I HAVE RETURNED. Oh, and Happy New Year! (And Holidays! :D)

This chapter isn't perfect, but it's what I managed to type out. Hopefully, I'll still be as motivated to write the next chapter next week, and actually advance this plot. Or sometime this month. :P

Fun Fact: Music plays a huge part in this story. A lot of the songs that are referenced through this fic (including in the title) are what I have been listening to while writing and conceptualizing this story. Some of examples of this are...

Freaking Out, by Mystery Skulls

Dominique, by The Flying Nun

Sunset of Betrayal (Durarara! OP 1), by Theatre Brook

And now...

Act 2: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Chorus:

I can sense your confusion, and your many questions:

"What the hell, Sakura's dead?!"

"The Straw Hats are dead?!"

"What the hell is Tanis?"

"What's going on with Luffy...?"

"Where is Naruto?"

"God damn it, why another Hinata-fic?"

"Why not another Hinata-fic?"

All I will say for now is, yes. Yes, this is a rather confusing situation. In many ways, it's a rather fucked up situation all around, in ways that you don't realize yet.

The answers will come in time, I promise. Be patient.

In order to tie up at least one loose end, I will give you another rewind. A shorter one, this time. To at least ten months ago.

[Scene 1: Luffy]

Life used to be really good for Monkey D. Luffy. Insanely good, one might argue.

He had everything he could ever want: the best and most beloved crew, an amazing ship, a growing alliance and friendship with Traffy—Law could protest this all he wanted, it still wouldn't make it any less true, the idiot—and of course, his freedom. The freedom of a Pirate, which is the best kind, of course.

The only things missing from this list were the One Piece and the title of Pirate King—but Luffy knew he would get that all in time. No reason to stop him from having fun and exploring new islands, even if he had to beat someone black and blue in the process.

Life was good, and there was nothing that could ruin it.

And then, one day, he and his crew came across the wreckage of a ship. A ship from one of the Elemental Nations.

Now, Ninjas and Pirates have a rather...complicated relationship.

On the one hand, both factions are equally matched in power and combat, especially if you bring Chakra and Haki into play. There are moments when either tips over the scales in their favor—through either the use of Devil Fruit Users or Jinchuuriki—but overall, Ninjas and Pirates are evenly matched factions, despite their differences.

However, what is often the cause of much hostility between them goes back to the World Government.

Pirates, in case you weren't aware, hate the World Government and vice versa.

Ninjas, however, work for the World Government.

Hence, the problem.

However, as you might already know, Luffy wasn't like most pirates that sailed the Grand Line or even in the New World. On the grand scale of things, Luffy's desires were simple: Good friends, amazing adventure, a hot meal, and the title of Pirate King. He—and his crew, for that matter—had no interest in doing the classic pillaging schpiel that most pirates practiced, or in the petty battles between Pirates and Ninjas.

After all, most of the Straw Hats had never even met a Ninja. What reason would they have to assume the worst of them?

So, when they find the only survivor of the wreckage slouching over a piece of driftwood—pale face covered in bruises and clothing ripped—the first thought that comes to mind is to pull the poor Ninja onboard and tend to their wounds.

When said Ninja woke up, the first reaction they had was to fight, their eyes wild and chakra electrifying the air.

Luckily the Straw Hats somewhat expected this reaction and were able to subdue them, as well as convince the Ninja that they meant no harm.

Things calmed down after that. The Ninja sat down with the Straw Hats. Ate the food that Sanji had specially prepared. And then, they told their story.

This Ninja had come from a hidden village that had rebelled against the World Government, one of the few to reject any of its "handouts" or any offers of help, even though they had also been struggling from the War. The World Government graciously accepted this rejection, and they promptly left the village.

Soon after they did, the village came under a random series of attacks led by the pirate known as Marshall D. Teach—attacks that ultimately resulted in the village's destruction.

Being president and CEO of the "Blackbeard Must Die" club, Luffy immediately empathized with the poor Ninja's tragic tale and accepted them into his crew. And with him, followed the Straw Hats.

Well, most of them.

"How do we know [REDACTED] is telling the truth?" Zoro often questioned, even if it was only to himself.

"Something about that story isn't adding up," Robin concurred, though she always kept it to herself.

Even so, whatever doubts the Straw Hats had, the Ninja known as [REDACTED] was here to stay.

With the Straw Hats, the Ninja slogged through the harsh cold and slush of Punk Hazard. They traversed the odd land of Dressrosa. They fought through the beasts of Zou and helped to even save Sanji from his underworld family. They fought side by side with crew members, in many bloody battles. They ate and drank with the Straw Hats. They laughed with the Straw Hats. After five months went by, even with the lingering doubts, it became clear:

[REDACTED] had become their nakama, and vice versa.

And with this conclusion, life was good indeed.

At least, until the Straw Hats came across Blackbeard.

Well, to be more precise, when Nami and Robin came across Blackbeard.

The meeting went as well as you probably think it did:

"Well, well, fancy running into you ladies," he said with a wide grin. "Where's your captain? He and I need to catch up—"

"Oh, fuck off!" Nami snarled, holding her Clima-Tact at the ready, while Robin lifted her arms and prepared to deliver an attack, if she needed to.

"Whoa, whoa, easy," he laughed, his hands lifted in mock defense. "Not like my conflict's with any of you."

"You've wronged two members of our crew," Robin said, her eyes piercing. "Quite frankly, you're lucky I haven't cracked your spine yet."

That gave Blackbeard pause. "Wait, two? Who was the other one—?"

"Oh, please," Nami snapped. "We all know what you did to our friend's village, what you did to the Village Hidden in the Leaves!"

That made Blackbeard freeze, his grin shrinking to a straight line. A memory shot through him, a memory of a group of Shinobi he'd fought, a group that carried the symbol of a leaf on their headbands—and a dirty, slimy grin slowly grew on his face, one that was half-amused, half-bitter.

"The Village Hidden in the Leaves, eh?" He said. "And what did this friend tell you I did...?"

"You destroyed it, you and your crew," Nami continued, a little confused—sure, he probably destroyed towns on a daily basis, but surely he'd remember destroying a village from the Shinobi Nations—"You razed it to the ground, leaving barely any survivors."

At this Blackbeard threw his head back and cackled, "Oh, I wish I'd been that lucky!"

Nami and Robin froze, What...?

Blackbeard chuckled a little, then lifted the eye patch covering his left eye—only to reveal that it was no more.

"Look at this eye, see what happened to it? Some little Konoha bitch did that. Turns out that Chakra those Ninjas use is more dangerous than it looks, allows its users to get close to even the worst of Devil Fruit Users, including me." He covered his eye socket back up, glowering at Nami and Robin, even with a grin. "I've been hunting that little bitch down for months now, but haven't been able to find a hint of where her village would be. Turns out only a Konoha Nin can find it, and none of the ones I've found have been willing to take me there, even when I break their fingers..."

"B-but." Nami threw a look at Robin, who remained blank. "That wasn't what we were told—"

"Hate to break it to you, but whoever that new nakama you have on that ship is, they are a liar," Blackbeard said, his expression morphing into something uncharacteristically firm, serious. "And if you're smart, you'd watch your back around them."

With that said, Blackbeard turned around and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Nami and Robin in some shock and more than a little doubt.

So, of course, the first thing they did when they got back to the Sunny was tell Luffy—who basically laughed.

"You two honestly believe what that piece of shit said?" He shook his head, now with a bitter scowl. "He was just trying to mess with you, with all of us. [REDACTED] wouldn't lie to us about something like that. They're our nakama."

Nami still looked doubtful, while Robin resigned herself to keeping a sharper eye on the Ninja of their crew. They both shared a look. Hopefully, Luffy wouldn't be eating those words anytime soon.

[Scene 2: Hinata]

It wasn't that good a picture of him. How could it be, when it was a blurred image in the corner?

His blonde hair had been shaved down to a buzz cut, while still carrying some of its usual spike. Rather than his usual orange jumpsuit, he was now wearing the drab grey one for Tanis inmates. His head was thrown back, and there was a hint of a dimple at his cheek; he had likely been laughing. Other than that, the rest of his face was cut off from the photo. But Hinata would recognize that gait, even that hint of a grin anywhere.

Then she noticed who was close behind him, also looking like he'd started laughing, his shoulder on Naruto's for support. Tall, lanky, with a hint of muscle; tan, dark haired. Scar under left eye.

She blinked at the new face, but then remembered back months ago. Before Sakura's murder, before everything.

"...EH? 'Straw Hat captain captured at last'?!"

Hinata looked over at Naruto, who was for once ignoring his huge bowl of ramen and gaping down at that morning's WG newspaper. His blue eyes stormed with confusion as he read the article, his brow furrowing. She then leaned over to glance at the article, humming in thought.

"That's strange," Hinata said, noting the title. "They don't mention his crew..."

" 'Cause his crew is dead. Look." Naruto pointed at the paragraph he'd been staring at intently. " 'In the aftermath of the massacre of his crew, Straw Hat Luffy was found aboard his ship and captured by Marine forces'," he repeated.

"Massacre?"

"The big theory is that he did it," Ayame spoke up as she started wiping down a nearby table. "Went to each crewmember overnight and slaughtered them in cold blood—that's what I heard some Marines saying earlier anyway. Really crazy," she added with a murmur before moving on.

Naruto blinked at that, then looked back down at the newspaper. His brow furrowed until he clenched his eyes closed, shaking his head.

"No way. Makes no sense..."

Hinata looked at him. "Did you know them? Did you ever meet them while—out there?" She added with a swallow.

Unlike her, especially after that mission, Naruto had been one of the few Konoha 11 who took on missions involving pirates—especially those cursed by a Devil Fruit. However, despite being determined enough to finish his missions with captured pirates, Naruto respected some of the pirates he hunted. Under different circumstances, he could see himself probably drinking with the crews he'd come across. Hinata would not be surprised if the Straw Hats were included.

"No, I never met them." Naruto dragged a hand through his hair, staring down at the wooden swirls in the table. "But I've heard enough about them to know—there's something a little fishy about this.

"I mean, for one: Why would Luffy kill his own crew? He once started a war with the World Government for one crewmember. And yet, he decided one night to just...kill them all?"

"Maybe the New World changed him," Hinata offered with a shrug. "That part of the ocean is rather...intense."

He shook his head. "Still makes no sense..."

"Naruto-kun, why are you so worried about this?" She wondered with a tilt of her head, concern in her gaze. "I mean, they are pirates."

"...I don't know, actually."

Naruto paused to stare at the article, focusing in on Luffy's mugshot at Impel Down. Rather than his usual grin and sunny expression, Luffy was gracing the viewer with a blank expression. His face was all bruised (no doubt from fighting the guards that cuffed him), and some blood seeped from his mouth, but he didn't seem to care. He didn't care that his life as a pirate was over, that he'd experience the hell of hells within the World Government's worst prison. Probably the only emotion that Naruto could find was in the pirate's dark brown eyes—hate, so deep and powerful, even through a picture; the sort he'd last seen in Sasuke—and it made his stomach twist.

"You know, whenever I used to see his Wanted poster, it'd always make me feel...hope? Or something like that?"

Naruto saw Hinata's eyes widen as she gave him a look, her concern even more apparent. He grinned over at her, shrugging. "Yeah, I know. But there was something about this guy, y'know? And his crew." He propped his hand on his chin, his gaze shifting to the side. "Maybe it was how he said he'd become Pirate King, or something..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, all pirates claim they're going to become the next Pirate King."

"Yeah, but the way he did it—it sounded like he meant it more than others. Like he just knew he'd do it." Naruto paused. "I guess it just reminded me of my own dreams. Of the things I wanted to do..."

Hinata felt a painful twinge in her heart. This conversation again. She clenched her hands in her lap.

"Stop talking like that, Naruto! You can still become Hokage." Hinata was almost glaring at him. "I can't even imagine anyone better for the job."

Naruto smirked a little, gently teasing, "Even Kiba?"

Hinata opened her mouth to retort, then paused to think. Then she glared at him, her cheeks flushing as she pouted.

"You know that's not fair."

He chuckled and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. When he smiled, it was small and more than a little bitter.

"Who knows if we'll even have the same leadership system within a few years?"

Hinata frowned at him, feeling that ache in her heart again. Naruto...

Then a pale arm wrapped itself around Naruto's neck, belonging to—

"Hey guys," Sakura said with a cheery smile. "Sorry for being so late! The waves were a bit choppy."

Naruto beamed and stood up to hug her. "Sakura! How was the mission?"

"Eh, it was all right," she said with a shrug. Then, with a new softness to her smile, Sakura cupped his face and gently pulled his lips to hers, softly saying, "But it's good to be home."

[Scene 3: Kakashi]

Naturally, Hinata is not the only person who is part of this story. And she was not the only one to notice the picture.

On the other side of the room, Kakashi was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed along his chest. From beneath his gray fringe, his eyes narrowed on the image that was on the screen for a few seconds, specifically on the image of the young man who could have been his student. His expression remained stoic, even after the image passed, but his mind began to race.

Like for anyone who is close to Naruto, it had been a very, very rough few months. Between Sakura's murder, Marines pointing their corrupted little fingers towards Naruto and taking him far away in chains, and the villagers starting to talk shit about him—Kakashi had honestly been close to snapping. Seriously, was he the only one who could smell the bullshit?

Stupid question, he knew.

"I know," Tsunade had told him not too long ago, her eyes weary but simmering. "Believe me, I know. But my hands are tied. The World Government has declared the crime under their jurisdiction, that Naruto's life from here on is essentially theirs. There is nothing I can do."

"Why?" Kakashi had to fight back raising his voice. "Sakura was our kunoichi. Her murder happened under our watch. Why did the World Government get involved at all?"

Another stupid question, Kakashi knew then, and he knew that even more now. He had an idea why the World Government jumped into the investigation so quickly, why they painted a target on Naruto's back, despite the lack of real evidence. With how powerful Naruto had gotten, it was no surprise he'd become a target.

With a flash in her gaze, one that sharpened her eyes, Tsunade had placed a finger to her lips. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, then followed her gaze to the door—where two Marines were no doubt on guard. She then started writing furiously on a piece of paper; when she finished, she started speaking again, her voice clear and almost natural.

"Kakashi, I understand your grief and frustration, but we have to put our trust in the World Government. They know what they're doing."

While the paper said: We cannot talk about this here. We might not be able to talk about this anywhere else in the village. There are too many Marines, and the WG is just going to add more.

They are always listening, always spreading information to their superiors. And they are always ready to destroy us.

If we're going to rescue Naruto, we need to be smart.

She wrote again, continuing to speak, "You are now dismissed, Kakashi. I will inform you of your next mission when it comes."

The next line on the paper read: Be patient, and be ready.

It took a while, Kakashi knew; but, as he stood in that meeting room now awaiting more details in the mission, he now knew that the waiting paid off.

Finally, some progress.

"Now, the assignments in this mission will be all undercover," Tsunade announced, pointing at the stack of folders on the table under the screen. She took one folder and opened it. "The first assignment is to be admitted and act as a patient, to observe the patients—"

"I volunteer!"

[Scene 4: Shikamaru]

She had stood up so fast, had spoken so loud and clear—not one hint of a tremble or any hesitation—that he'd nearly gotten whiplash. And now that he was processing what she'd just said, his eyes wide and his mind racing, all Shikamaru could think was:

What the fuck is she thinking?

But nothing changed. Hinata was still standing, her palms flat on the table in front of her, and her gaze near glaring into Tsunade. Like she was ready to fight for the assignment, to fight for her place in this mission.

Pale and feeling sick, Shikamaru whipped around to look at Tsunade, because he was certain that there was no way she'd agree to this. It wasn't necessarily that he thought Hinata was weak, or even that she wouldn't be good for this mission—though the thought was probably valid—but holy shit. Had she even seen who this Tanis group was keeping in that building? Forget the petty thieves and murderers, or even downscale pirates—four of the fucking Supernovas were being kept in there. Even if this place had somehow found a way to restrain the Devil Fruit Users, they could all possibly access Haki. And don't even get him started on how many of those damned pirates had been arrested and brought over to the WG by ninjas, particularly those from Konoha.

And if Hinata went in, and they found out what she was? Well, you didn't need to be a genius to realize what'd happen next.

He felt his heart lurch. She'll be torn apart—!

If Tsunade was experiencing the same line of thinking, she didn't show it. Instead, she regarded Hinata with a hard gaze.

"Hyuga-san," she said, "do you understand what you are agreeing to?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand that these inmates...patients are nothing like the common pirates or criminals you've come across before? That when you step inside the doors of the Tanis Institution, it's very likely that one or many might try to kill you?"

Shikamaru stared up at Hinata, watched as her eyes clouded and her mouth parted. Like she had gone somewhere else for a minute, a place that was far from this meeting room. And for a moment, Shikamaru hoped that she'd come to her senses; that Hinata would sit back down and just stay safe.

He'd already lost one friend. He knew he was at risk of losing Ino to her grief; he couldn't lose another.

Naruto would never forgive him.

But Hinata took a breath and clenched one hand into a fist, as if about to punch the table. With sharp white eyes, she regarded Tsunade.

"Tsunade-san, you know the missions I've been on since the World Government started using us," she said. "You know that I more than know what these people are capable of."

The silence that followed was heavy. Everyone shifted their gaze from Hinata to Tsunade, including Shikamaru—and his stomach twisted. Tsunade was smiling.

"Shizune, hand Ms. Hinata Hyuga her folder," she said. "We will brief her, and everyone else, after the other assignments have been handed out."

[Scene 5: Luffy]

A lot of people have asked Monkey D. Luffy what had happened the night his crew was killed. Marines, other prisoners, Doctors, even Tanis's nurses. Most of the time, he never answered. The few times he did answer, usually to one of the very few people he trusted (say, Trafalgar Law, for example), he would admit to them that the night itself is rather fuzzy.

He remembered having a glorious dinner with his crew, laughing, dancing, and even exchanging stories. He remembered going to sleep. He didn't remember being woken up. He didn't remember the battle that was only the beginning of the Straw Hats' end, the battle against one of their own—or so they had thought.

But he did remember seeing his crew get killed, one by one. All done while something had held him down, or something was done to keep him from moving—a ninja trick, he was sure. He remembered the screams. He remembered the blood.

Most of all, he remembered the monster who murdered them. The monster he allowed on his ship, the one he welcomed into his crew—the Ninja that wasn't just a ninja.

When all was said and done—when the Sunny had been near reduced to charcoal, when Luffy was left surrounded by blood, and when the Marines that Shinobi had called came to cuff him in seastone and drag him away—Luffy and [REDACTED] had only one final conversation.

"...So, what happens now?" He asked them, his voice low and empty.

"Well, I had talked to my boss about it. You probably remember him—tall, muscular, likes to wear flower shirts, can turn into lava, and one lovely personality?" They brightly told him, red and black eyes staring at him, smirking wide.

Luffy glared from his fringe, his torn straw hat hanging around the back of his neck.

"Well, he remembers you, very well. And your brother. He originally wanted you killed, wanted me to bring back your head on a silver platter."

He only narrowed his eyes.

"But then I spoke to him, and we both came up with probably the best punishment to give to you."

They started pacing back and forth in front of Luffy, who followed their every movement, much like a wildcat on the prowl.

"After all, how would you punish Monkey D. Luffy? What else can you take from him, after taking his everything? How do you make him realize how useless, worthless, and pathetic he is—not only as a pirate, but as a human in general, really? And how can you make it worse?"

By the time they turned around to face Luffy again, the captain was already taking deep breaths, his mouth formed into an ugly snarl. The Ninja just smirked and lay a pale finger on his chest, right in the center of his scar, and rubbed circles into it, with mock gentleness. If he still had the energy, Luffy would have bitten off that finger and spat it back out.

"You let him live," they purred, staring up at Luffy now with lidded eyes. "So that's what's going to happen to you, Captain. You're going to live—to rot in the most hellish cell the World Government will provide, until you can only dream of the death you will not be allowed to have."

They paused to remove their finger, smirk wide enough to reveal sharp canines, and turn around to leave.

"And me? I will go back to my village and bask in the riches the Government will award me. Not only for capturing you, but also getting rid of the rest of those little problems—"

"Good."

They froze and turned back to face Luffy, who had started pulling against the Marines' hold. Despite not accessing his Devil Fruit power, Luffy was still strong and could harness that strength into all his rage and sorrow, if only for the chance to finally crush the Ninja. With wide eyes and a snarl more animal than human, Luffy glared over at the Ninja.

Two years ago, after losing his beloved nakama and not being able to help them, this would be the part where Luffy would scream. He would toss his head back and cry out his rage and sorrow. He would punch the ground, feeling worthless.

As it stands, this loss was ten times worse than Sabaody. Worse than Marineford, even. This was seeing each member of his crew disappear, and knowing they can never come back. This was feeling Ace's blood seep through his fingers and hearing his voice for the last time. This was the hopeless realization of a loss that could never be recovered, the loss that he could never move on from. This was Luffy finally losing his true reasons for living, all a hundred times over. This is the part where Luffy should have absolutely broke—and in many ways, he had.

And yet, it's not two years ago.

"I'm glad you're letting me live," he said, his voice low but raw. "Because that will give me time to get myself out this mess, and to find you."

Something flashed through the Ninja's black and red eyes, a soft motion, a hint of vulnerability. Luffy further built his strength from it.

"Oh, yeah, Shinobi. These bastards can lock me in the deepest hole, can put me through all kinds of hell, but I will get out. And when I do, I will find you and I will destroy you. Until you are less than nothing."

The Ninja scowled, their hands clenched tight at their sides, but nothing could hide that hint of fear in their glare. Luffy looked them straight in the eye and growled out one last promise before he was finally pulled away:

"I will make you regret not killing me!"

Exeunt.

"You don't have to do this."

"Are you insane? After that stunt you pulled at the briefing?" Shikamaru crossed his arms, looking bored. "Couldn't let you upstage us like that. That would have been such a pain."

Hinata smiled, though her eyebrow was twitching. "It wasn't that impressive..."

"Was reckless though." Shikamaru sent her a sharp look, almost scolding. Much like how her teammates and teacher had looked at her. Hinata cringed at the memory.

"I know, I know—but you understand why, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. You want to get close to one of the patients, so you can find out where Naruto is."

Hinata nodded.

He raised an eyebrow. "And you think, what? That this Monkey D. Luffy—probably one of the most insane inmates in that damned hospital—is just going to hand you the answer?"

"..."

"You really didn't think this through, did you?"

Hinata glared. "I will come up with something! Besides, it's not like I'll be alone. Kakashi-sensei will be with me."

"Right—one of the only other people desperate enough to find Naruto, enough to risk whatever he has to," Shikamaru said. "I feel really confident for you."

She now understood why Ino and Temari smacked him around so much. Clenching her hands, Hinata just sighed.

"Look, this is the first real lead I've come across in months," she stressed the word intentionally, giving Shikamaru a look. "I will do whatever I need to see this through."

He frowned, then scoffed. "Whatever. I don't like it, but whatever."

For the next half hour, Hinata and Shikamaru continued sitting across each other in the truck, a heavy silence between them. As she watched her friend frown deeper in thought, Hinata felt a twinge of guilt—and not just for him.

"You're doing WHAT?" Shino had shouted when she told her teammates, his eyes going wide behind dark shades.

"Are you fucking nuts, woman?!" Kiba had added, sounding near feral. Akamaru was behind him, whimpering and barking out his worry.

And, oh, Kurenai-sensei's reaction:

"HIASHI, COME OVER TO MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW AND HELPME RESTRAIN YOUR DAUGHTER! SHE'S MAKING STUPID DECISIONS AGAIN—"

Yeaaaah, Hinata cringed. Initially, she'd thought her team was overreacting. I mean, really? How many stupid decisions had she made in her life thus far?

Other than not forfeiting that fight with Neji when she got the chance at the Chunin exams...

Or when she stood in front of Naruto during that fight with Pain, who she had no chance of beating, no matter what declaration of love she could make... (Not her proudest moment, needless to say.)

Or when she took that mission with Naruto and Sakura, and attempted to go toe-to-toe with a Devil Fruit User...

Hinata shuddered. Okay, so her friends had a point; she tended to be a little reckless and not make proper decisions when under some emotional distress. And she may have had one too many near death experiences, the trauma of which she might have heavily repressed by focusing on training and mustering the courage to at least be friends with Naruto—

"We're here."

She blinked, her heart pulsing. Already? She had to swallow into her now dry throat. Hinata did not feel ready.

Shikamaru stared at the door that would open soon. He didn't feel ready either.

"Showtime," he said anyway.

And despite everything, Hinata managed to steel herself and nod. "Let's go."

Notes:

So, why does this feel like filler?

Well, it is filler. With some hints of plot. I wanted to take this time to explore different perspectives from other characters, not just Hinata. Again, while this story covers mostly her point-of-view, this story is not just hers. And she is not necessarily the one narrating this story.

I also wanted to drop some hints/foreshadow for future scenes/plot points. It will all make sense eventually.

"They"?

There is a reason I am keeping the Ninja who betrayed the Straw Hats a secret. Part of that secret is purposely redacting their name, and hiding their gender. The only hint of their person is their Sharingan eyes. Take from that what you will.

Next time:

-Hinata gets a new roommate

-Creepy doctors/nurses

-Medications

-Shock treatments

-Luffy gets interrogated