Hinata briskly walked home. Sakura had mentioned needing to gather some clothes from her house and had promised to come over later. This slight delay gave Hinata time to prepare the guest room—and more importantly, time to unwind from the day.
It was a cold night. Hinata shivered as a cold wind swept through the street. A painful memory flashed before her eyes
It had been a cold week in Konoha; Naruto had told Hinata not to come with, but the young Hyuuga had resisted his urging, telling him he was more important than temperature. She could be stubborn sometimes. They kept their date.
There were no clouds in the sky; it was a night with no moon and the stars stretched out in the heavens gorgeously bright. A couple sat alone on a hilltop, almost a mile away from the hidden city of the leaf. They weren't doing anything; just sitting, staring up at the sky, gazing at the countless stars that glimmered above.
A breeze ruffled through the trees from the North. The brisk wind chilled the Hyuuga heiress as she sat next to her love; she was unable to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine as he put this coat on her, smiling as he lent the warmth to her for a while.
Suddenly, Hinata was back in the present, only half-aware of the tears openly running down her face. What'll I do without him? she despaired momentarily, hesitated on how to overcome her horrifying thoughts.
She pushed the idea away. Now was not the time for that. She still had much to do at home before her guest came. She walked up her front steps and inserted the key into the lock, swinging the door closed behind her as she stepped across the threshold.
Her trained senses were instantly aware of the foreign presence in the room. Her hand flew to her kunai pouch, quickly drawing a blade as she activated her byakugan. She glared in the direction of the chakra she could now see.
"Impressive, Hinata-chan; Naruto would be glad to know that you were prepared for an ambush." A dark figure rose from the sofa, walking towards the widow. There was something familiar in his voice, but Hinata didn't recognize it. A few more steps and her assailant would be in the moonlight. She gasped as she saw his face.
For there, standing in the moonlight, hair blowing softly across his face was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.
"S-Sasuke-kun!!!"
He remained silent in a very Sasuke-like manner. This was definitely no henge.
"Sasuke-kun, why are you here? Does you wife know? Do you know about her pregnancy?" her voice was full of curiosity, excitement, happiness, and…hope?
Sasuke smiled. Not smirked. The man actually smiled at the subject of his wife and unborn child. "Hai. I know about Sakura. No, she doesn't know I'm here; and you will not tell her."
"Why should I not tell her that you're here?" Hinata questioned accusingly. Sasuke's smile faded, his tone became serious.
"Because I cannot stay; I have to return to battle, and I don't want to hurt her. I merely came to clarify some things with you."
Hinata's eyes fell. "It's about Naruto, isn't it?"
He nodded, his eyes sober. "Yes, it is. Hinata, I don't have time to answer your questions—I know you have many. All I can do is tell you what happened from my perspective. I cannot promise accuracy or insight; I was engaged in my own fight at the time. Yet I can tell you at least the major events up until Naruto went missing."
Hinata nodded, bracing herself as Sasuke began his monologue:
"Hinata, as you know, this war is going badly for Konoha. Despite our numerous allies and skilled shinobi, we are suffering great losses. Many of our allies have withdrawn support. The Kazekage began having trouble with his people when they began rioting for peace. He has been forced to temporarily withdraw open support. A choice that Naruto supported—he refused to put his friend in a position that would make him take sides between his people and his allies.
"Secretly, Gaara has been sending us much-needed supplies, both medical and otherwise. We have enough rations to supply our ninjas; yet we don't have enough ninjas to support our cause. Our enemy is not skilled in warfare; yet they come from a much larger country, and can afford to waste the lives of their soldiers. We could not; and Naruto refused to do so.
"Things were beginning to worsen, gradually. The number of skirmishes escalated and our casualties increased; the brief respite last month proved to be nothing more than preparations on their side. In our moment of weakness, the enemy revealed their greatest weapon. They brought forth the jinchuuriki they were hiding. In it's released form.
"Many people died. Good men; good shinobis—the beast slaughtered them all and all we could do was await Rokudaime's presence. By the time he had arrived, we had lost almost a whole unit.
"Naruto had to play the hero. He ignored the danger and approached the enemy single-handedly. I should've helped him, but the enemy on the ground was doing a good job distracting my men and myself.
"It was Naruto who discovered that the seal withholding the beast had not been broken; he fought the beast using his best jutsus; as you know, he can no longer access the Kyuubi's chakra without repercussions. There was a resounding explosion. When the dust settled, all we could see was the figure of a young girl lying on the ground. The surviving enemy soldiers either fled or were captured. The child was taken for immediate medical attention and a search was called for Naruto.
"Upon further examination, it was revealed that the young girl was in fact the jinchuriki. She is currently under your cousin's watch. Do not worry, I have asserted that she is not to be harmed or mistreated in any way, and I trust Neji to obey my orders.
"The search was futile; panic spread on the morning of the third day since Rokudaime's disappearance. There was no trace of the hokage; ANBU looked in the surrounding woods, and came back empty-handed. I searched for a clue in the field as well as in his personal belongings—all I found was the note Sakura gave you. All I can say for sure is that Naruto was in a large-scale battle with a biju. If he survived the battle, he is in a very bad position for he is either in enemy territory or else he is in the wilderness."
Sasuke concluded his narration. Hinata looked at the ground, overwhelmed at the scale of these events. "I see," were the only words she could say in response as tears threatened to spill from her eyes for the fourth time that day.
"Hinata-chan, those are the only facts I know. But I have known Naruto for many years; he is my closest friend. I do not believe that a mere biju could keep him from his wife. That is my opinion," he said in an effort to console the distraught woman.
Hinata began sobbing. Sasuke heard a sound in the street.
"Hinata, I must go; I'm sorry that I could do no more."
With that, the shinobi vanished, gone in an instant, just as his wife Sakura walked in to find her best friend lying on the ground, sobs racking her small frame.
"Hinata-chan?!"
The cold night was long indeed as Sakura tried to comfort her friend.
A/N: er...well...you know the drill; if you like the story, review so I'll update sooner.
Next chapter one-word preview: casualties.