Hinata ran as far as she could until she couldn't run anymore, then felt her legs go out from her as she slipped down to the ground to continue her sobbing and gasping for breath. "I...I don't know what to do...I can't believe I said that...but, I had to...it's for his own good..." She didn't notice Kiba come up behind her until she felt his reassuring hand on her back. Grateful for the support she clung to his leg and continued crying, even as he sat down on the wet grass to continue comforting her, even though it was raining.
A very sad and lost Naruto stood up and began to head in the direction he thought was town not knowing what he would do if and when he got there, so he just kept moving, trying to keep his mind on other things and failing miserably.
Sakura was sick of waiting for Naruto so she decided to go to him again. She went to his house first, no one was there, then she went to the ramen shop, he was not there either, she searched the entire town and he was nowhere to be found. She decided to go enlist some help. "I'll go ask Neji to help find him, with his Byakugan he'll find him in no time at all," she said and traveled to the Hyuuga estate and knocked on the door and waited for a response.
Hinata continued to cry, clinging to Kiba as her support. When she finally felt like she could cry no longer she slowly looked up at Kiba and sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kiba-kun. For showing such weakness."
"Hey, it's okay." His tone was soft and comforting, and he continued rubbing her back and Akamaru curled up next to her, doing his part to help. "I know you didn't mean that...you did what you thought was right and what would keep him out of trouble."
Hinata nodded and averted her eyes, and Kiba continued. "It takes strength to do that, rather than take the selfish way." He helped her stand up, ready to return to the village. "But you don't have to do this to yourself. Naruto is strong, he wouldn't allow your family to walk all over him."
She sighed. "But they are stronger than you think, Kiba-kun. He would be miserable with them as his enemies. And I couldn't put him through that, no matter what..."
"Who are you looking for?" A familiar voice came from a tree outside of the Hyuuga home, Neji appearing from its branches to land beside Sakura.
Sakura looked at Neji as he landed beside her. "Well actually you, I need your help, I need you to help me find Naruto, he's not in town so he has to be in the forest somewhere, and I know you would be able to find him, so will you help find him?" she asked him and simply waited for an answer.
Neji sighed and felt a rare pang of guilt. "I know where he's gone to. I can help you find him." He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you wanting to find him? Does your squad have a mission?"
When Hinata and Kiba finally made it back to the village it had ceased raining, but they both were soaked. "Why don't you stay over at my house for tonight, Hinata? You probably don't want to go back to your home just yet." Hinata nodded and thanked him as they headed towards his house, a melancholy silence around them.
Naruto decided to stop and sit down before he got himself even more lost than he already was. Naruto sat on a tree branch and leaned against the tree. He figured he would wait untill he felt stable enough to think and figure out how to get back to town.
"Well no, actually it's kind of a personal matter between the two of us, I just need to have a very important and private conversation with him, so you'll help then?" she asked again to be sure and gave a small smile.
Neji sighed and thought for a minute, then poked his head into the house, "Master, I'm going out for a little while." He closed the door and looked at Sakura. "I'm helping because I have some things I need to talk to him about, as well. Don't think I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart." And with that he took off into the forests, using his Byakugan to trace Naruto's path, not really bothering to look back to see if Sakura was following.
Sakura followed him after a minute she spoke "I'll let you talk to him first, but once you leave, I'll be talking with him alright?" she asked as she kept closely behind him. "What do you need to talk to him about anyway? I thought you hated him."
He looked back at her, scowling a bit in annoyance and turning back, twisting and turning wherever he saw that Naruto had been. "Whatever. I don't care what you did." He paused, then used her own words against her. "And about what I have to say to him, it's personal matters."
"Well excuse me then," she said in an annoyed tone and followed him. 'What's with all these twists and turns? Did he get himself lost out here or something, his movement is so sperratic, I hope Neji knows where he's going, and is not just wasting my time,' Sakura thought, but still continued to follow him and wondered when they would find him.
Neji stopped suddenly, looking around in all directions. "He's been around here before, but I'm having a hard time tracing...but I know he's near." After a minute or two he took off in the western direction and after a few more minutes of searching noticed a familiar ninja coming into view. He pointed to where Naruto was to Sakura so she could see him, too.
"I see him, well go have your chat with him, I'll stay here and wait," she said and sat down and waited for him to go talk to Naruto. 'I wonder what he wants to talk to him about. They better not fight I swear I will beat Neji to a pulp if he trys anything,' Sakura thought as she waited.
He couldn't help but be tempted to smack the kunoichi in the back of the head but decided against it. Now wasn't the time to make enemies. He walked towards Naruto, not bothering to keep his footsteps quiet, not bothering to say anything, and stopped when he was right beside him, his arms crossed, looking down at his sitting form, waiting for acknowledgment, not sure how to make himself known to be present without sounding funny.
"Yeah I see you, are you here to ruin the rest of my life or just stand there and bask in my unhappinness?" he said without looking at him at all. He just continued to stare straight ahead. He felt so unlike himself, he hated being unhappy, but could not change his mood to a happy one if his life depended on it, but he was very close to anger, but kept it under control.
Neji continued to look down at Naruto and felt that rare pang of guilt again, but didn't allow it to show on his face. Rather than answer Naruto's question he continued with one of his own. "Where is Lady Hinata?" he asked Naruto, secretly wondering what had gotten the usually cheery ninja so down.
"Probably in town by now, why do you care? Do you want to hurt her some more too?" he asked and glared up at Neji. "You found me so easily I'm sure you could find her if you put your mind to it, now if that's all, I have more being alone to do," he said and looked straight ahead again.
He looked at Naruto oddly and had to hold himself from snapping back at him. He then sighed and, in a rare show of interest, crouched down next to Naruto until he was seated comfortably on the damp ground. "Funny...I thought she'd come after you..."
"Okay here's the deal, I know everything, you told Hinata's father about the two of us so you could try and break us up, so stop with the whole I wanna be your friend act, it gets old fast. As for Hinata and I, guess what there is no longer a Hinata and I we are no longer together and you can pat yourself on the back for helping with that one if you want. Now is there anything else you want to know, or do you want to sit there and gloat about your accomplishments for a while!" Naruto said in a tone that sounded like something Neji would use.
He continued to sit there facing Naruto taking every verbal blow, his countenance remaining passive and emotionless. When Naruto finished he looked forward again and away from Naruto, silent and calm. After a few moments he finally spoke to respond. "...I didn't tell Lady Hinata's father..."