha Izusa. A man she would only know by his codename now - the real man behind the mask. He was no more than an empty shell of a human being. Shun was given a codename, too - Benisuzume. She was just a trainee but it was made terribly clear that, if anyone ever found out of her connection to the organisation from outside of it, they, her and everyone around would be in danger. So for a week straight, Shun had sat with her feelings and learned to not show any notion of disgust towards Izusa or weirdness towards last week. It was perfect now. No one except her superiors would know. No one.

”Ooooh, have you been to Oiwai before?” she asked excitedly.

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Words: 427
Tag: Hyūga Hinoe
Shun: 395828

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Hinoe turned her head gently at the mention of her name, unwilling to disturb the black corvid from his perch. Her face brightened with a smile as she saw the Nara girl run up to meet her. "Shun-chan!" the Hyuuga said happily, but not before the raven cawed loudly, as though responding to the Nara's greeting. Her happy grin mellowed slightly into a more indulgent one. "Very aware of the bird. And very voluntary, Shun-chan. He's a friend. Say hello, Izayoi."

The raven cawed again, then took off into the air, as Hinoe pushed herself off from the carriage she was leaning against, just before the bird landed on her shoulder. Hinoe came over as Shun beckoned to her, greeting the carriage riders a little bit reservedly. Despite her apparent confidence, it was really all a front to hide the fact that Hinoe was much shier than she appeared. As she looked at the map that delineated the route to be taken, Hinoe quietly made a mental note of all the areas where the thought there might be possible areas that offered ambush sites. Though her Byakugan was very useful, its range was not incredible, and she would need to be quite vigilant.

With the conclusion of the map reading, Shun congratulated Hinoe over her promotion. "Thanks! Congrats to you as well," the Hyuuga replied happily. "Yes, Izusa-sensei ran it. He initially seemed like a big meanie, but I guess it was all part of the exam," Hinoe concluded, unaware that perhaps the 'meanness' was not too out of character for the real personality of the Uchiha. "I have not been to Oiwai," Hinoe finished, holding onto the hindmost cart and climbing into it, as there was some space there to sit in. "Have you been there? I know I'm going to see it eventually, but is it a nice place?"

Izayoi cawed again at Shun. The Nara would somehow suspect that the bird was trying to salute her.

Nara Shun