Four ninja were crouched on tree branches, keeping out of sight.
"Shino. How many?" Kurenai whispered.
"Seven in total. Three patrolling the area. Four are standing in a square formation. It's as if they are guarding an entrance." Shino relayed to Kurenai.
Kurenai frowned, there were too many to take on with no information about the situation.
"And she's definitely here?" she addressed this to Kiba.
Kiba sniffed the air once more before turning to look at Kurenai.
"Definitely. Here scent is so strong. Akamaru can smell it too. She's not far away."
Kurenai peered through the trees, seeing a man patrolling the edge of the forest. She had to formulate a plan, but it was going to be difficult. They were already outnumbered, and she still had no idea why the young kunoichi had been taken.
She could feel Naruto getting more and more agitated, and she knew she would have to stop him from doing anything rash.
"Wait!" Shino exclaimed suddenly. "They are moving underground. Something has happened. Someone is coming out!"
The four quietly jumped from tree to tree until they were near the forest edge. Indeed the guards had disappeared, but there was a hole in the ground with some steps leading down.
"Some new scents are getting closer!" Kiba whispered feverently.
They all poised themselves, ready to pounce, when suddenly Kiba gasped. He had smelt something, but before he could say what he had smelt, someone emerged from the ground.
It was Hinata.
They couldn't believe it. Had she escaped?
That wasn't the case it seemed, as four men emerged from the ground behind her. Three of them were huge, even bigger than Chouji.
Kurenai knew something was very wrong, they had to leave, but suddenly…
"Hinata!" cried Naruto, and then he was a blur, racing towards the girl in the clearing.
This was bad.
-Hinata was shocked to see the blond boy. But that shock quickly turned to annoyance.
"Hinata! Quick! Come!" the boy grabbed her wrist and tried to make her come with him.
Hinata felt anger bubble inside, and wrenched her wrist from his grip.
The force made Naruto stumble, and he looked back in bewilderment.
"No Naruto. Leave." Hinata said with controlled anger.
The three huge men lined up behind her, arms crossed.
Naruto couldn't understand why she wouldn't run, he could only squeeze out one word.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to." She stated.
Naruto faltered, before grabbing her wrist again. "Let's go Hinata!" he told her.
He didn't expect what came next. Kurenai knew. She had sensed a change when Hinata had first appeared. She whirled round to face Kiba and Shino and quickly shouted, "Retreat! NOW!"
They knew not to ask why and shot off, just before it happened.
Hinata used the arm Naruto was holding to grab his wrist and pull him towards her, and with one deft movement she slammed her palm into his chest, sending him hurtling into a tree trunk.
Naruto felt excruciating pain. She had hit his heart with precise chakra, using the force behind her arm to propel him towards the tree. The pain was almost unbearable, but he stood up and faced the girl before him.
"If you come at me again it will be worse. I don't need you anymore Naruto. I don't need the Leaf anymore. I'm better than you all. Now leave." Hinata snarled at him.
She united her forehead protector and threw it at Naruto's feet.
She then turned her back on him and walked away to the smaller man who took her by the shoulder and lead her away. The group jumped into the trees and were gone in a matter of seconds.
"HINATA!" screamed Naruto, making to run after her, but someone held him back. It was Kurenai. He struggled against her arms before falling to his knees.
Kurenai draped his arm across her shoulders and looked towards where Hinata had left, before turning around and leaving in the opposite direction.
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Kurenai found the rest of her team not to far away. As she landed on the ground she laid Naruto on the ground carefully. She knew that Hinata had used a fatal blow against the boy, but with the Kyuubi inside of him, she knew he would heal in a matter of hours. Shino and Kiba looked down at Naruto in disbelief.
"What happened?" asked Kiba.
"He was attacked. By Hinata." She said softly.
Kiba dropped his jaw in surprise but quickly shut it again. "Why?" he said quietly, really to himself.
"Something was really wrong. Hinata isn't the person we knew." She started before Shino cut in.
"I know. My bugs felt it. Hinata was one hundred percent there, but so was something else. There was something hiding behind her chakra."
"Why did he jump in there? He almost got himself killed!" Kiba shouted angrily.
Kurenai sighed. She thought the same thing, but she knew how hot-headed Naruto could be. He had done this type of thing before.
She turned to her two remaining team members.
"Set up camp. Naruto won't be awake till evening and we need to set out a plan. Get moving!"
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Hinata was following the men in front of her, but her mind wasn't totally focused on them.
What happened back there? She had never fought like that before. But it was as if she had reached boiling point inside and something told her she could just let it all out. Something inside her was trying to tell her that she had done an awful thing, but a louder voice was congratulating her on a fine victory.
She knew they would be back. But she would be better, faster, stronger than before.
A better Hinata.
So she turned her attention to following the men in front.
A tiny voice went unnoticed deep down inside her.
'Naruto. What about Naruto?'
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Night had fallen now and Naruto looked better, although he had yet to stir.
Kiba had cooked up some rice for their dinner and now he and Shino were talking quietly on the other side of the camp.
Kurenai sat down beside Naruto and put her hand to his forehead. No fever, good, then it was only a matter of time before he woke up.
She looked further down his body when something caught her eye. Something was hanging out of his pocket. She pulled at the material, and when the object fell out, she felt a tug at her heart.
It was Hinata's hitai ate. He must have lifted it when he fell to the ground. Kurenai folded it up and slipped it back into Naruto's pocket.
Looking back to his face she saw him stir.
Naruto opened his eyes and saw Kurenai smiling at him.
"It's good to see you awake."
Naruto nodded and sat up. He looked into Kurenai's eyes, "She really left didn't she."
Kurenai nodded.
Naruto sighed heavily and dropped his gaze.
But Kurenai put her hand on his shoulder. "But something is wrong with Hinata. She's not herself. We're going to get her back."
He looked up again, but this time with a new glint in his eye, "Yes."
Turning his gaze towards the night sky he made a pact with himself.
'I'll get her back no matter what.'
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Woah…… well I'm sure you didn't see that coming! So go ahead and review! You know you want to!