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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters or some of the techniques used in this story.
The Runaway Ninja
Hinata is in love with Naruto and confesses to him but he rejects her. She escapes the village and comes back some years later. Her changes will shock all and make a certain someone hate her at first sight, but will it stay that way? Will this someone not fall in love with her later on? Read to find out!
Chapter Seven
-Hinata
Hinata stood in front of the forest about to step foot into it. She looked back at the house one more time and sighed, she looked up at the clouds and said a short prayer before she walked into what might be the place she will last see.
"Byakugan!" Hinata murmured as veins popped up around her eyes and inside her eyes. She kept walking cautiously, knowing Rin she probably already laid out some traps. Hinata only had one blind spot and she never told Rin about it, only way Rin could know is if she knew the Hyuuga secret which was not very probable. Many that know it don't dare say it to anyone else and take the secret to their grave.
Hinata walked silently not making any sound. Rin was no where to be seen, but that didn't mean that she was letting her guard down, she had to make a plan. Then it came to her, she could make replications of herself and at least attempt to fool Rin.
Something moved in Hinata's 360 degrees vision. Hinata looked closer, though she didn't make it obvious and kept walking, there high on a tree branch with binoculars was Rin looking straight at her.
Hinata needed a change of plans, now that she knew Rin knew her location she changed her mind. She would do a replacement jutsu and a shadow clone jutsu and then hide and wait for Rin to get distracted so that she could throw a kunai with an explosion tag attached to it. With that in mind she did the hand signs and whispered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." She took the only chance she had to replace herself before Rin could notice what was going on. Because of Hinata's good chakra control, the clones looked exactly like her no difference at all. One of the six Hinata nodded and then five of them dispersed in different directions to get to the mountain. While Hinata's replacement stayed there surveying the area.
-Rin
"Smartass," Rin murmured to herself as she saw five different Hinata's running toward the mountain. But then she noticed that one of the clones had stayed behind. She smirked and said, "Who would have thought she'd start with a plan so soon, she's got a sharp mind but she's going to have to do better than that." She then took out six knives and accurately threw them one at a time at all the Hinata's under her vision.
Rin chuckled as she saw the smoke the clones left behind, but then she heard a thud to her left. She turned to it and her eyes widened with shock as she saw a kunai with an explosion tag attached. "So this was her real plan," Rin said as she jumped away at the last minute only to have the branch she landed on explode making her fall down hard on the ground.
"Ouch, she's not hesitating at all. Maybe I underestimated her a little too much," Rin whispered before she stood up rubbing her head.
-Hinata
'Success' Hinata thought as she performed the shadow clone jutsu again and started to run toward the mountain. But the clones weren't just running toward the mountain, each clone was leaving some different kind of trap behind as they went. Some had explosion tags. Others were doing traps with wire. Hinata was also putting traps up and making sure to remember where she put each, for she'd have to know for when she came back down.
"I have to get as close to the mountain as possible before night falls, I'll have to travel during the night also," Hinata said to herself. Hinata stopped suddenly, there were wires on the ground. 'Traps' Hinata thought as she cautiously walked through the traps.
Hinata's foot caught onto something and Hinata looked back to see what it was. She gasped when she noticed some wires wrapped around her ankle. "But how-"
"You let your guard down Hinata. Why would you walk so easily into such a trap?" Hinata slowly looked up and saw Rin with a smile on her face holding onto some wires. Hinata gulped as she then looked around herself, there were explosion tags on every tree surrounding her.
"Now its time for a little payback. You almost got me with that little trick you pulled but now the cards are turned against you," Rin said as she pulled the wires. Hinata fell down hard on her back, she had fallen on the other wires activating the tags that were all around her. Hinata gasped and turned to stand up, but as she tried she noticed that she had her arms stuck in wires. She looked to where Rin had been and a horrified look appeared on her features as she saw that Rin had left.
Hinata looked from side to side and closed her eyes with a smirk playing on her lips. Rin fell for another one of Hinata's little tricks.
-Rin
Rin sat on a tree branch watching Hinata with a frown. "I don't I trained her good enough, now what will Tsunade say when I tell her she died?" Rin asked. Maybe Hinata hadn't been ready for something like this so soon, but she had shown so many signs that she was ready. Rin had given Hinata the room with all the books that were to train Hinata in situations like this and to inform her about skills that could be used by her enemies. She had trained Hinata as best she could for the few months that she was there, maybe she was just really a failure?
"No, she's not a failure," Rin said angrily to herself as she stood up ready to go and get Hinata out of that trap. "What the hell? Why is she smiling?" Rin asked herself as she stared at Hinata in disbelief. She's about to die and she's smiling!
"Because you fell for it again," someone whispered behind her. Rin whirled around in surprise. There on the tree was Hinata looking at Rin with a surprised look. "I'm no failure."
"You . . . " Rin growled angrily before she jumped at Hinata. How could she have fallen for this? It couldn't be, the Hinata she had trapped wasn't a clone. Rin gasped in surprise when her fist collided with Hinata's jaw. She went right through the puff of smoke that Hinata's clone had created as it died.
"What the-" Rin said as she landed softly on the ground. Something flew by Rin's ear making her look around herself. She growled angrily as she saw a knife on each tree surrounding her with an explosion tag. "Not again," she screamed before she started jumped away moments before the tags exploded.
-Hinata
Hinata looked behind her as she ran, it seemed that the clones she left behind did a good job after all. She chuckled and looked back at the mountain, if things kept going like this she could be able to reach it in one and a half day if she doesn't stop.
Training with Rin-san was a great idea. She would have never been able to do any of the things she had done that day had it not been for Rin. But the last trap she left for Rin had come out of the book she had finished reading the night before. It was a trap made to fool the opponent and give you time to escape.
If she had gotten this good in just a few months, how good would she be when her training was over?
A Year and Three Months Later
-Neji
Neji stared at the gates of the village one last time before he stood up abruptly. He was angry, really angry, Hinata had been gone for a year and three months now and there was no sign of her anywhere. Everyone had given up on her a long time ago the only people still believing that she would be back were himself and surprisingly Naruto. It was known by everyone that every day he would go to Tsunade's office and ask her to let him go search for Hinata only to be rejected by Tsunade.
But Neji was done waiting, he didn't want to wait a second more without knowing what had really happened to his cousin. He needed to know and he needed to know now.
He stalked toward the Hokage's office with a look that could kill. Everyone stepped out of his way as they walked, the Hyuuga prodigy had changed the past year, he had become colder and more distanced from everyone. There was not one person that understood him, except for probably Tenten who was the only person whom he really had conversations with.
"Neji! Neji what's wrong with you?" some called after him. He didn't bother to turn around since he already knew it was Tenten probably running after him. She had a knack for always being there when he was in a bad mood.
"Neji," she called again this time she was walking (jogging) beside him. "Neji what's wrong with you? Did something happen?" she asked with a worried expression. "No," Neji growled, he didn't want to be rude to her but right now all he wanted was to have a good and civilized conversation with the Hokage. Demanding her to let him go find Hinata and bring her back, and threatening to go anyway if her answer was no. He needed to know what had happened to his cousin.
"Is it Hinata? Do you know anything about her yet?" Tenten hit the right spot for him. The spot that Neji was most vulnerable in. "No, I don't, but I intend to find out right now," he said with a deathlike tone. Tenten froze as what Neji said sunk in her mind.
'Does Tsunade-sama know anything about Hinata? Is she hiding things?' Tenten thought as she ran to catch up to Neji again.
"Does Tsunade-sama know anything?" she asked him. Neji didn't stop or look at her his eyes were set on the Hokage tower and his mind determined to get his way.
"No, not that I know of. I'm planning on finding things out on my own, I don't care if she agrees with me or not," Neji said.
Tenten froze again this time with a smile on her face as she watched Neji's back as he made his way to the Hokage tower. So what he was really planning was to go find her, he was showing such emotions toward his cousin it was admirable. Many people wouldn't find that too surprising since they were cousins after all, they were family. But Tenten knew better, the Hyuuga's didn't bother with feelings toward each other, the only thing they cared for was power and rank within their clan. It would be really hard to find a Hyuuga like Neji or like Hinata.
"Neji wait up I'm going too," Tenten said as she ran to him. Neji stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at Tenten with a surprised look.
She took the chance and caught up with him. "I want to go find Hinata too, it's important to you, isn't it? Well I want to help you," Tenten said as she looked up at him. Neji looked down at her surprised, never had someone said something to him like that. No one but his cousin Hinata but he had refused her help when she had offered. And now he was regretting ever doing that because if he had accepted her help, maybe their relationship would have been different, maybe his words would have been strong enough to have made her stay.
He didn't want to make the same mistake, no one ever knew what fate was going to bring and he wanted to keep the people who were close to him, and right now Tenten was the closest he had to a real friend, or maybe she already was a real friend.
He looked at her one last moment before he nodded and made his way toward the Hokage tower again with Tenten walking beside him.
-Naruto
Naruto sat in front of Tsunade's office. He was waiting for her to give up and open the door to him like it was every morning. He still wasn't going to give up on Hinata, everyone else had but he wasn't. He didn't want to feel the feeling of guilt he felt every day he woke up. Knowing every day that it could be his fault that Hinata had disappeared.
"I'm still waiting here Granny! I won't leave until you open this door!" Naruto yelled.
"Naruto what is you doing?" someone asked from behind him. Naruto looked behind himself and noticed Neji and Tenten standing there.
"Waiting for Old Granny Tsunade to open this door so I can persuade her to let me go find Hinata-chan," Naruto said in a serious tone. Tenten smirked and Neji nodded before he walked toward the door and knocked.
"Naruto! For the last time I will not let you come in! Stop trying, you're getting on my last nerve," Tsunade's annoyed voice echoed down the hallway.
"It's not Naruto. It is Hyuuga Neji and Tenten," Neji said. A moment passed before they heard some foot steps and the door open.
"What are you guys doing here?" Shizune asked as she let them in, including Naruto.
"Tsunade-sama I am here to ask for your permission to go find Hinata. It has been over a year since she left and I need to find out if she is alive or dead," Neji stated as he stood in front of Tsunade.
Tsunade who was sitting down looking through papers looked up at him with a serious face before answering with a simple, "No."
Neji sighed and closed his eyes again before opening them. He was about to say something but Tenten beat him to it. "Tsunade-sama with all due respect but Neji-kun has the right to get this mission. He is Hyuuga Hinata's cousin and it's been over a year since her disappearance. Her family has the right to know if she is either dead or alive."
Tsunade looked at her with a severe look but Tenten didn't look away and instead just kept looking her dead in the eye.
"I understand what you're saying but her father is the only one with the right to look for his daughter, since he is the leader of the Hyuuga clan and the father of Hyuuga Hinata. I do not have to give permission to anyone else to look for her, if her father thinks that it is best to not find her than lets leave it at that," Tsunade said before she looked back down at her papers.
"Tsunade-sama I am not asking you to go any longer. I will go with or without your permission," Neji said as he turned around to leave followed by Tenten. But a wide-eyed Naruto just stared at Neji as if he had grown horns.
"Neji you do know that once you step out of the village you will get attacked by the ANBU and you will be considered a traitor of the village," Tsunade said as she stared at his back steadily. "Along with anyone else that goes with you," she added.
"That is the price I will pay to find my cousin, to me she is more important," Neji said as he started to walk away.
Naruto stared after him mouth agape. "Did, ... did that just happen?" he asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe his own eyes and ears.
"I believe it did, Naruto you're in luck then prepare your things. You will be granted permission to go find Hinata, with Neji Hyuuga being team leader. Tenten will be accompanying you also but I do not want you to say anything to them yet. I want to see if they would truly do as they said to go find Hinata," Tsunade said as she stared at Naruto dead in the eye.
"Finally Granny!" Naruto yelled as he ran out of Tsunade's office.
"Are you sure about this?" Shizune asked Tsunade. Tsunade turned to her and nodded. She had been waiting for someone to do what Neji just did for some time, she knew at the end it was going to be him doing it. Though he had taken a lot longer than she thought he would.
Tsunade sighed and looked out the window behind her. She had her doubts in Hinata's survival also, Rin could be really violent at times and who knows what she was putting Hinata through.
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There you have it! I hope you all liked it plz tell me what you think about the story so far!
