here's da next chappie for The Runaway Ninja sorry it took so long to update! I will update sooner from now on!

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 Ten

-Neji

Neji was running as fast as he could toward the Hokage tower and to his annoyance so were Naruto, Sakura, and Tenten. Though he wouldn't mind if it was only Tenten she wasn't as annoying as the other two.

"Are you sure that was Hinata? I mean the Hinata I remember wasn't like that at all, she had less curves, and her hair was short, an-"

"Naruto shut up! Yes, that was Hinata I would recognize my cousin anywhere. Now shut up before I lose my patience and erase your existence from this world," Neji said angrily. He didn't want Naruto around him, after what he did to Hinata they weren't in the best of terms.

"Don't tell me to shut up who do you think you are?" Naruto yelled angrily.

"Naruto for once be quiet nobody is interested in listening to you right now," Sakura said who was also annoyed. Naruto didn't say one more word after that until they reached the Hokage's office.

Tsunade's smile turned to a frown when four of her ANBUs barged into her office. She had been talking to Shizune about how each thought Hinata and Sasuke's mission would turn out.

"What do you want? You can't just walk in here," Tsunade said annoyed as she abruptly stood up from her chair.

"Has Hinata come here?" Neji asked ignoring the explanation that Sakura and Tenten had began to say.

"Yes, she has and has left the village in a mission with Uchiha Sasuke now, please leave I have things to do," Tsunade said with a sigh.

Neji glared at Tsunade before he ran out of the office, he didn't want to miss the chance to speak to his cousin before she left once again. 'That woman probably did it on purpose,' Neji couldn't help but feel anger toward Tsunade. Hinata had finally come back and she sends her off right away as if she hadn't been gone long enough.

Tsunade, Sakura, Naruto, and Tenten were all staring out the door where Neji had just run out of.

"Why did you do that?" Naruto asked angrily startling everyone in the room. Tsunade sighed and sat down on her chair, she knew this was coming sooner or later but she hadn't expected it to be this soon.

"I don't need to explain myself to anyone now all of you leave I have work to do," Tsunade said as she pulled more paperwork toward her.

"Naruto come on lets go," Sakura said as she pulled her fiancé out of the office followed by Tenten. Naruto began to struggle but one look from Sakura was enough to calm him down. He gave Tsunade one last look before he walked out of the office.

Tsunade sighed and turned to Shizune who had stayed quiet all this time. "You think he'll get to her before she's able to leave?" Shizune asked as she looked back at Tsunade.

"No, they're probably already gone. Hinata didn't have a chance to unpack whatever she brought and Sasuke, knowing how reliable he is, must have a bag packed already waiting for him at his apartment," Tsunade said as she rubbed her forehead.

"Yes, that's true," Shizune said as she nodded her head sharply and pointed at Tsunade's mountain of paperwork.

-Neji

"Those two already left, they seemed to be in a hurry," a guard informed an annoyed Neji. Neji nodded once and ran a hand through his hair. There was no point in going after them now, they had already left the village which meant that they were going to be unreachable since he didn't know which way they had left.

"Okay, thanks," Neji said politely before he turned and started to walk away. He closed his eyes for a second before he opened them again and decided to go inform Hiashi about Hinata's arrival.

-Hinata and Sasuke

"I have never seen you before here pretty lady how is that possible? I barely ever miss anything and somehow I have missed seeing you in Konoha," an elderly man with a heart shaped bald spot on his head, wearing a bright blue kimono said while wiggling his eyebrows at Hinata.

Hinata ignored him and kept walking. She wasn't in the mood to talk to an old pervert wanna-be. 'I could be doing something more useful than escorting an old man to his village, and we have to take him to the Hidden Village of the Cloud of all places. I just killed a bunch of them and now I'm being sent to their hide out! I just hope this mission doesn't take too long considering how far the Hidden Village of the Cloud is,' Hinata thought with an annoyed sigh. She frowned and turned to look at Sasuke who hadn't said a thing ever since they set off.

"And with him of all people," Hinata murmured to herself as she turned her glare to the path ahead.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" the old man asked while getting a little too close to her. Hinata glared at him before walking ahead.

Sasuke stubbornly kept his gaze ahead, without looking at Hinata or the old man who was trying to flirt with her. 'Of all people I'm stuck with a burden of a ninja and a perverted old man. Why couldn't that woman send someone else to do this mission? I have better things to do than this.'

"Now why are you so hasty my dear, don't be shy-"

"Why were ANBU sent to escort you to your village? Is it so important that Jounins couldn't escort you?" Hinata asked annoyed. This got Sasuke's attention for he too had at some point wondered about that.

"Well you see I am not very welcome into my village. I did a terrible thing many years ago and I was sent away. Now that I'm going back I asked the Hokage for protection against the village's military power, just in case I need it," the old man said sounding serious.

"Oh," Hinata said. She understood what he meant, for she had at some point been a little unsure about being welcomed back warmly.

"And just two Konoha ANBU are going to be able to take on so many Cloud ninjas?" Sasuke asked indifferently.

"Well, I'm almost 100 percent positive that we won't get attacked, but you know I have to take precaution," the old man said.

"What is your name?" Hinata asked seriously, she didn't know but something told her that she needed to know.

The old man hesitated before answering, "You don't need to know my name. All you need to know is what Tsunade-sama told you."

Hinata smirked and closed her eyes. The old man was hiding something, and it was obvious. And considering how he had almost completely ignored Sasuke, and how Tsunade insisted on sending her on a mission, to the Cloud of all places, that it had something to do with her, that much was a little obvious. The only question was, why Tsunade wanted to test her so fast and couldn't wait any longer. She understood that Tsunade needed to know Hinata's level of fighting, but she couldn't help but feel suspicious. Maybe Tsunade knew about the ambush she had gone through just this morning.

Hinata frowned and shook her head. 'No, that's impossible she couldn't have. I doubt that she would be keeping track of everything I did all these years, with a village to run,' Hinata thought. But the idea for some reason didn't sound too unreasonable to her.

Sasuke felt the change in his female companion. Hinata had dropped her guard down. 'What a shame, a ninja should know to never do that,' Sasuke thought with a smirk. Maybe coming on this mission wasn't that bad, now he had a chance to change Tsunade's idea of making Hinata an ANBU if he gave a terrible report on her. It would be the perfect vengeance for the way he insulted his family. Without realizing it Sasuke too dropped his guard as he started thinking about the horrible things he could write on his report for Tsunade. The smirk never left his face.

-Mysterious Old Man

'Good, both these idiots dropped their guard. Just a little further away from the village and I can remedy for that mistake I did many years ago. I'm going to bring the Byakugan to the Cloud!'

-Tsunade

"What's wrong Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked her teacher. Tsunade seemed more distracted from her work than she usually was.

Tsunade blinked and looked up at Shizune. She closed her eyes and said, "I just can't help this feeling I have that sending Hinata on that mission was a bad idea."

"I warned you against it Tsunade-sama. The Cloud have been after the Byakugan for a long time and I doubt they will miss the chance to get it," Shizune said earnestly.

Tsunade glared at Shizune before crossing her arms and putting her feet on her desk. 'I know she's right but I just have to trust Sasuke and Hinata's abilities,' Tsunade thought with a sigh.

-Hinata

"I'm tired lets rest," the old man said after hours of walking. Hinata was brought out of her thoughts with a start and turned around to see that the old man was already sitting up against a tree. She looked over at Sasuke who was frowning deeply and walking over to a nearby tree.

'I wonder what his problem is. Doesn't he ever stop frowning?' Hinata thought as she sighed and walked back to help make camp. Even though both men didn't seem inclined to do so at the moment.

A few hours later it was dark, there was a fire going and the three of them were drinking tea. The tea was good Hinata noticed, though it was nothing compared to the tea that Rin used to make.

"So tell me about yourselves. What cool ninja abilities do you two have?" the old man asked innocently. Sasuke glared at the old man before taking another sip of his tea. His vision became blurry for a moment but he blinked it off thinking it was nothing.

Hinata just stayed quiet and blinked rapidly, her eyes were getting watery. Her head started hurting and she put her tea down rubbing her head. It was beginning to hurt a little. The old man just kept smiling at her and Sasuke and she couldn't help but feel like she had just fallen into a trap. She turned to look at Sasuke and found him staring at her in shock.

"Is something wrong Uchiha?" Hinata asked. But the moment she finished she closed her eyes sharply as a sharp bang of pain attacked her head. She held her head in her hands and opened her eyes blinking rapidly the pain was too much her vision was becoming blurry from it. She looked at Sasuke again and saw him angrily saying something to the old man. But her hearing was gone, she couldn't hear anything. And then she finally realized it, she had fallen into the old man's trap!

The last thing she saw before her vision was filled with darkness was Sasuke who was falling down just as she was falling.

The old man chuckled as he walked over to check their pulses. "Ninjas these days aren't as careful as they should be," the old man said with an evil smirk. But unknown to him he was being watched from very far away.

So what do you guys think?! I know it took me months to update and when I do I bring up this crappy thing but please deal with me for now next chapter I promise is going to be full of information on what is going on and much longer! Thank you so much to those that reviewed it's you guys that keep the story going!