halfdemon-kai – Hey everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you're all well since the last time this has been updated. Even though in this happy moment of the finally poster chapter 7, I have some sad, upsetting news. Undone-and-unlocked (formally known as ShiningSilver) has lost her interest in Naruto. She started chapter 7 because I kept nagging at her and she got halfway before giving it to me and saying 'it's up to you now'. Not in so many words… but still.

The duty of this fanfic being finished has fallen onto me. I know the path that Undone-and-unlocked wanted to take with this, I know what she had planned to happen, so it'll still be the same storyline and everything, just in different words. We have agreed on the ending too. So yay. Lol.

Even with this really long delayed chapter, and it being written at the end by someone else, we both hope that you still enjoy what you read. Thank you for reading and reviewing, it's appreciated. :3

Enjoy

Ringing of the Past


Hinata's P.o.v.

She watched the Uchiha quietly as his dark eyes assessed the enormous trap. He seemed unable to comprehend how it had got there. But then again, she was just as confused as him when it came to the matter.

Finally he lowered his gaze and turned to her. She shook her head worriedly.

"What should we do? R-report it to our sensei's? M-maybe even the H-hokage…"

His response came in the form of a stiff nod. "But we should do something first…"

Hinata eyed him worriedly, not wanting to have to stay near the trap any longer than absolutely necessary.

"Okay…w-what is it?"

His tone told her he was sure of himself. "We should spring it."

The Hyuga heiress' eyes widened in shock as she tried to frantically to protest to the insane idea. Why in the world why he want to do that?

"N-no…it's dangerous…"

He noticed her reluctance right away and his black eyes narrowed at the trap in front of him. "Think about it, what if we left this here and someone sprung it while we were away?" he told her flatly.

Immediately she saw his logic and felt stupid. Just because she was afraid and had run away without much thought about the aftermath, didn't mean he was going to lose his sense of priority. He was right… and in the long run it was a much better course of action.

"Y-yes…" she replied quietly, "You're right…I'm sorry…"

Sasuke turned his gaze to her, seemingly surprised even though his face remained blank.

"You're sorry?" he asked carefully, "What for?"

Hinata pushed her eyebrows together. "I just…d-didn't think it through…" she admitted while rubbing her hands together anxiously.

He let out the quietest of chuckles. "No you did. You're just not crazy…" he answered as he reached into his pouch and withdrew a shuriken.

She was barely able to hear his next words as the seconds ticked by and he observed the trap that lay dangerously dormant in front of them both.

"You're just not… looking for death…"

Her violet eyes widened as she comprehended what he said. Had she just heard that right?

'Looking for death? Don't tell me…' she wondered as she watched the stoic form of the avenger. He seemed so closed off….so….lonely.

"S-Sasuke-" she began but he cut her off.

"—Take cover. Now," he commanded as he readied the shuriken loosely between his fingers. "I won't be held responsible for any injury that comes to you…"

Hinata sighed quietly, feeling helpless like usual and retreated a few steps backward, behind the protection of a large tree.

"B-be careful…p-please…" she said, wringing her hands again, though she was sure she was supposed to have outgrown the stupid habit by now.

He nodded slowly, not looking back and she heard the distinct clinking of the shuriken as he prepared to launch it. His arm pulled back…

Suddenly - halting his throw - came a thundering sound of a bell, coming from the direction of the village. It's ringing pulsated around them both, causing her to jump and collapse her hands over her ears in frightened bewilderment.

'The village's emergency signal?' she wondered, allowing her eye to inch open.

What she saw was Sasuke kneeling on his knees, clutching oddly at himself, eyes completely wide.

"S-Sasuke…?" she murmured under the repetitive roar of the distant bell. He didn't seem to hear her though, or maybe he simply didn't care at the moment.

Shakily behind the tree and in confusion, her eyes swept to the trap, thinking that maybe he had accidentally sprung it and got himself hit…but the trap was still in tack…all the kunai still hanging silently.

"Ugh!" Sasuke choked, his pale hands now clutching at his own head, almost tearing.

Hinata's violet eyes went wide as she watched him.

He was so…frightened…?

"Sasuke…" she whispered in her own fear as she removed herself from behind the protective tree and moved over to his side.

"W-What's wrong…?" she asked nervously as her hand fell onto his shaking shoulder. How could a sound cause this within him? What touched him so deeply?

The moment her hand made contact with him, he stiffened and then jerked away –Sharingan suddenly piercing her.

She flinched too, and immediately pulled back in surprise. She shook her head imploringly at him.

"P-please! I'm not going to hurt you…" she told him quietly, trying to calm the suddenly overcome Uchiha.

He breathed deeply, his gaze wide and holding her own in terror.

'I've…never seen him like this…'

Suddenly - though his face didn't change - he spoke.

"T-they're coming!" he yelled, bordering on hysteria. She straightened herself slowly, trying not to startle him into attacking her.

"W-who?" she asked quietly.

"My brother… Itachi! The Akatsuki!"

She raised a hand to her mouth and jumped in immediate fright. There was no way that could be.

And yet somehow…she believed him. There was that undeniable terror in his eyes, that complete understanding of what was coming…and what was yet to come. There was no way to doubt that silent knowledge.

Suddenly she couldn't stop herself and she whirled, about to dash back to the village.

'They're in danger! All of them!'

A crushing hand grabbed hold of her wrist in a second flat, before she had even taken a step and dragged her back. Her eyes flicked to Sasuke's piercing red ones in astonishment. Why was he stopping her from rushing to her friends?

"Let go!" she yelled, surprised to find her own quivering voice unusually steady.

"No! What are you doing!?" he yelled.

"I have to go back! Tenten! Suzu! They are all back there!"

He was already dragging her against her will. "They are ninja too! They can take care of themselves! We have to get away from here! There is no time left!"

"W-what are you talking about? I need to—"

"You don't understand! We need to move now! That was the same bell that sounded when my family was massacred! Move!" he yelled and then suddenly her own dragging feet weren't enough to stop him from yanking her into a run.

"B-But we can't just leave them!" she cried, feeling the tears begin to well up in anxiousness.

"That bell sounds only in emergencies! It tells us stay away…I'm not…we're not strong enough to take them! Your friends will know what it means too! You'll just be in the way!"

She shook her head as she ran now, not believing that she was listening and following the crazed Uchiha through the shadowed forest.

"Why are…t-they here?" she whispered as the wind whipped through her hair, dried her tears.

"I don't know. My guess is that they want something," he trailed off harshly. "We can't fight them now though."

Regrettably, she agreed. She was not strong enough…not yet.

How did this playful game of capture the flag…turn into a horrifying version of cat and mouse?

Hinata followed the Uchiha as he led the way through the forest. He was going towards the outskirts of the village… away from her friends. She hated the idea that she was just leaving them, but she knew they were strong. They could handle escaping.

"W-what do you think they're after?" she asked as she followed after Sasuke.

She was a little behind him since he was so much faster.

"There's a reason," he stated flatly, "There's always a reason."

The bell was loud and it gave off a… frantic sound. Just by hearing it a person could hear the urgency. This was serious.

'I wonder what must be going through Sasuke's head…'

She could tell by his reaction to the sound of the bell that dark memories must have been running through his head. The massacre… his family's slaughter… What must that have been like? What must it have been like… to have nothing left but yourself?

Hinata's violet eyes dropped to a more solemn expression at the though. Sasuke wasn't the only one who that nothing left. Her ice haired friend was another.

'No wonder he looked so lonely…'

The Hyuga heiress picked up her pace. This was an urgent situation. There was no time for lingering thoughts.

"W-where are we going?" she asked as she closed the distance a little more.

"We'll go to the neighboring village for a few days," he explained, "We'll regroup before heading back."

She nodded her head. It sounded like a plan, and she hoped that her friends would have a similar one.


Tenten came out of the cave with the flag and her eyes widened slightly at the sound of the bell.

"Why would they sound that?" she wondered, looking around slightly with confusion.

She knew it wasn't the winning bell. She knew it was the village's emergency signal. Shaking her head slightly, she began walking to leave the area and the village.

She was tackled to the ground by someone and she looked up with furrowed brows. Why would the game continue if the bell was ringing?

"What are you-"

"You idiot," Neji's cold voice stated simply as his light eyes looked down at her.

She was pinned to the ground underneath him.

"What are you talking about?" Tenten asked, even more confused.

She hadn't done anything wrong.

"You almost walked right into a trap," he stated as he got to his feet, "You should watch where you're going from now on."

The brunette propped herself up to see what the Hyuga was talking about.

There was a ring of kunai in a full circle around the area; pointing directly to where she would have stepped. Neji had saved her life.

"Oh," she whispered, blushing slightly at her mistake.

"Come on," Neji stated as he turned to the direction to leave, "We have to leave the village now."

Tenten got to her feet and they both began running towards the neighboring town.

"What do you think is going on?" she asked with a cocked brow.

This had never happened before… not for a long time.

"Whatever's happening is serious. Fate has decided that this game has come to a tie and that it is to be delayed," he stated without looking back at her.

At Neji's words of a tie, Tenten's eyes looked to his side to see what he was talking about. There was the girl's team flag tied right to his side.

"I see," she smirked slightly, "I think you want a future challenge."

"I merely wish for a future victory."

Tenten smiled slightly at those words. Who knew, maybe she would get her chance to see how she would fair against Neji on real terms.


Hinata sat on the steps as she waited for Sasuke to come back. When they had arrived early in the morning, they had eaten before anything. There were a few people here from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sounding of the bell must have caused quite a scare in the village. The last time something like this happened… the third Hokage had been killed.

Footsteps walked around her, but she lifted her head when a group of feet stopped in front of her.

"Hey Hinata," Tenten greeted with a smile on her face and a small wave, "I was worried that something might have happened to you."

"T-Tenten!" Hinata exclaimed as she immediately hugged her friend, "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" the brunette asked with confusion.

"F-for not coming back to look for you," the Hyuga heiress said quietly.

"It's alright, we all got out safely," Tenten assured her, "Most of us are accounted for."

Hinata released her friend and looked up at her with confusion.

'Most of us?'

Sasuke returned to the stairs with his hands in his short's pockets.

"So you made it out too huh Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he ran to his friend's side.

"Can it Naruto," the Uchiha muttered with furrowed brows.

The blond made a face at Sasuke's comment, but didn't open his mouth. After being on Sasuke's team for so long, he learned that sometimes he had to keep his mouth shut.

Hinata looked at the group of her friends that stood in front of her. Tenten, Sakura, Shino, Neji, Gaara, Temari, Ino, Naruto, Chouji, and Shikamaru were all present. Her violent eyes turned to concern though when they landed on Shikamaru. Kiba was on his back unconscious and Akamaru was lying on Kiba's head. The small dog must have been as worried as she was.

Her eyes scanned the group again and she was confused when she didn't see her ice haired friend.

'Where is Suzu? Wasn't she with Kiba?'

"We have hotel rooms for a couple nights," Sasuke stated, "The guys can stay in one room and the girls in the other."

There were a few groans from the guys about having to share and the girls didn't have a problem.

Sasuke turned and left without a word. Then other people in the group split off; Shikamaru going to the hotel. Soon it was only Tenten standing with her and they both sat back down on the steps.

"What happened to Kiba?" Hinata asked with some confusion.

"I actually don't really know," Tenten admitted with a small shrug, "Shikamaru and Chouji were on their way after the bell went off and found him there with Akamaru."

Their eyes stared forward as different thoughts went through their minds. What could have happened?

'Then Suzu wasn't there…'

"Have you seen Suzu at all?" Tenten asked with a slightly cocked brow.

The Hyuga heiress looked towards her brunette friend with concern. The last time she saw Suzu was when she had been fighting Kiba.

"Not s-since she was fighting with K-Kiba," the small kunoichi said quietly, not looking away from her friend.

She couldn't hide the panic in her voice. If it had really been the Akatsuki and she had crossed paths with them...

"Me neither," Tenten murmured rather thoughtfully.

"S-Sasuke said it was the A-Akatsuki that attacked… What if Suzu came across them?" Hinata asked with worry.

She couldn't even believe the thought of it. It felt un-comprehendible.

Tenten's expression seemed be surprised with those words.

"S-she never was o-one to back down from a fight," the small Hyuga whispered, picturing it all in her head.

"Don't get ahead of your self Hinata," Tenten told her with a small smile, "Even if she did come across Akatsuki out there, there's no way that she would give up and die like that. She's strong, Hinata. She can handle herself on her own."

Hinata was welcoming the idea of that. How could she doubt a friend like that?

"She's probably back and waiting at the village already. We'll get to the gate and she'll be waiting there with that proud smirk of hers," Tenten laughed slightly.

Hinata smiled slightly at the idea, but she said a little prayer in her head just in case.

'Please Suzu… Please come home safe.'

End of Chapter 7

halfdemon-kai – So, was it alright even for its long delayed-ness? I hope it was. We both hope that you enjoyed reading, and I hope that you won't lose interest just because I'm writing it instead. My sincere apologies for the wait and any mistakes and for Undone-and-unlocked'sloss of interest in Naruto.

Please R&R and I'll be working on the next chapter once I get the chance. :3