Yo!! SUP?? Hi!! Emichii here!! Thanks for all your reviews!! They're all really awesome!! Here's chapter 2!! Please read and review!!

Don't own Naruto.

Chapter Two: The scroll

THE NINJA MISSION ASSIGNMENT

Your ninja mission is in two parts.

The first part:

You must take this scroll to the Sound Village Otokage. You cannot look at the scroll yourself and no-one can see it but him.

Ninjas from other villages, rogue ninjas and other ninjas will do anything they can to get their hands on this scroll. You must protect it no matter what.

YOU CANNOT LET ANYONE ELSE TAKE IT, SEE IT OR TOUCH IT.

In order to protect the scroll, it might even come that you'll have to SACRIFICE yourself for it. Even so, the scroll and the fate of this mission rests in your hands.

This is only the FIRST PART. The second part cannot be revealed until you are in a safe place in or near the Sound Village.

In Konoha, it was a sunny day with plenty of good weather ahead. Sunlight was filtering through the leaves. Hinata stood in a clearing, waiting for Sasuke to turn up.

Some of the other Konoha ninjas were standing around too, chatting. They were there to wish Sasuke and Hinata all the best on their "super dangerous mission".

"Remember to eat lots of ramen!!" Naruto said seriously to her. "Ramen is good for your body and your brain and your ninja skills!!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, Naruto! I can see where your brains came from!"

"No!! It's true!! Believe it!!" Naruto argued.

A small sweat drop ran down Hinata's face. "Eh heh heh…" she giggled nervously.

Just then someone placed a hand on her shoulder. Hinata almost jumped out of her skin.

"…it's just me, Hinata," Shino said.

"O-oh!" Hinata was embarassed. "Shino-kun… um…"

The ninja with the dark glasses looked around. Then he narrowed his eyes (although no-one could see) at Hinata. "I just wanted to say, watch out."

"Huh?"

"This is an incredibly dangerous mission. I don't know why they sent you on it. But I guess they tried to make sure you'd be okay, by sending Uchiha with you."

"Y-yeah…" Hinata stared at the ground.

"Well, good luck then," Shino said.

"Thanks,"

Just then, all the chatting and talking between everyone stopped. Everyone was quiet.

Uchiha Sasuke had arrived.

Sasuke had the normal dark expression on his face and the normal death glare that easily chilled weak people to the bone. Immediately, Hinata felt herself shrinking under his stare.

Why… does Uchiha-san's being seem to bear so much… animosity? She wondered.

Sasuke couldn't stop his automatic glaring. Whenever he saw that girl, it was as though he wanted to shoot eyebeams at her or something. Sasuke grunted. Hinata is such a loser.

Sakura broke the awkward silence by bursting out, "Oh, Sasuke!!"

Immediately, she ran towards him, only to be stopped by an extremely annoyed Ino.

"Get out of the way, Ino!!!" Sakura shouted.

"No way!!" was Ino's reply.

Sasuke barely gave them a second glance. He moved past all the other ninja that were their age, not even looking at them. Even though everyone had been there just to wish them luck on their journey, Sasuke didn't give a damn.

Choji and Shikamaru glared with hatred at Sasuke. Choji didn't stop stuffing his food down his throat while he talked. "He should at least be grateful we came here just to see them off."

Shikamaru agreed wholeheartedly, "Man, Uchiha's so up himself. We dragged ourselves here so early in the morning and he treats us like he doesn't want us here."

Sasuke ignored everyone's whispers and hushed conversations. He was just in a rush to get out of Konoha and away from all these annoying fellow ninjas who kept going on about what they thought about him.

He kept walking towards Hinata. He still couldn't stop the glaring hatred in his eyes.

Everyone was watching except for Sakura and Ino who were still arguing.

Sasuke stopped in front of Hinata. He had a scroll that Lady Tsunade had given him securely in one hand. All his other gear was in a backpack casually hanging over one shoulder.

"Let's go already!!" He said.

"Ahh, but… everyone's come to say goodbye to us…!" Hinata started.

"Exactly. Let's get out of here now."

Sasuke started walking away. Hinata hurried after him, calling, "But Sakura-san still hasn't had a chance to say anything to you!!"

"I'm not about to give her a chance." was his harsh reply.

Hinata could only follow Sasuke hopelessly.

Hinata's teammates watched them go.

Kiba seemed to be trying to send telepathic messages to Hinata, because he didn't get to tell her before she left. Kiba was pissed off with Sasuke who was being an ungrateful idiot.

Damn that Uchiha…! I'd really prefer Hinata went with someone else or not have to go at all!!

When Hinata and Sasuke were out of Konoha, Sasuke gave out a tiny sigh. He was relieved to get away from the other ninjas. He turned around and scowled at Hinata. "Hurry up! How slow do you walk anyway?"

"Ahh… I'm sorry, Uchiha-san!!" Hinata gasped.

They had been walking in silence for a while now.

It was really awkward, especially for Hinata. She could easily tell that Sasuke greatly disliked her with a huge hatred and he certainly didn't want her around. But she was glad he wasn't saying anything.

Finally he spoke: "Listen, Hyuuga-san, I'm not very good at working together with other people so you should just do what I say, okay?"

"H-hai!"

Sasuke made an annoyed face. For heaven's sake, why must she always stutter and talk like that??!? And I'm stuck with her for this whole mission??!?

From the trees and bushes around them, two ninjas were watching. One of them held up a kunai knife and grinned at the other one. "It's been so long since I last killed someone."

"Hm, I agree." The other one replied. He spied the scroll Sasuke had in one hand. "That's the scroll, right?"

"Yep."

The ninja rolled his eyes. "What were they thinking, sending a bunch of teenagers on a mission like this??"

"Aw, who cares? They look weak anyway. Especially that one with the violet hair. I guess it just means more rubbish lying around. Dead bodies, to be precise."

"Let's just go kill ourselves a couple of weak ninjas. And get that scroll!!"

Sasuke suddenly sensed something. He immediately spun around and whipped a kunai knife out of his pack and a couple of shurikens as well.

"U-Uchiha-san??" Hinata looked shocked.

"Shut up!!" Sasuke cried. "Can't you see we're gonna be attacked?"

Hinata immediately froze up.

Just then, two ninjas jumped down from the trees. Sasuke was immediately on guard and Hinata tried her best to be ready.

For crying out loud, Sasuke thought in annoyance as he glanced at Hinata, she's such a weakling I'm just gonna have to do everything by myself! But… He was still holding the scroll in his right hand. I could do this all faster if I didn't have to look after this at the same time.

Sasuke gripped the scroll, turned around in a blur and passed the scroll to Hinata. Hinata held the scroll tightly with both hands and she looked scared to death.

What do you want me to do with it?!? She was crying out in her mind.

Sasuke sent her a message with his eyes. Crap, like DUH, look after it!! Obviously it's not like you're gonna be fighting or anything!

Hinata held the scroll tightly. The two ninjas that had jumped from the trees were standing in front of Sasuke. One of them said out loud, "Well that was stupid, boy. Just give the precious scroll to the weak girl, huh?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Oh crap! Why does she have to be so damn useless?!??

The other ninja quickly appeared in front of Hinata.

"Don't worry, it will be a fast death. But I'm not going to make it painless."

Hinata was scared out of her wits. But she was a ninja!! And she was not going to let these ninjas take the scroll. She had trained so hard so that she could fight!! And even if she wasn't strong enough, she would protect the scroll with everything she had!!

Sasuke knew he'd made a mistake entrusting the scroll to Hinata.

"FIREBALL JUTSU!!" He yelled, quickly making handsigns and then shooting fire at the ninja in front of him. The ninja barely escaped, but without getting scorched quite badly.

The scorched ninja glared at Sasuke. I had no idea that was coming! He could see Sasuke running towards Hinata and the other ninja. I might be burnt a little, but you're not getting away with that!! He sent heaps of needles flying at Sasuke's unprotected back.

Hinata was trying to get away from the ninja chasing her. She just looked back and saw the needles flying at Sasuke.

"Uchiha-san!!! Look out!!"

Sasuke turned around just in time and managed to dodge a needle, but all the rest came flying it and hurting him all over the back and on his cheek.

Sasuke swore under his breath. He glanced at Hinata, who was getting beaten up by the other ninja. Sasuke ignored the pain from his wounds and tried to get over to protect the scroll.

"Stay where you are!" The partially burnt ninja yelled, sending two kunai knives flying at Sasuke. They pinned him back against a tree behind him.

Hinata was still holding the scroll as hard as she could. She was exhausted and sweating.

The ninja after her suddenly threw a whole handful of shurikens at her. One of them knocked the scroll out of her hands. The scroll fell and hit the ground hard.

Sasuke used a substitution jutsu and started racing for the scroll.

The ninja with the burn marks on his clothes used flash-step to get to the scroll. Just when Sasuke reached it and bent down to get the scroll, the un-burnt ninja was doing hand-signs super fast.

"It might destroy the scroll, but if it will destroy you too, you brat, it's worth it!!" He shouted.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Noo! Hinata immediately darted forward. I-I've got to protect the scroll!! And Uchiha-san, he'll get hurt!! Aarghh!!

A huge explosion erupted. Smoke was clearing. Sasuke and the other two ninjas were standing in anxiety, waiting to see what happened and who was still standing. Just then, Sasuke realized that Hinata was gone!

The smoke finally cleared and Sasuke's eyes almost fell out of his head. Hinata coughed and groaned in pain. She was on her knees, in front of the scroll. Sasuke suddenly understood what had happened.

At the last moment, she had thrown herself in front of the blast, kicked Sasuke out of the way and tried to grab the scroll and escape but since there was no time, she just endured the blast to protect the scroll.

Hinata was coughing out blood and her left arm and her back were dripping with blood. Her normally pale skin was bruised and cut, dyed red with the blood. Hinata trembled. She reached with shaking hands for the scroll behind her.

Sasuke was shocked and taken aback. She threw herself in front of the attack?? She let herself get pulverized just to protect the scroll… and she- she… she kicked me… out of the way?!?!!

Hinata… you… you dumb, stupid fool!!!

That's all for now!! I actually planned this chapter to go for quite a lot longer but well… this chapter is already quite long, so the plot will just have to continue next chapter!! Thankyou for reading!! Please review!!