Fireflies lit up the night sky in Konoha. Merchants were busy catering to the late evening crowd as it was the beginning of a weekend. Many folks were out celebrating as the Academy had just graduated several students that day; there were now more Genin on the roster however because of the crisis out West, many would not get in groups of three until there were enough sensei's to go around.

Japanese lanterns lit up the village and even the Hokage contributed to that as well with her office still lit up as bright as the moon. For the past few weeks, Tsunade had been working later and later than usual. Especially with Shizune preoccupied with tracking Kabuto, it meant more work for her. With several scrolls strewn across her desk, she tried to concentrate on finishing up a few reports before she called it a day.

Everything was quiet in the building expect for the occasional yawn from Tonton, but something caught her attention. There were swift footsteps heading down the hallway and her stomach dropped. Something is wrong…

"Tsunade-sama!" A masked member of the ANBU burst into her office and quickly shut the door behind him. Tsunade couldn't help but feel nervous.

"What is it?" She asked quietly before dipping her brush into the ink bottle. Even though the moon was shining brightly and the village was at peace, everything surrounding them was crumbling. Kabuto was doing a fine job of making things uneasy, just as Orochimaru had done. He wasn't someone to underestimate; Kabuto didn't have the same effect as his former leader but he was more clever and sneaky. This was making Tsunade on edge more than usual.

"It's Kensaku-san." The ninja said, his voice failing to stay emotionless. Flashes of the gruesome scene played out in his mind as he looked down at his feet. "What was left of his body was found up north…"

Tsunade stared hard at him. The grip on the brush was beginning to strain it until it snapped in between her fingers. That's impossible… I just received a mission request from him yesterday… Her eyes suddenly got wide and a series of curses exploded in her mind. No… No!

"What is the latest status report of Kabuto out west?!"

"From what Kiba sent earlier, Kabuto's presence is very strong but he is untraceable… As soon as they get close to the source, it simply vanishes." He said. Tsunade tossed what was left of her ink brush and let her head rest on her hand. That jutsu was forbidden... Kabuto had left his ghost, basically, and it was very possible he wasn't even there anymore.

"Damnit… I need a team sent out to Nachi immediately! There is a high chance that Kabuto is there… and in disguise. How quick can you get there?"

"Nachi… we can be there by mid-morning." The ANBU said. Tsunade cursed again and closed her eyes. That wasn't soon enough. Kabuto wasn't wasting any damn time... he was determined to get his hands on the Byakugan. Tsunade already figured why, as well, as it must have something to do with the late Orochimaru.

"Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke were sent on a mission there. They should be back by tomorrow but if my gut is telling me right… Hinata is in danger."

"I will gather a team and we will leave immediately." And with a flash, the ninja disappeared. Tsunade could feel her blood boiling in her body. She slammed her shaking fist down onto her desk sending splintered wood flying and tearing up her scrolls.

"Damnit… Kabuto. I swear on Dan's grave… if you as much as touch Hinata, I will kill you myself." She murmured through gritted teeth. Damnit…damnit…damnit…

Neji was almost killed in the process of getting the Byakugan cut from his eye. If Guy hadn't gotten him to Konoha when he did, Neji surely would have lost too much blood. The only thing offering her some relief was knowing that Sasuke was with Hinata… but he wasn't one to think of anyone but himself. Kabuto was a former 'comrade' as well so this predicament was not good… not good at all.

Tsunade stood up from her desk suddenly and ran from her office. The clicking of her heels echoed through the hallways while a bead of sweat traveled down her cheeks. Her destination was the messenger room, full of birds that were trained to travel long distances to deliver information to Konoha ninja. She only hoped that she could get the word to draw back the several ninja who were stationed towards the west in time.


Sasuke could feel a pair of eyes on him. Realization of this caused him to sit up immediately and his eyebrows furrowed. With a frown he rubbed his forehead. He wasn't supposed to fall asleep; his plan was to stay up most of the night to make sure those suspicious feelings he felt earlier with Kensaku weren't just feelings. He ignored her.

"D-Did you sleep okay?" Hinata's soft voice filled the air and sent an unexpected chill down his spine. He knew she was awake, watching him, and observing him, but for some strange reason, her voice was very comforting and almost had a soothing tone. Knock it off… He felt frustrated with his feelings again.

"Nn." Sasuke grunted and ran a hand through his messy bed-head hair. He was specifically ignoring her because of his assurance to her that she wouldn't have to worry about relieving him of his watch last night. More importantly, Sasuke had dreamt of her and that was unacceptable to him.

Hinata still sat on the bed with her knees at her chest in a slight hug. Ever since he had held her in his arms last night, she found it difficult to fall back asleep. Her mind was confused at the intimate touches and her cheeks even grew rosy just at the thought. No one had ever held her like that and she only ever dreamt about it with her blonde haired love. Of course at her age, it was long overdue to start addressing not only her feelings but as well as her womanly hormones. Sasuke was a very handsome man but she was still very modest.

Sasuke stood up and his eyes caught her gaze. He looked away quickly and knelt to roll up his sleeping bag. Hinata chewed on her bottom lip and debated on asking about his dreams from last night. The whimpering and unrecognizable words worried her, of course. Her eyes watched the way his eyebrows furrowed and how every so often he would shake the hair from his eyes as he rolled his bag up. Hinata decided his mood wasn't the greatest at this particular moment, so instead she began to run her fingers through her long hair.

A knock at the door caused Hinata's shoulders to tense up and Sasuke stood up irritably. He crossed his arms and put a firm foot in front of the door to ensure some privacy.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked dryly. There was a moment of silence.

"Good morning. I have some tea brewing along with some breakfast before you leave." Kensaku seemed awfully cheerful which was like nails on a chalkboard for Sasuke. His gaze shifted over towards Hinata who was finishing up a braid.

"We need to leave now." He said after hearing Kensau's footsteps walking away from the door. Hinata frowned as she swung her legs over to touch the floor.

"O-Okay… Um. Sasuke-kun?" Her fingers fidgeted in her lap. Sasuke ignored her, but that was usual for him. As long as an icy glare wasn't shot her way, she was all in the clear to continue.

"Does Kensaku bother you?"

"I don't trust him."

"Oh. Well, Tsunade-sama said he was an ally, so I wasn't sure." She murmured before standing up and smoothing out the covers on the bed.

There was a strange silence that followed. Usually their quiet moments were fine and both never seemed to think much of them however it felt almost awkward. Hinata's mind raced with problems back home and with the events of the past few days. Sasuke's remained at a standstill; he was constantly double-checking everything to make sure that this mission went by as smooth as possible.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he just wanted to show the Hokage that any mission came easy to him or if it was just keeping the Hyuuga girl safe. It was something that weighed on his shoulders as they headed out to leave. Kensaku was still sitting on the tip of his tongue; the flaming red hair and deep green eyes were usually something Sasuke would remember about a certain person. He was coming up on a blank.

"I've decided to go to Konoha with you." Kensaku said as he rested a bag on his shoulder. Hinata stopped pulling on her shoes and something about that didn't seem right. Sasuke, who had been waiting near the door, shot him a glare.

"Why?"

"Well, if Kabuto is out west, it will be easier for me to get to him by going through Konoha." The man said while his eyes twinkled. Hinata's gaze hovered over in Sasuke's direction and she could tell he wasn't thrilled at the idea.

"No." He simply said while his arms crossed his chest. Kensaku smiled politely and lifted a finger to scratch his cheek.

"I really won't be of any trouble." The man walked over towards where Hinata was sitting and knelt down. "Hinata-san… didn't you say you were in charge?"

Hinata felt her cheeks get pink and didn't dare look over at the Uchiha. She could already feel his piercing glare at her. He would be furious if she stepped on his toes however… Hinata couldn't say no either.

"W-Well. I mean…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to calculate a response that would please both men.

"Fine. Just mind your own business." Sasuke spoke up before she had a chance. Hinata could feel Kensaku's breath down the back of her neck and she immediately stood up and brushed some dust from her pants. Kensaku licked his lips as he watched her before standing as well.

"Of course, of course… you won't even know I'm there."

Hinata felt uneasy so she began to fidget with loose strands of hair around her face. She recalled earlier that morning when she handed him the scrolls. His interest in them was surprisingly low; instead he asked her questions about the Hyuuga clan. It was painfully awkward to explain to him that even though she had been the heir, it was given to her younger sister instead. Kensaku would stare into her eyes with such curiosity that it made her feel uncomfortable. Hinata felt much safer knowing that Sasuke was near her.

The weather just outside of Nachi was humid and warmer than Konoha. They had received rain over night which left them with muggy conditions that morning. Hinata could feel sweat forming underneath her bangs and every so often she would see a bead roll down the bridge of Sasuke's nose. He would ignore it, of course, just as he did everything else.

Kensaku was quiet; he walked slightly behind them until Sasuke requested he walk ahead of them. Sasuke's voice was sharp and cautious which caused Hinata to tighten the grip on the straps of her backpack. Something about this made her extremely nervous, but it at least gave her and Sasuke something in common—Kensaku was the odd man out in their group.

The man was hesitant to comply, but Kensaku did trudge on ahead of them. It gave Sasuke the opportunity to switch his Sharingan on and take a quick peek at what the bounty hunter was hiding. Hinata glanced over at him.

"Sasuke-kun…?" She said as quietly as possible. Sasuke was silent in disappointment, noting nothing out of the ordinary.

"I know him from somewhere." He mumbled as his reddened eyes dulled to their usual darkness.

"H-He seems very polite…but." Hinata whispered while her fingers curled in front of her lips. "He asked me a lot of questions this morning while you were packing."

Sasuke's eyes never once left Kensaku as he walked casually in front of them but he was curious when she told him that. What made that man so interested in the Hyuuga?

"What did he want to know?"

"J-Just about my father… and I told him about how Hanabi was now the leader." Her voice was low to begin with, but Sasuke heard a slight twinge of sadness in her tone.

"I don't want you talking to him." Sasuke suddenly said. Hinata felt her cheeks go red in embarrassment. Anyone else might have found it touching that the cold-hearted Uchiha was showing some feeling, but it only reminded her of the way her father treated her. She went silent, but Sasuke didn't seem to notice or care.

The day seemed to trudge on; the humidity lifted the further they traveled from Nachi. Sasuke kept a firm eye on Kensaku, who was relatively (and unusually) quiet throughout the day. In fact there was little said even between the two Leaf ninja. He thought back to the dreams he had last night. The question of why any of it was relevant was something that kept coming up. Kabuto had his sights set on the power of the Byakugan and there was the danger of Hinata being out in the open. Why did it matter to him? Why did he feel the need to protect her? It offered him nothing.

Sasuke would have continued to question this but Kensaku stopped walking in front of them. Sasuke's hand snaked back to the sword sitting in its sheath behind him. Hinata watched the wind blow Kensaku's bright hair and it brought on an eerie sight.

"We aren't stopping." Sasuke said with a flat tone. Kensaku kept his back to both Konoha ninja before chuckling.

"Sasuke-kun… you're still as demanding as I remember." His voice was quiet but each word he said sent a shiver of terror through Hinata's body like shock waves. Her knees began to tremble and she stood frozen. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as that sentence seemed to shake his memories loose. His face remained expressionless while his grip tightened on the handle of his sword.

"Kabuto." Sasuke growled. That name alone was enough for Hinata to fall to her knees in pure fear. Normally this was unlike her; she was a trained ninja who was willing to give her life up in a moment for her village. However, over the years, her confidence sank especially after her clan was taken from her. If she wasn't good enough for the Hyuuga's what made her good enough for Konoha?

Kensaku disappeared in a puff of smoke and the gleam from Kabuto's eye glasses flashed in the midafternoon sun. He turned to face them with a hand resting on his hips. The polite smile from Kensaku remained on his lips and it caused a rush of adrenaline to surge through Sasuke's body. This feeling… The feeling of battle was amazing. He hadn't felt such a thing in weeks, if not months. This was who Sasuke was—a horrible monster born to kill. He wasn't someone that could sit still at a desk…or hold a frail woman in his arms to soothe her fears.

"It's nice to see you… how long has it been?" Kabuto asked thoughtfully. Sasuke remained still just waiting for the right moment. He should have known from the get-go; Kensaku's familiar mannerisms weren't of any bounty hunter he had ever come across. Word around town was the real Kensaku was someone to be fearful of and rarely showed any kind of hospitality. Kabuto frowned at Sasuke's lack of response and tsked him.

"Sasuke-kun… I assumed that after spending time with such a nice young woman you might have learned some manners." Kabuto said, his friendly smile curling into a menacing smirk. Hinata trembled, her light eyes staring straight at the rogue ninja in front of them. Hinata… get up. What would Father think? She could feel tears forming behind her eyes and she tried to wish them away. I have to do something…!

"What do you want with the Byakugan?" Sasuke asked, taking a step forward. Kabuto shrugged his shoulders casually.

"Oh? And why would it matter to you?" Kabuto asked before he chuckled. "This has nothing to do with you."

Sasuke was silent. The anger inside was building but he knew better than to let it get the best of him. Kabuto's gaze left Sasuke and landed on Hinata. She could feel him seeing right through her; no wonder he was so interested in her clan. He was probing her for information… if he couldn't get her Byakugan then he could certainly find another way. Kabuto was also now aware that Hiashi was no longer the leader which meant it would be easier to infiltrate Konoha.

"Does this Hyuuga girl mean something to you, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto asked his eyes still staring longingly at her.

"She's my ticket to ranking up."Sasuke said without missing a beat. Hinata felt her stomach churn violently at that statement. Tears that she tried to hide spilled down her ivory cheeks. He is using me. Kabuto laughed suddenly before adjusting the glasses that had slid down the bridge of his nose.

"Interesting… You haven't changed at all. I figured with your brother's death… maybe you could be something better." Kabuto made sure the tone of his voice was extra toxic.

Sasuke's eyes switched from dark brown to red within seconds. With lightning fast reflexes, Sasuke disappeared from Hinata's side, but Kabuto was there to deflect the sword with his scalpel. The sound of metal clinking together filled the air. Sasuke could see every move that his foe was using but something wasn't right… Kabuto was barely putting up a fight.

With a scowl fighting to escape his throat, Sasuke shoved the blade of his sword into Kabuto's stomach as a test. Just as suspected, Kabuto burst into a puff of smoke. Sasuke was just as prepared as he heard a screech from behind him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata had been yanked up into a tight choke hold, while Kabuto's scalpel rested dangerously close to her eyes. Kabuto grinned and leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"You've grown, Hinata-san… last time I saw you, you were so weak that you required my medical attention." His breath was hot as she struggled within his grasp. "You won't be so lucky like your cousin."

His blade pushed deeper onto her skin and she began to panic. Flashes of her family shot before her eyes… her father, her sister and Neji… even a blurry image of what she remembered as her mother. The last image to shoot through her mind was a very young Uchiha Sasuke who was smiling brightly. Hinata could feel her body getting hot as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Sasuke was already in a counterattack as he appeared behind them. Two snakes slithered down and out of his sleeves and shot out towards Kabuto's ankles. Kabuto was a step ahead and jumped to avoid their grips. With Hinata still in his grasp, they landed several feet away; however this didn't discourage the snakes who followed them.

"Ch… we'll get this over and done with." Kabuto murmured in her ear. With quick precision, the scalpel sunk deeper and deeper into the flesh around her eye. He could feel excitement running through his blood stream knowing that he was finally getting his hands on the legendary Byakugan. Much to his dismay, the girl he held tight disappeared in a puff of smoke. He narrowed his eyes but only had enough time to dodge the snakes that were at his feet again.

His main focus at this point was now Sasuke who had withdrawn the snakes and had his sword out. Kabuto acted quickly to block it with his scalpel; it wasn't his intention to go to battle. He didn't think that the Hyuuga would have been smart enough to see through his disguise nor did he plan on Sasuke protecting her. He smirked as they went back and forth.

"Sasuke-kun… you could have been something great. Orochimaru-sama showed you everything you know… why not help me? I can bring him back." Kabuto remarked before jumping backwards. Sasuke didn't allow him any breathing room.

"So that's why you're after the Byakugan?" Sasuke asked sarcastically. He had an idea of Kabuto's motives and it most likely revolved around reviving Orochimaru. Kabuto laughed when Sasuke's sword cut through the scalpel in his hand. A gleam from his glasses hid the emotion in his eyes but Sasuke could care less. Kabuto had stopped fighting back and instead allowed the Uchiha to hold the blade of his sword to his neck.

"You're weak." Sasuke observed quietly.

"Yes… I am at a disadvantage… most of my chakra is still back west as a decoy." There was another chuckle but Sasuke was tired of this fight. His fist curled up tightly at his side and then slammed into the jaw of Kabuto which sent him flying to the ground. Before he could get up, the blade of the sword pressed into the skin of his throat keeping him on his back. A trickle of blood slowly spilled down Kabuto's chin as he snickered.

"You would have thought that the Konoha ninja would be better than that." He muttered, reflecting on the ninja out towards the West. "With such great talent… surely they could have seen through it."

"Shut up." Sasuke applied more pressure to the blade that sat up against his Adam's apple. "There is something you're looking for… what is it?"

"Oh dear. I don't believe that you're entitled to that information any more. You left us." Kabuto said through a wince of pain. "But if you come back… we can work together. I can make you even stronger."

The thought of getting stronger flashed in his mind and for a millisecond he considered his options. It would be an amazing feeling to advance his jutsus with the help of the darkness… but it was all too easy. He had done it once before, but it had wreaked havoc on his body and his mind. By surprise, Hinata flashed in his mind; she was down in the library with a few books in her arms but something was different… she was smiling. It wasn't her polite smile and it wasn't forced like he had seen so many times before. This smile was genuine and happy.

Kabuto watched as his red eyes slowly appeared dark again and he could see Sasuke was unusually distracted. He slowly inched his fingers into the pack on his leg and grasped a kunai. Kabuto closed his eyes and then made his move. He shoved the blade of the sword away from his throat with the kunai and then swung his leg to knock Sasuke off his feet.

Sasuke was quicker and was able to avoid this easily. He jumped back onto the branch of a tree and hastily threw together a few seals with his fingers. Kabuto growled as he could feel his body weakening from the little chakra that remained. Before he had time to react, a giant fire ball engulfed his surroundings.

Sasuke's eyes watched from the tree branch and he scanned the rest of the forest behind him for any traces of his comrade. Where are you hiding, Hyuuga? He was beginning to get worried. Kabuto was shielding the heat with his arm but he was able to jump to safety with the kunai ready and set to fire back at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun… it's time to stop fucking around!" Kabuto shrieked and a maniacal laugh followed it as if he had gone mad. "I will get that Byakugan… I will find the resurrection scroll. I will bring back Orochimaru-sama."

Suddenly a whoosh from behind Sasuke caused his hair to flutter and he watched a blue blur charge towards Kabuto. If someone was close enough, they would be able to see a very thin smile tug at the corners of Sasuke's lips as he realized what was happening. The blue blur was charging like a lion just like he had taught Hinata before. The shuriken was engulfed with her technique and it certainly caught Kabuto off guard. He did move, however, not without the shuriken grazing the top of his right shoulder.

"Aghh!" Kabuto instantly reached up to grip his wound while blood poured down his arm. Hinata jumped from the tree next to Sasuke and landed on the ground several feet away from Kabuto. There was a sense of adrenaline pumping through her body as she watched Kabuto fall to a knee. He laughed before spitting blood to his left.

"Hinata-san… I suppose I underestimated you." He said through gritted teeth. Hinata took one step forward. Sasuke frowned and kept a firm watch on the scene unfolding… even though Kabuto was injured and severely low on chakra, he always seemed to have something up his sleeve.

"W-Why? Why do you want to bring that awful man back to life?" Her voice quivered between fear and anger for Kabuto. He bowed his head in silence. "Why!? You attacked my cousin… my family. O-Orochimaru was a horrible person! He was—"

"You know nothing…" Kabuto spat another mouthful of blood at her feet.

"Hinata." Sasuke's voice joined the conversation to warn her she might be going down a path that would terrify her even more. She ignored Sasuke.

"Please… p-please." Her voice was softer and she took another step forwards the man on the ground. Sasuke felt a growl shoot up from his throat as he jumped down from the tree branch. He reached out to grab her arm to pull her back, but she resisted.

"Damnit, will you listen to me?!" Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her.

"N-No! I am not a child…!"

"You don't know what you're dealing with."

A slow laugh interrupted them from Kabuto who had raised his eyes level to them. The entire time he had his hand on his wound, he was applying first aid chakra which gave him the opportunity to stand.

Without warning, Sasuke pulled her back with more force which caused a strange series of events. Hinata felt the wind get knocked out of her chest as everything got really hot and there was a loud ringing in her ears. Her skin and entire body burned badly… enough for her to cry out in pain.

Something else was happening… she felt herself being thrown but there was someone there to soften the blow. Hinata found herself gripping on Sasuke and the impact from the blast caused her to be forced into his chest. She didn't remember landing from the blast nor did she recognize any of the several muffled voices that filled the area. All Hinata could concentrate on was her burning skin, the ringing in her ears, and the way Sasuke held her tight.

Hinata wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not. Maybe she was… because she could hear someone whispering in her ear. I won't let anything happen to you.


There was something warm in her hand. Hinata tried desperately to open her eyes, but they felt so heavy. The ringing in her ears had stopped and instead she could hear a woman's heels clicking on marble floor in the distance. She stirred a bit and the warmth in her hand disappeared. No… Hinata whimpered gently at the sudden loss of comfort. She tried to remember the last thing that had happened, but it was hard to concentrate with so much extra weight on her body.

Instead of struggling, Hinata focused on the feelings on her body. She could feel her arms and legs were wrapped with gauze so she must be in the hospital, but why? As if someone had released the floodgates, memories came back with Kabuto's scalpel at her eye and the sudden intense heat. Her eyes shot open and she felt overwhelmed by light and emotion.

"Hinata-sama…" The familiar voice to her left caught her off guard as tears involuntarily slipped down her cheeks. She slowly moved her head to gaze up at Neji, who still had his face wrapped around his eye. His expression was usually hard to decipher but the small smile on his lips was loud and clear.

"N-Neji-niisan…" Hinata's throat was so dry that she could barely squeak out his name. Neji reached up with his uninjured hand to wipe a tear from her ivory cheeks. Her expression was blank, but he knew that she was confused and scared.

"You are in the hospital." His voice was assuring, but it didn't stop the flow of tears. She felt silly; there was no reason behind her emotion… perhaps it was just too much. All Hinata could manage was a slow nod.

"Hinata-sama… you were attacked. Do you remember?" Neji's words were complicated in her groggy state, but he was patient. Her thoughts were swarming all trying to fight their way out, but the only thing she could concentrate on was where Sasuke was.

"Where is Sasuke-kun?"

Neji was silent and he avoided looking into her teary eyes. He was under the impression that they had gotten close considering they had spent a lot of time together within the past few months. Neji had heard of Sasuke's return the moment he stepped foot in Konoha and assumed it would cause problems. It surprised the entire village to hear that he was staying out of trouble mainly because he was under close watch of Tsunade, and in retrospect, Hinata as well.

"He is recovering down the hall." Neji finally muttered. She attempted to sit up, but the pain in her legs kept her from moving. Trying to remember what happened was blurry… there was an explosion, of course, but she didn't know how or why it happened.

"M-May I see him?" Hinata asked gently. Neji frowned at her request.

"Well, according to Tsunade-sama, he is recovering from burns all up and down his back and legs." He said. "Kabuto put several paper bombs all over the area you were at. It seems like it was all a part of his plan."

Hinata's eyes widened. He protected me. She looked away from her cousin and slowly exhaled. Now everything made sense… the sudden burst of heat and debris; Sasuke must have grabbed her and shielded her as best as he could.

There was a knock at the door, and then it slid open to reveal her father. Hinata glanced over at him weakly and if she could have fallen by surprise, she would have. Behind him was Tsunade who offered her a comforting smile.

"F-Father…" She squeaked. He walked in closer to stand next to her bed side.

"Hinata… how are you feeling?" There was little to no emotion behind his voice which caused her to avoid his stern eyes. She could feel the disappointment in his body language and just by the way he spoke to her.

"Fine."

"Hinata," Tsunade, who had also come forward, grabbed the charts at the end of her bed. "You suffered a few burns but otherwise you should be able to go home tomorrow morning."

Hinata shifted in her bed uncomfortably then nodded. Hiashi was creating invisible tension in the room and Tsunade observed this entire situation as if she were a fly on the wall. She always thought that Hinata deserved better, whether it come from her own family or elsewhere. Hinata needed someone to build her up; Shino and Kiba always did a great job, but it needed to come from somewhere closer and more personal.

The Hyuuga clan was not at the top of her favorites list. Growing up, Tsunade was there to witness many problems that existed. They certainly had come a long way with making peace to the village, but they always left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"What happened?" Hinata finally spoke interrupting Tsunade's thoughts.

"Well… we tried to get there as soon as we could when we found out that Kabuto wasn't at the western border." Tsunade said. "He murdered Kensaku and posed as him for at least a day before the mission was given to us."

"It was foolish to let her leave." Neji remarked. "I knew that something would happen." Tsunade frowned and set down the clip board. It wasn't often that she would admit any wrong doing, but it was a definite mistake.

"I think he has a spy in the village." Tsunade said suddenly. "How else would he have known that Hinata was one of the few remaining?"

"We are working on finding that spy." Hiashi said.

"B-But how did I get here?" Hinata said. "I heard voices after the explosion." She closed her eyes to try to bring back the memories, but it was like trying to find something in the dark.

"We had a team of ANBU sent out the night prior. They arrived just as the paper bombs went off."

"And Kabuto?" Neji asked while his good eye closed. "I take it he is gone?"

"…yes. His presence has simply vanished from both the west and outside of Nachi." The Fifth Hokage said with an exasperated tone. There was silence that sat amongst them until Hinata opened her eyes.

"How is Sasuke-kun?" She whispered. "I think I owe hi-"

"Enough." Hiashi said sharply. "That worthless ninja…"

"No! He saved me." Hinata protested. Tsunade didn't want to interfere with father-daughter spats, but it was more than that at this point.

"Hiashi, had Sasuke not been there, your daughter would be without her eyes and the Byakugan would be in the wrong hands." Tsunade said haughtily. Hiashi turned to look at her with such an icy stare it even made Neji uncomfortable.

"I told you from the beginning… I did not like the fact that my daughter was working alongside the Uchiha. He betrayed this village… not surprising since the entire clan was full of traitors." Hiashi spat. Tsunade, who had no fear or regrets, walked closer to the man and leaned forward to poke a bright red nail on his chest.

"You do not make the decisions for Konoha. In fact, you do not make Hinata's decisions any longer either since you took away her rightful place as leader. Both of you follow my orders because I am the Hokage. So if there is a problem with how I direct orders, then you can deal with the paperwork of filing a complaint."

Hiashi was a prideful man. He stood tall with confidence and enjoyed squashing those underneath him. Perhaps the Third Hokage was too nice with him because there was never a 'scolding' for his actions or behavior. It was like disciplining a child who was having a tantrum and Tsunade found it thrilling.

He simply stared her down searching for a correct response but needless to say he was embarrassed. Instead, Hiashi simply turned and left the hospital room. Tsunade could feel her heart rate returning to normal and she sighed heavily before turning to Hinata.

"You did nothing wrong. Your mission was overall a success… and as for Sasuke, he is recovering from severe burns. He did in fact save your life in more ways than one." Tsunade said gently. Hinata felt her eyes filling with tears again and she looked away. Why? Why did he save me? He was just using me. Her heart was conflicting with itself; she wanted to trust him but that phrase of him just using her to rank up repeated back and forth in her mind.

She's my ticket to ranking up…

I won't let anything happen to you…