Hmmmm. I'm iffy about this chapter myself, but new things happen. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, faves, etc... you guys are amazing. Enjoy~

It had been a week or so since their little incident. Hinata came by less and less simply because she was so busy with training and doing small D and C-rank missions that were only a few hours long. It was quite a relief for her to be able to get her mind off their situation, but he would always crawl back into her thoughts like a parasite. Nonetheless, Hinata kept her promise to keep up with the garden and the seeds they planted a few weeks back were starting to finally peek out from the soil. When Hinata did stop by the Uchiha District, Sasuke ignored her completely. He barely even acknowledged her presence, simply because his pride (and heart) had been hurt.

That day, Masaru was in the village getting more supplies so Sasuke had some down time. It was too hot to train, and his leg was bothering him, so he decided to go investigate a little at the Hokage building. The library full of scrolls and old documents was always a good source for information, and he wondered if maybe he could find out a little bit more about the pendant that hung around his neck. The village was rather quiet—a lot of the repairs in Konoha were nearly complete. Even the Academy was half way done with being rebuilt. The children still had class, just in another part of the village. Sasuke enjoyed his stroll through Konoha. He thought about a lot of things; his family, his clan, his new home, and even she would come to mind. He noticed her increase of being absent, but as long as she kept up the garden, it didn't really bother him as much as it used to. Sasuke was practically willing himself to ignore those feelings he had for her because let's face it—she denied him. Hinata had been in the position that Sakura would have killed for. Sasuke was being a little narcissistic; when people put one up on a pedestal their whole life, it's hard to think otherwise.

Sasuke finally reached the Hokage building and entered. It used to be a very musty place with a strange smell, but since the attack, it had been remodeled. He walked down several hallways, looking for the library. He frowned upon coming across a sign on the door saying they had been moved from the basement due to moisture. Sasuke figured Tsunade would know where they were at so he followed the hallways to her office. He was about to barge in when he heard familiar voices inside.

"You called us, Tsunade-sama?" The voice was Hatake Kakashi. Sasuke furrowed his brows. Where has he been all this damn time?

"Yes. Kakashi… I know you just returned from a mission, but I need you to take your team to an abandoned village that is to the south east of Konoha. A contractor has begun renovations there but they came across something I think you should take a look at." Sasuke raised his eyebrow at this, and kept listening due to his curiosity.

"I see. Is it true they found something that could have belonged to Uchiha Itachi?" Kakashi said dryly. This perked up Sasuke's ears and he listened closer. Tsunade nodded and leaned back in her chair.

"Yes. Hyuuga Hinata." Sasuke heard Hinata's voice and wondered why she was with Team Kakashi. Of course, Sasuke knew who Sai was and never cared for the guy, but Hinata was a part of another team. Why is she with them? Hinata stood straight upon hearing her name, even though her stomach was in knots. She was standing in between Sakura and Naruto and the uncomfortable tension was making her anxious.

"Hai?"

"The contractor described the item to be similar to the box you found at the Uchiha District. I need you guys to take a look around and make sure that there is nothing else out of the ordinary. Hinata, use your Byakugan well." The team nodded in unison. "Be careful...especially you, Naruto. Even though Itachi is dead, he could have left something behind." Naruto huffed at her words of caution and crossed his arms. Tsunade glanced over at Shizune and they shared the same look. Itachi was known for his genjutsu; he could have left a trap in the box. Kakashi glanced at his team, and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, we'll leave here in about an hour so get your things together and we'll meet at the front gate." At this point, Sasuke could feel the blood pumping in his veins and could even his heart beating faster. Itachi… what did you leave behind?

"One last thing before you go." Tsunade said, and stood up to walk in front of them. Although she was talking to all four of them, the Hokage's eyes stared straight at Hinata. "None of this gets to Uchiha Sasuke. Right now, he is doing just fine trying to move on from everything. I cannot afford to have him find out." Sasuke heard his name, and it just added to the adrenaline. Damnit…that bitch. She was trying to keep shit from him again and he didn't like it. Although she was partially right—his life was stable and the construction of his house was keeping his mind in the right place.

But the fact that Sasuke never got proper closure with his brother also kept open the portal in his brain that might make him return to his previous mindset. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, and his thoughts were running wildly. Itachi… He disappeared before they were dismissed. Hinata also wasn't sure how she felt about the mission. She was never a fan of keeping things from people, so she simply hoped she wouldn't run into Sasuke before they left.

Naruto and Sakura walked out together, and Hinata figured she'd better go water the garden before they left. On her way to the Uchiha District, her mind fumbled between the mission and Sasuke. Her stomach wouldn't settle and she silently cursed her anxiety. Hinata wasn't sure if it was due to the mission or because Sasuke had been shutting her out. She never understood why he would want to kiss her. Her self-esteem was never very good, but she always tried to keep a positive outlook. The wind blew back her long hair, and she paused to watch the leaves float passed her. The path they used to walk together wasn't as exciting as she remembered.

"Hinata-san!" Hinata was almost to the entrance when Taro ran to her and leaped into her arms. He grinned. Masaru nodded his greeting to her as he picked up a few tools from his trailer.

"Any idea where the Uchiha is?!" He called at her over his shoulder.

"No… I haven't seen him." Hinata frowned and set Taro down as she headed for the Police Headquarters. He followed at her feet telling her his stories and she would respond every so often. But her mind was elsewhere… Everything seemed so dull without Sasuke in her life, and it was a strange feeling. She still wanted to keep her word with Sasuke's mother in her dream, but he was nowhere to be found. It was also a battle in her mind if she was yearning for Sasuke because of the dream or because she really did feel something for him.

Hinata picked up the watering can that was inside the building, and she looked over to his things in the corner of the room. She saw the box and the mission came to mind again. Hinata was slightly relieved that Sasuke wasn't around, because she was a terrible liar. Not that he would have said anything to her, anyway.

"Taro." Hinata said gently as he had followed her into the building.

"Hmm?"

"I have a special job for you for the next few days." She said, kneeling down to his level. Taro's eyes got wide and he nodded silently. "I'm going to be gone for a little while, so I'm going to need you to water the garden for me. Can you do that?"

"Hai!" He said as fast as he could. His excitement for his 'special job' showed on his face, and he threw his arms around her neck suddenly. "Y-You'll come back, right?" Hinata smiled softly and hugged him back.

"Of course."

"You're never around anymore, Hinata-san. Do you not love Sasuke-san anymore?" Taro asked and hiccupped. Her cheeks began to get red. Taro must think they were a couple... She was silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say to the boy. Hinata pulled back and smiled at him.

"No, that's not it. I've got my own special job to do. I will be back, though. Make sure you water the garden once a day, okay?" She said and he nodded while wiping his eyes. Hinata rubbed some dirt from his cheek and smiled. "I'll show you how. Come on."

"Ch… that Naruto! He's always late." Sakura said and crossed her arms. The three out of the four were at the gate ready to go for their mission. Kakashi had his hands in his pockets as he lazily looked over at Hinata.

"Hinata." He said and she looked over at him.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Before we leave, tell me a little about the box you found in the Uchiha District." Kakashi said. Hinata nodded.

"Well, it had its own chakra presence. It wasn't any special kind of chakra, but I noticed that when Sasuke-kun had broken the seal on the scrolls inside, the presence wasn't as strong. But the pendant also carried chakra inside of it." She said quietly. Kakashi nodded. He remembered hearing Tsunade talking about how it had been passed down through the generations of the Uchiha clan. Itachi must have also received a similar box, but they would have to be careful. If it was something of true importance, why would he of left it behind?

"Alright! Let's go! I'm here and ready to go." Naruto said as he ran up to them. Sakura looked peeved and she punched his arm.

"I told you not to be late! Stop being so selfish." Naruto rubbed his arm and pleading her not to be so angry. Hinata felt a soft smile spread across her lips and it surprised her. She was so worried that her emotions might get the best of her on this mission with having to be around Naruto. Hinata wondered if maybe she had come to terms with it, at least to be able to start to move on.

"Well, let's go." Kakashi said, and the team agreed. It would take them about a day to get to where they needed to go. Since it wasn't a mission they needed to hurry with, Hinata found the time to let her mind wander as they traveled. The constant bickering between Naruto and Sakura would occasionally snap her back in to reality. But every so often, Hinata would look up to see Naruto slip his hand in Sakura's. She would give him an irritated look, but eventually smile and squeeze his hand. It dug up something deep inside Hinata's heart and it was jealousy. But it was a different kind of jealousy… not so much as jealous of them specifically, but jealous because there was no one there to hold her hand. Kakashi would remind them they were on a mission and not a date, and other course they would let go only to latch on a few minutes later.

Hinata bit her lower lip, and tried to ignore it. It was very hard for her because for so many years, her feelings always remained the same; she loved Naruto. There was never any question about it because there was no one else there to challenge it. When Sasuke tried to kiss her the other day, it did challenge her heart. It made her realize there was room for someone else in that little heart of hers.

After several hours of traveling through the forest, they approached a clearing that would be a good spot for them to set up camp. The sun was setting, and Hinata had to shield her eyes from its bright rays.

"Man, I cannot wait until we get there. I'm not used to these boring missions." Naruto said folding his arms behind his head. Kakashi looked at him with a half-lidded eye.

"Now, now, you never know what's around the corner. Be on alert even on the simplest missions." He said and set down his backpack against a tree then glanced over at Hinata with a smile. Even though his face was hidden behind his mask, you could still see the outline of a grin.

"Hinata, could you gather some fire wood?" She nodded and set her backpack down against the tree next to his. As she walked back into the deeper part of the forest, she could still hear Naruto's loud voice carry it self. When she felt she was far enough away into the trees, Hinata sat down on a fallen over log to rest her feet. Truth be told, she'd rather be back at the Uchiha District, even though Sasuke was giving her the cold shoulder. Hinata closed her eyes to meditate for a few moments and it was very quiet. The birds were settling in for the evening, and the branches flowing in the breeze were even quieter than usual.

Suddenly, Hinata felt a presence around her. It was familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place her finger on where she had felt it before. She stood up and glanced around herself in a circle. It was an uneasy feeling. The wind picked up and whipped her long hair around. Hinata was about to activate her Byakugan when Kakashi appeared on a branch above her.

"Oh! Kakashi-sensei." He had startled her. Scratching the back of his neck, he jumped down next to her, while also taking a glance around.

"Everything okay?" Kakashi asked as the wind blew again. She nodded.

"S-Sorry. Sometimes I just need to meditate to clear my mind." Hinata said quietly and Kakashi rested a hand on her shoulder.

"That's okay." They nodded with a mutual understanding and Hinata collected some firewood. She followed Kakashi back to the camp ground where Naruto was already snoozing away in his sleeping bag.

The next morning, they got an early start. Hinata was anxious to get to the abandoned village and find out more about the box that was believed to of belonged to Uchiha Itachi. Throughout the rest of their journey there, Hinata kept feeling like they were being followed. Several times, she would activate her Byakugan and look behind them, but there was never anything out of the ordinary.

"You feel it too, Hinata?" Kakashi asked her and she nodded.

"Feel what?" Naruto questioned as they walked.

"O-Oh. I just feel like we're being followed, but I can't see anything with my Byakugan." Hinata said quietly and Sakura frowned.

"I felt it too. I figured I just slept weird." She said and Naruto's jaw dropped.

"What the hell!? I haven't felt anything." He cried and Hinata hid a small smile behind her fingers.

"It's p-probably nothing." She reassured him. Although as the abandoned village came into view, the strange feeling continued to dwell inside the pit of Hinata's stomach. At the entrance, they were met by a younger man who welcomed them rather hurriedly.

"It's about time you guys got here." He said and ran a hand through his brown hair. Kakashi ignored that statement. The man was short and stocky with a bossy tone. Naruto was about to say something to shut the man up when Kakashi spoke first.

"Hinata." He looked over at her and she nodded. The village really was abandoned. Surrounded by rolling plains, it certainly looked spooky. The buildings were suffering since there was no maintenance. It wasn't a very big village, mainly only a few residential areas and then a run-down hotel.

"Byakugan!" The veins around her eyes pulsed and she did a quick sweep. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but then something caught her attention.

"I-I see a chakra source." Kakashi nodded, and then turned to the man.

"Where's the item?" They followed the contractor through the village, and Sakura couldn't help but get goose bumps as the wind howled through the old buildings.

"Sure is creepy here…" She said to herself and Naruto looked like he was trying to keep calm.

"I-I hope there aren't any ghosts h-here." He mumbled and about jumped out of his skin when a door on a building slammed shut from the wind.

"Alright, this way. I found it when I was ripping out some old boards in this old hotel here. As soon as I saw the Uchiha symbol, I wanted nothing to do with it… Who knows what kind of curse it has." The man said and Hinata felt a little anger pumping through her veins. Although she knew very little about the Uchiha clan and its massacre, she knew the sole survivor. He might be rough around the edges, but who could blame him? The man led them into the main room of the hotel and the box was sitting on a countertop. It really did look similar to the one she found just a few months ago.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto glanced in her direction. "What was in the other one?"

"W-Well, there were some photographs and scrolls." Hinata was rather vague because she felt like she was discussing personal things that she didn't have permission to talk about. Sakura approached the box slowly and observed it.

"It looks harmless." She said. Hinata activated her Byakugan once more to dive in deeper.

"Well? Anything out of the ordinary?" Kakashi asked before he touched it. Hinata furrowed her brows and after a few moments, she frowned.

"I don't think so… It seems okay." It was hard to tell, but from what she could see its chakra source was almost exact to Sasuke's box. The man coughed a bit and crossed his arms.

"Alright, can you get that thing outta here? I've got a lot of work to do." Sakura placed her hands on her hips and glared irritably at the man. He sure is rude. Kakashi slid the box off the counter and held it under his arm pit.

"Yeah, yeah. First off, Hinata, is there anything else you can see around here that might have belonged to a shinobi?" With her Byakugan, Hinata did a thorough sweep of the hotel. The whole place was falling apart so she had to be careful as she walked throughout the main floor by herself. Suddenly, that strange feeling was back in the pit of her stomach. She could sense something was nearby, and it made her uneasy.

Within a flash, Hinata saw it coming. Electricity exploded through hotel as a beam of lightning burst through the door. The spear-shaped bolt flew through the air as it was aiming straight for Kakashi and the box. Naruto and Sakura leaped out of the way as wood shredded and the building began to crumble. Uchiha Sasuke emerged through the dust controlling the Chidori Sharp Spear as it sunk into Kakashi's flesh.

"Give me the box." Sasuke said sharply over the loud electricity crackling.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted and Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ch…damnit. Sasuke furrowed his brows and glanced around wildly. Kakashi and the box were nowhere to be found… at least until his former sensei appeared behind him with a kunai to his back.

"Well… long time no see, Sasuke." Kakashi said nonchalantly. Sasuke deactivated his jutsu, and whipped around to knock the kunai out of his hand. They jumped over broken boards in the old hotel, trying to one up each other in battle. Hinata was in a few rooms over, trapped from the top floor collapsing on her only way out. But she could see everything with her Byakugan and she felt so helpless.

"Sasuke-kun…!" She whispered while she began to pound away at the debris with her Gentle Fist.

"Where's the fucking box, Kakashi!?" Sasuke asked wildly, removing his sword from its sheath. He charged at him, and the old rotten wood underneath them was beginning to break as they went back and forth with Kakashi using the kunai as a way to match his blade.

"You might have been able to mask yourself with a jutsu so Hinata couldn't see you with her Byakugan, but we know your presence well." Kakashi said in between breaths as they suddenly came face to face; blade to blade. Wood splinters were flying all around them, and both were panting.

"I'm not going to ask again…" Sasuke growled. "Where is the god damn box?! Don't think I didn't know what you guys were hiding from me." Kakashi could feel his sword slowly starting to overpower him so he leaped back. Sasuke wasted no time in attacking again, the rage in his body taking over. This is who he was. Sasuke never felt like the 'normal life' was for him. He needed the adventure, he needed the excitement and he needed the anger. Not even Hinata could provide him with that.

"Well," Kakashi said as he dodged the blade. "I don't have the box." This was only gasoline to the fire of anger that Sasuke felt.

"Damnit!" He must have it. Sasuke leaped back, searching desperately for Naruto. The boy was nowhere to be found and neither was Sakura. He ran at quick speeds outside of the hotel, and looked around through the abandoned village.

"Oy, Sasuke!" Naruto called and he turned around to see his former team mate with the box in his arms.

"You…" Sasuke growled and he could feel himself reaching full capacity of anger. "YOU!" Naruto furrowed his brows.

"Look, Sasuke…" He started, but Sasuke wasn't having any of it. Enraged, everything turned red as his Sharingan activated. Sasuke charged at Naruto with his blade gleaming in the sunlight.

"Sakura-chan, now!" Naruto tossed the box upwards and Sakura jumped out from the side to grab it. He finally began to realize that this was the plan all along—they had found him out and were expecting him. Sasuke almost didn't care. He'd get the box later…first he had some unfinished business. Still charging, Sasuke attempted to deal blows which were met with Naruto's kunai. Just like with Kakashi, they went back and forth.

"You…fucking…ruined…EVERYTHING!" Sasuke cried. "Why wouldn't you just LEAVE ME ALONE?!" Naruto jumped backwards, still avoiding that blade.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Multiple shadow clones appeared running towards Sasuke with Rasengan's in their hands. Normally, the Uchiha would smirk at how easy this battle was, and taunt his team mate. But this battle was different; it was deeply personal. Naruto took away the only thing he wanted to do. Sasuke almost gave up his entire being to get his revenge and he thought about it every night. With impressive speed and precision, Sasuke took out each shadow clone without getting a scratch on him. Naruto cursed under his breath and attempted to throw a kunai. He really didn't want to fight Sasuke—they had nothing to fight about.

"Sasuke, it was an accident!" Naruto tried to reason with him but Sasuke didn't believe it.

"You should have minded your own fucking business. It was my fight!" He grunted, lurching towards Naruto once more. Naruto called forth more shadow clones, a whole army of them. They surrounded the abandoned village, and Sasuke seemed unfazed. One by one, he took them out and puffs of smoke filled the air. Before Naruto could even process the situation, a foot appeared through the smoke and lodged itself into his jaw which sent him flying back into the ground. He felt a sharp blinding pain in his leg as Sasuke's sword pinned him to the ground. He had thrown it with precision from above and he landed several feet from Naruto.

Sasuke knew that killing Naruto would do nothing, but the anger in his body seemed to coax him anyway. The Chidori in his hand sparked and filled the air with electricity. Naruto gritted through the pain and pulled the sword from his leg and attempted to stand up. When he failed, he knelt on his knees as blood gushed from his wound.

"I get no second chance in life. I don't deserve to rebuild anything." Sasuke said dully as his Chidori gained more power. Naruto knew he had to get out of there fast, because Sasuke had gotten much quicker in his moves then the time they fought before Sasuke joined Orochimaru. Sasuke lifted the Chidori in the air and sprinted towards Naruto. Naruto didn't want to fight anymore. He didn't want to go up against his best friend anymore. He closed his eyes and braced himself.

"NO!" It was the voice that always created shivers up and down his spine. Sasuke recognized her body, her face, her hair, her scent and he realized that Hinata was going to be killed by his own hand. But even his quick movements weren't able to be stopped as the Chidori slammed into her chest. Naruto's eyes widened and everything was suddenly in slow motion.

"HINATA!" Naruto screamed and it echoed in Sasuke's mind. He felt like he had risen from his body and was watching himself from above. The electricity seemed to go on forever and he stared in horror at her wide lavender eyes. Sasuke could still hear Naruto calling Hinata's name and he felt like he was frozen. Her beautiful face scrunched up in pain and she coughed blood on his arm. It was like he had broken something so fragile and innocent… almost like a glass figurine. Sasuke pulled back and his world seemed to explode. Hinata fell like a sack of potatoes into Naruto's arms as Sakura ran up.

"Hinata!" Sakura screamed as she shoved Sasuke out of the way and knelt down to her side. All Sasuke could do was stare as all the anger had been drained. Suddenly, the ground crumbled at his feet, and he felt sharp teeth sink into his body as Kakashi had summoned his Ninken to pin him in place. All he could do was watch as Hinata was laid down while Sakura began to apply her medical chakra. Sasuke felt nothing; he didn't feel the pain from the Ninken, or anger, or even sadness. He felt numb and helpless.

"Hinata, can you hear my voice?" Sakura said almost in panic. Hinata didn't respond and Naruto crawled to her side in disbelief

"Sakura." Kakashi called sharply to her. "We need to get her back to Konoha immediately." She ignored her sensei and boosted her chakra flow into Hinata's wound. Tears began to form in Sakura's eyes and she tried to concentrate. Naruto watched the tears flow down Sakura's cheek and he looked down to Hinata.

"S-Sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered, feeling a sob hitch in his throat. She ignored Naruto as well, until Kakashi came up to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura… we need to leave- now." His voice was sharper than usual, and she nodded slowly. "We can get back to Konoha by nightfall if we hurry." Naruto suddenly felt anger surge through his body as if the kyuubi inside was trying to rip him apart. Even with his wounds dripping blood, Naruto ran up and slammed his fist into Sasuke's face. It stunned the Uchiha, who had already seemingly checked out of his mind.

"All because of a box!?" Naruto hurled another punch to his face. "I should have been the one to get hit!" Blood splattered from Sasuke's lips and Kakashi had to pull Naruto away.

"When I say we need to leave now, I mean it. Hinata's life is at stake." Kakashi hissed. Naruto's fists were still shaking with anger as he shoved his sensei off. He stared at Sasuke for a few more agonizing seconds before walking over to where Hinata lie. She was so small and fragile as he gathered her gently in his arms. Sakura stood up and rubbed her teary eyes.

"What about Sasuke-kun?" She whispered, and Kakashi nodded.

"I'll take care of him."