Disclaimer: Both characters and series of Naruto entirely belongs to Kishimoto.
I want to thank Doggidoggi123 who has always supported me since I made an account. And for suggesting some of the best stories ever! Seriously guys, if you want any stories go to her - Doggidoggi123. She suggests the best stories, centering any Naruto couple.
Note: If you guys are confused in anyway, feel free to ask any questions. You could ask either in your review or PM me. I'll reply as soon as I can. Hinata will be quite out of character in this chapter.
Chapter 2
Hinata Joins the Rebel
"Took you long enough, Shikamaru. If I haven't known better, I would've thought that you were trying to make my back ache."
"Sakura Haruno, You're under arrest for betraying Konoha. I'll use force if necessary. Pick your choice."
"C'mon, Shika. Why are you so serious? Let's chat a bit!"
"Stop kidding around, Sakura. I'll use force if I have to."
"I'll? Don't you mean 'we'll'? Kiba, Shino, Hinata."
"…So, you found out…"
"Please, did you honestly think you can hide your chakra from me?"
"Tsunade-sama!"
The blonde-haired Hokage jumped at the sudden entrance of Naruto, but before she could shout at him for disturbing her –at three o'clock in the morning no less- she realized what he just yelled out.
"T-Tsunade…-sama? Are you okay, Naruto? The Uchiha didn't hit you too hard today did he?" Naruto growled but decided to let it slide for now.
"That's not important! Sak-"
"Naruto, if this is about not giving you higher ranked missions then I'm sorry, but waking me up at three o'clock in the morning won't change that."
"What? No! I'm not talking about that! Sakura-"
"Sakura scolded you again?" Naruto shook, his hand clenching and unclenching beside him. God damn it, woman! Let me speak! "Geez, that girl. She could at least learn to have some pati-"
"Sakura-chan left the village!" Naruto exploded, huffing angrily. Tsuande immediately froze and stared at Naruto.
"W-What…?" Tsuande whispered, wide-eyed.
"I said, Sakura-chan le-"
"I heard you the first time, boy!" Tsunade snapped, glaring at him. That's impossible. Sakura would never betray the leaf. It's her home, she grew up here! And last time she checked, Sakura was perfectly fine. She was smiling and doing her hospital duties like every day! What could have possibly made the young girl leave suddenly? Blackmail perhaps?
Glancing at Naruto's urgent and worried face, Tsunade grinded her teeth together. It was like Sasuke all over again!
But except this time, Tsunade mused angrily, we don't know where she was going and why.
"Alright, since you were the one who told me this, you know how long ago she left?"
"Uhh…I estimated it for around five hours ago or so," Naruto said thoughtfully. Tsunade nodded, grabbing a scroll and ink pen. Not breaking her gaze on the scroll, Tsunade barked at Naruto,
"Call Rookie 12. And when I say Rookie 12, I mean ALL of them. You guys are the best option for this kind of mission. They must be here in 2 minutes. If Sakura is really serious about this, we can't waste any time." Naruto nodded, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"This does not change anything, Sakura. It's either you come with us willingly or we'll- Argh!"
"What the hell?!"
"Who…!?
"I will use force if necessary, he said. Ha! Give me a break!"
"H-Hinata?!"
"You're mission is a retrieval mission. But be warned; this isn't like your everyday retrieval mission," Tsunade said seriously, looking at each member of Rookie 12. Though, she slightly narrowed her eyes at Hinata, who looked more nervous as each second pass. Shikamaru and Neji though were wondering why Sakura wasn't here, but brushed it off, thinking she was needed in the hospital more than in the mission.
"Listen up, and listen carefully. No one is to speak of this once outside of this office. Anything that I will say will remain in your heads and here, got it?" Hinata scratched her ear as everyone nodded. That didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru, Neji and Tsuande, who further narrowed her eyes at the Hyuuga girl. There is definitely something up.
"The person you are recouping is extremely dangerous and must be faced with extreme catioun, reason being she is considered a genius, easily rivaling your IQ Shikamaru, and very well informed about the human body, so well that she doesn't need a Byakugan to pin point where your chakra points are. Also, do NOT, and I mean absolutely NOT, underestimate your opponent. Many have faced the consequence of that. And do not make any unnecessary comments. Riling her up is something you don't want to do." Shikamaru narrowed his suspiciously. Easily rivaling his IQ, well informed about the human body, easily underestimated, and riling her up is a bad idea? He knows someone like that.
"Hokage-sama…Who is this person? If she is so dangerous, then why send all of us? It's too risky, don't you think?" Ten-Ten asked, crossing her arms.
"Because there would be a high possibility that she won't attack you guys. And even if she will, I doubt it will fatal." Tsunade shook her head before continuing,
"This mission will require all your attention and power. Failure of this mission is highly not recommended. It will lead to trouble that might even be more dangerous than the Akatsuki." Everyone, with the omission of Team 7 and Neji, gulped lightly. More dangerous than the Akatsuki?
"Or worse…if the Akatsuki finds out and tries to recruit this person. " Shikamaru glanced around the room, going through each member of Rookie 12 to Tsunade's desk. Giving it a look over, he could see some sakes bottles, unfinished paper works, and pictures of Shizune, her, and…
The gears started turning in Shikamaru's head and he widened his eyes.
"Hokage-sama…this person…" Tsunade sighed, almost sadly.
"I knew you would catch up, sooner or later. Guess it can't be helped…" Shikamaru's eyes widen further. She's kidding, right? They were retrieving-
"This retrieval mission is for-"
"Sakura Haruno."
"Yes, Kiba?"
"W-what are you doing!?"
"Are you blind? As you can see, I'm dramatically walking towards my best friend that you guys are supposed to be, and failing miserably, retrieving."
"You bitch, Haruno! What the hell did you do to Hinata!?"
"Me? What in world are you talking about, Kiba? I did nothing to Hina-chan."
"Naruto, Ino, Ten-Ten, and Suigetsu you will be Team A. You will head east. Naruto, you'll lead. Go." Naruto nodded before the said names disappeared.
"Kiba, Shino, Hinata, you're with me. We'll head north," Shikamaru said, watching as the names he mentioned went at the back of him.
"Sasuke, Sai and Karin, you will be Team C. You'll head west. Sasuke, you're captain."
"Juugo, Neji, and Lee, you will head south. It's a slim chance that Sakura is there but you two are powerful enough to do anything if she is there. Neji, you're captain." And with that, Juugo, Neji and Lee disappeared. Shikamaru nodded to his team before disappearing, as well.
"As captain of the mission, I want nothing but success, got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"I am quite confused, as well. As you can see, I am perfectly injury-free."
"Hinata, did you hit your head or something!? You're in the wrong side! Come back here!"
"I hit my head? You're the one spitting out nonsense."
"It's been seven hours Sakura left and it's been two hours since we left. Sakura would have probably stopped and camp somewhere. There's a possibility that she's still camping," Shikamaru said, slowing his pace 'till his teammates caught up to him.
"Here's the plan. Knowing Sakura, she would probably set up traps, if she didn't already, and try to put us in a genjutsu to manipulate us. If we ever trigger a trap, dodge right away, but don't drift away from the team, that would be her main goal. If one of us gets caught in a genjutsu, if not broken in two minutes then someone must break it for them." Shikamaru glanced beside him to check if they got the plan so far, and was satisfied with the nods they gave.
"If we caught up with Sakura, do not engage. Everyone must spread around Sakura, chakra hidden, while I'll face her head on. When I give the first signal, Hinata and Kiba, you will jump out. Shino, you remain hidden until the next signal."
"Hinata, they're coming. He was able to give them a warning."
"Wait, Hinata!"
"…You go ahead, Saks. I'll catch up."
"Alright…Be safe."
"Always."
"Naruto, it's alright. We'll get her back," Ino muttered, rubbing Naruto's back. Naruto nodded but remained silent. They were taking a short break, but Naruto didn't care if they were wasting time with each passing minute. He had a feeling Sakura wasn't in this direction anyway.
He's been thinking about the conversation he and Sakura had before she left. She said Karin stole everything away from her, but that wasn't true. Sure, Tsunade took her as an apprentice and trained her daily. Yeah, Karin trained with the team frequently, but that's because she's always busy in the hospital. She shops with Ino more, but that's because Sakura said she hated shopping. But now that he thinks about it…Karin has been spending more time with them than Sakura does. But, like he said, she as always busy in the hospital and with each meetings they have with her, Karin just filled in the pl-
Naruto tensed in realization.
She filled in the gap…that's it. She filled in the gap that Sakura left when she started to drift away. When was the last time he actually saw Tsunade train Sakura or even go for their annual drinking session? The day before Tsunade took Karin as her apprentice and that was months ago. When was the last time he –or the rest of the team for that matter- asks Sakura personally if she was busy? Karin would always say that she asked Sakura but she always declines it because she was busy. When did the lack of communication start? Just after Karin privately talked to Sakura all those months ago. Why did everyone suddenly start throwing sneering gazes and disdainful comments towards Sakura?
Because Karin fucking replaced her.
"Oh no you don't! Shino!"
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Fuck."
"You were with Sakura the whole time, weren't you, Hinata? You never intended to even capture her…"
"Oh Shika, you were always the hard one to deceive."
"So, Naruto. How'd you know that it was Sa-"
"That bitch!" Naruto growled out, his face furious. Ino jumped and took a step back.
"Wh-What?" Ino asked, her voice thoroughly surprised.
"That fucking bitch! She's the reason why Sakura started straying away from us in the first place!" Naruto punched the boulder forcibly making a few cracks appear. Ino just continued to watch as Naruto frantically punched the boulder until she saw blisters.
"Naruto, stop!" Ino yelled, grabbing Naruto's hands. Glancing at the scarlet stained knuckles, she glared at Naruto.
"What's wrong with you!?"
"No, Ino! What's wrong with us!? How did we not see it!? How did we not see all the lies!?" Naruto yelled back, snatching his hands back as his eyes flickered to a dangerous red.
"What are you talking about-"
"That stupid hoe, Karin! She fed us lies, Ino! Lies! And we ate it like a bunch of hungry wolves, not even bothering to check if there was poison! Damn it, how could I be so blind!?" A sob was heard as Naruto fell to his knees, while Ino stared at Naruto like he totally lost it.
"N-Naruto, you're not making any sense…" Ino whispered, falling to her knees in front of Naruto.
"You don't get it do you, Ino!? Didn't you notice how uncomfortable Sakura looked whenever Karin is around? Or the obvious fake politeness she uses when she talks to Sakura?! When was the last time we actually took notice of Sakura and hang with her?!"
"We can't, remember?! She will always decline, saying she was-"
"Busy? I doubt she's busy every fucking day, Ino. When would we know when she's busy or not? Because 'Karin-chan' said so!? Do we even know if what Karin is saying is really what Sakura said?!"
"But how did you manage to tell Sakura we were after her and our plan? You were with us the whole time…"
"Please, Shikamaru. You already have the answer. It's exactly like you said; I was with you the whole time!"
"…That time…that time in the office! When you scratched your ear! You had an earpiece, didn't you!?"
"Bingo, we have a winner!"
"Why would she lie in the first place!?"
"Because she wanted what Sakura had, Ino! Can't you see it!? When Sasuke returned, he paid more attention to Sakura than any other female. She was jealous, Ino! Didn't you ever wonder why Sakura suddenly stopped hanging with us after she talked with Karin?!" Ino bit her lip as her brain turned. It does make sense…
"K-Karin told me she wanted to ask advice, but Sakura denied her and said she will never be accepted in the village…"
"After that, she started hanging out with us, telling us great news like how Tsunade-sama accepted her as an apprentice but then she would add that she was worried because Sakura might become jealous. She said Sakura would say some hateful things to her, like how she was trying to fit in and she was stealing her play things…" Naruto shook his head. Just hearing it is already unbelievable. Then again, how come he never heard of it?
"You knew Sakura the longest, Ino…do you really think Sakura would say something like that?" Ino shut her eyes and shook her head. No, Sakura would never say something like that…So, why did she believe Karin in the first place?
"Not the Sakura I know…"
"Knew, Ino. We don't KNOW Sakura anymore…I don't think we ever did."
"Why are you guys doing this?"
"Mhmm…I don't know…Power?"
"…Bullshit."
"Eh, you're right. You should go ask Karin! Maybe she can fill you up on the details! But it will probably be useless, she could always say false things and you would believe her again."
"What do you mean 'again'?"
"Oppsie! Did I just say that out loud? My bad! I wasn't supposed to say that!"
"We've been running for hours, Shikamaru. I don't think Sakura is here," Kiba whined, Akamaru barking in agreement.
"We'll continue to search until one of the other Teams gives a signal that they found Sakura." Shikamaru quickly threw a glare at Kiba when his mouth opened. Giving a huff, Kiba crossed his arms while Shino and Hinata shook their heads at Kiba's childish actions.
Shikamaru, though, ignored him and was warily looking at their surroundings. He wasn't sure if his plan would work, considering the fact that he based his knowledge on the Sakura he used to hang out with. If she still is the same, which he highly doubts, then he still has his doubts. Sakura could be unpredictable when she wants to be.
"But, why are you guys still standing here? Aren't you supposed to head back to Konoha? You already failed the mission of retrieving Sakura anyway."
"…"
"Why the gloomy atmosphere, guys? Oh, right! Shika, you wanted nothing but success, I forgot. Oh well, we can't have everything we want."
"Well then, I guess we'll just have to make our own retrieval mission."
"Oh? Let me guess, you'll try to retrieve me?"
"Better than coming back empty handed."
"Please, you just made that mission up right now and you already failed it."
"Shikamaru, Sakura's chakra is up ahead," Hinata muttered, picking her speed so she could run beside her captain.
"Are you sure?" Hinata squinted.
"It's faint but I'm positive it's her." Shikamaru nodded, before throwing a look to his team. They nodded before disappearing. Shikamaru dropped to the ground and took a deep breath. After mentally and physically preparing himself, Shikamaru walked out from the trees.
"You seriously did not notice it? And you call yourself the captain!"
"Shikamaru…we're in a genjutsu."
"What?!"
"Hahaha! That's right! The moment you stepped into the forest, you were in a genjutsu. All you guys are. Sasuke didn't even bother activating his Sharingan! He doesn't know Sakura very well, does he?"
"You…You're not even here right now are you?"
"Nope! I was with you when we were at the gates but between the time when Kiba started to whine and you started snapping at him, I got bored and quickly left."
"That was an hour after we left."
"Was it? Oh well, it doesn't matter. I would really love to stay and chat with you longer, considering the fact that it would probably be the last until for…God knows how long, but Sakura hates waiting and I really want to keep my head attached to my body."
But true to Hinata's words, Sakura was there, leaning on a rather old oak tree. A black trench coat completely devoured her body, leaving nothing seen except for a few strands of silky pink hair and piercing emerald eyes.
"Took you long enough, Shikamaru. If I haven't known better, I would've thought that you were trying to make my back ache." Sakura said, pushing herself off the tree.
"Sakura Haruno, You're under arrest for betraying Konoha. I'll use force if necessary. Pick your choice."
"Shikamaru, she's making the fire seal!"
"Hinata-!"
"Remember to ask Karin, by the way! Or maybe even Naruto. It seems Lover boy figured it out. He even managed to convince Ino. Lucky him!"
"Hinata, don't you da-"
"Release!"
