BK: My dear readers... I've twisted you around my fingers, haven't I? But that's a sign for me to keep on writing. Many thanks for that. When I feel like I have no inspiration or I don't want to do anything, I come back, look at your reviews and just open the document and start typing away.

I'm glad you are conflicted with Kakashi. I know he's awesome, manga, anime, and my story aside, but... it is a SasukeHinata story. I always write the other guy someone better. Tch, shame on me.

To Elizabeth: Nothing in the anime or manga pertains to my story. The confrontation you speak of did not happen in my story. HOWEVER, the confrontation you all wish for is coming up!

And I want to thank BlackIrishHawk for reading a lot of my fanfics. You're awesome.

And for Yuri-Hime-Chan, I liked what you said. I was trying to find chemical reasons and stuff.

And for A Crazed Clerk, read on. You'll see. :)

And for mimihere, thanks for you review. It made me laugh and I posted the way you curse in FB as something funny and cute.

And for Busumeushi, are you a SasuHina fan or KakaHina fan? Just kidding, read on! Ahaha!

And for Hin4-ch4n, yes... the moment I read your comment... I barely realized how lonely I made Hinata. Then I thought, "Whoa... maybe I should be a bit kinder to Hinata-chan. She is my favorite female character." But fear not, read on.

And for kyuiibii-chan, thank you.

To my Reviewers: I hope you are ready for this chapter.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. AND I DON'T WANT TO.

BK

Hinata was already deep into the woods when she left Konoha. She left a message at the ANBU headquarters that she was leaving on the mission. She wanted Kakashi to assume the caretaker position of Sasuke's case. She also put in the letter to Danzo that she had planned to move out of Konoha. She gave the letter to a fellow ANBU who was just about to leave to his own mission. Hinata asked if he could give it to Danzo before he left and he agreed.

So now, she was traveling to the village down south near the swamps. It was where she had found the rapist last mission. She would start there for clues on Hattori and then she would proceed to find him.

The village was not far. She could get there at late noon if she kept the pace. It would tire her but she had more than enough money on her to spend the night at whatever cavern they had. She had packed everything she needed to live out of Konoha should she finish the mission. It was a huge canvas duffel bag that held all her weapons, gear, survival kits, and money. It weighed her down but she was no longer the fallen heiress Hinata, she was the ANBU Hinata. And this one would not let a duffel bag hinder her in a mission.

It was two in the morning now. The moon shone brighter than if she stood at her balcony. She suddenly felt lonely with no partner at her side and hoped she would reach the village sooner. She picked up her pace even more. The village, though not far, was very swampy and always humid. It only had two seasons: summer and winter. It was either raining all day in winter or humid and hot all summer. The village was founded right next to a lake that dried up in the summer and flooded when it rained. When she had found the rapist, it was a raining day. She hoped it that today was one of the rare days that it didn't rain on.

BK

Sasuke woke up. Still groggy, he headed to the kitchen and got a glass of water to drink. Hinata never showed up last night and when he came home, he didn't find her. Of course he didn't try her room. She avoided human touch and he was pretty sure she would disable him if he went in there either by legs or arms. He was still recovering. Though his cells have all healed, his chakra had not returned to its full potential.

It was late in the morning and he went to knock on Hinata's door. No one answered. He tried a couple of times. Again, no one answered. Suspicious, he opened the door despite his respect towards her odd behavior to human touch.

It was a dark room. The window was closed and the blinds were turned to cut off any light that tried to enter her room. There was one small bed that looked rarely used and full rows of cabinets and tables to occupy the rest of the room. Carefully, he turned the blinds to let the light in and ventured into her room. He tested the cabinets and it opened easily. What he saw inside surprised him.

It was full of kunai arranged from biggest to smallest. They were deadly sharp and were in all shapes and sizes. Hinata was a short range fighter. He did not expect to see so many kunai. Especially since she shouldn't know how to use half of them.

He opened the next cabinet. This one surprised him even more. It was seals and scrolls. They all had her blood and writing on it. She was a summoner... a summoner of birds. Like Itachi. And not only that, these scrolls weren't just basic Hyugga scrolls, what she had were scrolls that belonged to other villages and clans.

His hands shook and he opened two cabinets at the same time. What he saw shocked him speechless.

They held katanas and shukrins of the size only skilled ninja could ever hope to use. And behind all the various swords and stars, he saw the ANBU mask and gear. Slick gray and dark pants. Special geta shoes for silence and metal gloves and shin guards for protection.

With a snarl and his brain clicking all the information he obtained, he ripped open the last cabinet.

Bundles of bandages laid at the bottom, rolled up and each taped with a special name: light, thick, absorbent, water resistant, easily ripped, and missions. The ANBU mask stood at the top. It was the mask of an owl. Itachi's old ANBU mask.

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief.

"What? It can't be... Hinata is an ANBU? She was Itachi's ANBU partner?!"

His voice shook from shock and anger. How long had she been hiding it? Six, no eight? No, ten?! She must have been ANBU longer than that if she were ANBU partners with Itachi. How come she was able to slip pass him? He should have seen through her the very moment he laid eyes on her!

Anger shook throughout his body. Hinata must have known about everything that Konoha wanted to do to him. She must have also known about Itachi's whereabouts. They were playing with him from the very start. They want to tame him and they made sure of it by assigning an ANBU that caught his attention. He knew that assigning a female to take care of him was suspicious enough, but they probably wanted her to make him fall in love with her! After all, every man that looked at her wanted to bed her! He seethed in anger to even have thought of liking her thoughtfulness and the way she smiled. It was all a trap and he nearly fell into it.

Knocking the cabinet over, he slammed opened the door and made his way over to the Hokage building. He had something to take care of. He needed to make Hinata tell him where Itachi was.

BK

The flare of chakra ignited his body as it was sparked from his intense anger. He felt it run through his body like fire and it burned his barely recovered cells. He didn't care though. He needed to see Tsunade and he needed to find Hinata.

He brushed pass all the people that ran into him. Papers flew about and people shouted as he shoved them away. When he reached the top, Naruto stood in his way.

"Sasuke! What the hell are you doing?! You can't just come in and strut around like you own the place! You're still under -"

He was caught off as Sasuke's fist slammed into Naruto's face.

"I need to see the Hokage. Hinata has disappeared and I can't find her anywhere."

Naruto snarled at him.

"What the hell Teme!? What's wrong with you? Maybe she wanted a day away from you!"

Sasuke sighed and pushed passed him to open the door. Naruto stepped forward to try and block the door even though it was already half open.

"Teme! They're in a meeting! You can't -"

The door finally made it wide open and all was silent as everyone stared at Sasuke who barged in. He saw three immediate people that he was searching for: Tsunade, Danzo... and Kakashi.

"I see that you have found that Hinata has disappeared," Danzo had merely stated. Naruto's mouth opened as Sasuke pushed the door closed and Naruto hit the floor.

"Are you coming in future Hokage?" Tsunade asked rather annoyed. She seemed to be irritated by Danzo's presence. Naruto scurried to stand up and when he did, he dusted himself off as if this was an everyday occurrence.

Now with five people in the room and the door closed firmly, Danzo spoke again.

"We couldn't find you this morning Sasuke. It seems you have found out that Hinata is... an ANBU."

Naruto's mouth again dropped open. Sasuke scoffed at Danzo as he shoved Naruto away and walked forwards.

"So you hid her? Where is she?" Sasuke asked, his tone very annoyed by Danzo's appearance as well.

Danzo raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Tsunade, who in turn looked at Kakashi. She answered Sasuke.

"Don't take it to heart Uchiha. ANBU does what it is told. That is why I am afraid I have to answer your rather rude accusation as a negative. We do not know where Hinata is. We thought you would."

Kakashi laughed and suddenly spoke to Tsunade.

"Sasuke doesn't know where she is. He was with the Konoha nine last night. I'm sure she should have left some letter at the ANBU headquarters."

Danzo suddenly added in his piece as well.

"I was not present there. I was somewhere else. And the ANBU that was there yesterday left for a mission this morning. He won't be back until three or five days' time."

Tsunade sighed and thumped her head with the back of her hand.

"You mean to tell me that we have lost an ANBU simply because another one forgot to give you the message?!"

Danzo grimaced.

"I'm afraid so."

Sasuke snarled at him.

"I thought ANBU were the best shinobi! Hand picked by the elders themselves! What if she ran away?"

Kakashi turned immediately to face Sasuke.

"What do you mean she ran away?"

Kakashi's voice was lined with a faint feeling of concern. Sasuke smiled almost rudely at him, his hands starting to rise, and his voice took on a sarcastic, sneering voice.

"What? Your girlfriend disappeared? How do suppose we find her then? I'm all for helping."

Danzo looked to Sasuke's outspoken statement as if to shush him. Naruto's voice suddenly entered the rising argument.

"What do you mean girlfriend? You're an ANBU Kakashi? What have you been doing with Hinata-chan?"

Tsunade yelled to stop the mass of noises that started to rise from their bickering as Naruto was starting to get closer to Kakashi and Sasuke was fuming with overbearing anger.

"STOP!"

She glared at Danzo.

"What has ANBU been doing under your command Danzo? I thought ANBU worked to protect the village. What is it that you placed Sasuke under Hinata? What is it now that Kakashi, who has never expressed any type of romantic behavior to anyone, is now romancing Hinata? What are you doing Danzo?! We all know about her condition!"

Danzo looked as if he were about to falter, but then his face stilled and he talked in a low and controlled tone. Sasuke looked at Tsunade and Naruto looked over at Danzo. Condition?

"The question that needs to be answered here is where is Hinata the ANBU. She has disappeared for reasons unknown. We need to bring her back. When she is back, you can ask me anything you want. She is a crucial piece to Konoha's safety."

Naruto pointed his finger at Danzo.

"Your words seem slippery Danzo. Hinata may have ran away because of you. I may have just found out some disturbing news today, but that doesn't mean I don't know what you're capable of."

Tsunade had stood up by now and pushed Naruto's hand down. She rubbed her temples.

"Regardless, what we need to do now is find Hinata. She may be in danger. After all, she is the fallen heiress of the Hyugga clan. They cannot brand her forehead like branch members. And to top it off, she is a very skilled shinobi that is probably being hunted down by the remnants of Akatsuki."

She motioned Kakashi and Sasuke to the front of her and looked at them seriously.

"I, the fifth Hokage of Konoha, order a mission to bring back a missing nin of Konoha. Her name is Hyugga, Hinata. I want her back alive. This mission will be given to Kakashi, ANBU and his partner Sasuke."

Kakashi spoke up.

"What? Sasuke? He'll take off the moment -"

Tsunade raised her hand to stop him. She grabbed Sasuke's hand that was decorated with the same intricate designs as Hinata's. The Enclosing Jutsu.

"You need him Kakashi. This Jutsu can tell him where Hinata is, just as Hinata can use hers to find Sasuke. And don't worry about him running off. He can't do that. I am going to give you the same mark. Should Sasuke run away, you may kill him with this mark."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You mean to tell me that I have no choice but to die finding Hinata?" Sasuke's threatening voice shuddered in anger.

Tsunade shook her head.

"No. This is your first mission back as a Konoha shinobi. Should Hinata have died, Kakashi would take over as your caretaker. I see no problem in giving him the same mark."

Kakashi grimaced as Sasuke scowled. Sasuke shot them both dirty looks. So they had plan on strapping him down to Konoha.

"I accept this mission. Let's find her whereabouts." Kakashi said hurriedly.

Naruto stepped in and spoke to him. His face finally turning serious and something flared in his sea foam blue eyes. He would never let any of his friends disappear like that. Certainly not Hinata, the only person who truly loved him for who he was.

"That mark. I created it. My mom and dad were people who created seals. I want to explain to you how crucial it is that you not use the mark too much. Though Tsunade told you that it will lead you to Hinata, the truth is that your mark won't be as strong as hers since you're a third party. You can only tell where she roughly is. And second, to activate the seal, you must use your own chakra to flow into the mark to use it. Since you are the mandate and Sasuke is the receiver, when you use it, Sasuke will suffer from petrification from ice... and so will Hinata. I'm afraid I didn't think of three people using the mark. So if Sasuke feels that the ice is freezing him to death, please also take it to mind that Kakashi, you'll also be hurting Hinata."

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows at his young student. He was awed by this student who used to be so young and idiotic.

"What if Hinata uses the mark? Isn't she one of the mandates?"

Naruto nodded, his face getting ever so grim.

"That means you will experience the pain of petrification."

Sasuke scoffed and broke into a choking laughter.

"I'm surprised at how much you've grown Naruto. I can't believe you would create a seal that could potentially kill me and not the other two who will only suffer from the pain."

Naruto frowned at him.

"I will be Hokage. Sometimes I have to think of the whole village, not just one person. Hinata is part of the village and she thinks of the future for it. I'm sorry Sasuke."

Sasuke gave Naruto a strained smile of recognition. So Naruto had grown up. Whilst Sasuke was chasing after a man that may as well be dead.

"Fine. I'll help Kakashi find her. What are you going to do with me getting out of the village? Last time I tried, I almost died."

Danzo smiled there, finally making his appearance.

"I'm afraid we'll just have to push you through since we don't have Hinata, the original mandate, to open the force field. Please bear with the pain. There is one weak spot that we have found. We can push you through there. You won't die though you'll probably be close to it."

Sasuke gave Danzo a dirty look. Apparently, he would have to go through hell first before he could even begin to find Hinata.

BK

Hinata had just reached the village outskirts when something cold erupted throughout her body. Her eyes widened and she let out an excruciating yell of pain. Doubling over, she felt as if her body was freezing to death, she started to shudder, her hands shaking uncontrollably, and her vision started to blur. What was happening? What was going on? She held her hands to her face and saw that the seal was being activated. It shined an eerie icy blue light and she saw that the ice stemmed from the seal. It was starting envelop her body in ice. Her hands were already turning blue. Hinata started to gasp, her breath coming out as little smoke in the already raining, cold day.

Was Sasuke trying to die? Was he going through the Konoha gates!? She thought that his will to kill Itachi would keep him in Konoha enough to keep him alive!

Hinata started to gasp for air, her vision starting to turn dark as she felt someone come near her and started yelling at her.

She looked warily at them, too tired from the intense trip to the village and too exhausted to fight the seal, before she could answer or even warn the person to stay away from her poisonous body, she fell to the ground unconscious.

BK

BK: … Kyaa! I'm so excited!