A/N:I have officially updated the entire story of The True Meaning of Valueas of March 9th, 2016. The story has been cleaned up to fix plot holes and hopefully to the betterment of the story's flow - I'm hoping this fixes the crummier parts of the story so that this fanfic becomes ten times more enjoyable with a more realistic approach to the characters and story development. Thank you everyone for supporting and following this story, and please continue to do so as new chapters are on their way! Read on, my fellow fans! I hope to see each and everyone of you guys at the end of this long, long journey!

- Pencilfreak17


Chapter 12: Chase (Part2)

Gentle hands touched his face, lovingly ruffling his hair as his parents smiled down at him. He wasn't able to speak to them nor was he even able to move. He just stood there staring, incapable of doing anything at all.

"You know already don't you son?"
His father smiled sadly at him, beside his father, his mother had begun shedding silent tears of sorrow.

"You should know already…"

His parents stood on either side of him, a hand on each of his shoulders as they leaned towards him and gently kissed his forehead.

"We love you son."

Then right before everything turned red, right before the dream got bloody, a hand grabbed him from the swirling mass of murder and blood as he was suddenly yanked from the chaos; somehow he was given a blissful chance to wake back up before he saw the tragedy unfold all over again…

In a gasp, his eyes bolted awake as he jolted in place, his body rigid with shock from the dream. Thin films of sweat covered his brow and all over his body, which stained the blankets that were tangled at his feet. Sighing in relief, he forced his tense muscles to relax, a trembling hand thrown over his face as he focused on breathing. That dream again. Just how much longer will he have to endure it all?

"You were thrashing in your sleep again."

Naruto slowly shifted his arm away from his eyes, peering behind his hand at the Uchiha that had somehow creeped undetected into his room. The same sour expression reflected on Naruto's face was present on Sasuke's as he stood leaning against Naruto's dresser with his arms crossed.

"…What do you want Sasuke…?"
Sasuke watched as Naruto broke off his gaze, turning in his bed so that his back was facing him. Then he shrugged, still staring at his blond friend as he grumbled, "Just wanted to make sure you were okay… since the only other time I've ever seen you thrash around like that was when you first had those dreams…"

With a hand combing through his unkempt hair, Sasuke added broodingly, "You do know what I'm talking about right Uzumaki?"
Naruto kept silent, his back still facing him as Sasuke looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter if you want to talk about it or not. Sure seems like I'm the last person you want to talk to. Now you'd better get your ass off your bed and into the kitchen if you don't want to be the last one there."

Naruto heard Sasuke's footsteps retreating for the door, the soft click of his door sliding out of place as Sasuke swung it open. Frowning at Sasuke's words Naruto sat up and stopped him before he walked out.

"Hey wait, what do you mean the kitchen?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes as he retorted, "Well I just figured you wanted to be one of the firsts to have Hinata's cooking for breakfast. You clearly enjoyed yourself with her food last night so you might as well have some now before Kiba and his dog devours it all."

Forgetting his usual troubles, Naruto jumped to his feet, forgetting to throw on some decent clothes as he raced for the kitchen as he shouted, "DAMN YOU INUZUKA, YOU'D BETTER SAVE ME SOME OF THE FOOD THERE!"

Sasuke shook his head at the response that shot back at Naruto's demands from within the kitchen, "OH SHIT, WHO THE HELL WOKE YOU UP!?"


Hinata had no idea why, but she was surrounded by a bunch of men in their boxers with or without their shirts. Not that Hinata should really take this immaturely, the boys had every right to be dressed the way they were since after all, they were men. But it took every bit of her will power to keep her gaze above their waists.

While she busied herself with the eggs on the frying pan at hand, in stormed Naruto as he stalked up to a rather frantic Kiba, shamelessly challenging Kiba in his frog print boxers. Hinata didn't know whether to blush or stifle a giggle – it was a rare sight to see him be the only full grown adult among his friends to be wearing a pair of boxers that was far from plain and simple. Naruto snatched a plate of bacon Kiba and Akamaru had been snacking on which immediately sparked their quarrel.

"HEY! Akamaru and I was eating that-!"
"Let me eat for once you hog, you've been up for how many hours!? I just woke up you jerk; now shove off and let me have my share!"
Before the two could spiral off into a man to man fight, Shikamaru scooped the plate of bacon off of Naruto's hand and shared the remaining few with the other boys as they watched in mild amusement as the fight become a tangle of limbs and insults on the tiled floor. However the skirmish was short-lived the moment the Uchiha stepped into the kitchen.

"Break it up you animals; it's time we got back to business."

Naruto kicked Kiba off his torso as he leaped up and stole Kiba's seat, the boys huddling up at the table as Sasuke placed a laptop in the midst of them, scrolling through a few websites from his research.

"As I suspected, the hospital Sakura went off to apply to, was the main Hyuuga hospital down in the northern end of Konoha. I'm assuming though that the Akatsuki are trying to remain immobile since I haven't heard any suspicious news lately concerning any gangs or anything, so we should at least try to keep on alert for them while looking for Sakura."

Shikamaru intervened.

"Yeah Sasuke, sounds cool and all, but how are we going to just waltz into that hospital asking for a newly employed doctor? Keep in mind that we're a bunch of gangsters, it's not like we have anybody to visit in a hospital or any authentic reason to be in one…"

Drawn to the conversation, Hinata brought another batch of bacon to the table as she quietly spoke out, "Um… e-excuse me for saying this, b-but doesn't Naruto have to schedule an appointment for a checkup s-soon? This morning I answered the phone and a n-nurse said he needed to schedule a time at a hospital to get c-checked up since his s-surgery…"

Sasuke glanced up at Hinata briefly as Kiba clapped his hands with a smile.

"Brilliant! Thanks for that tidbit Hinata! Well then Shikamaru, we got the 'authentic reason' shot down, we're set! Now let's go fetch us a pink-haired bitch!"
The boys watched mildly amused as Sasuke flicked a pen at Kiba's face, scowling in annoyance at Kiba's eagerness.

"Just pipe down for a moment Kiba."

Shikamaru glanced around and sighed, "You guys can't be serious. It can't possibly be this easy to just walk in there, even with a legitimate reason by having Naruto scheduled to an appointment, just how are the rest of us supposed to sneak around peeking into offices hoping to run into Sakura? There's just no way someone won't stop us and ask us what the hell we're doing. Also, let's not forget the threat of the Akatsuki intervening."

Choji shrugged as he nibbled on a bacon strip, "The Akatsuki has stayed dormant for a long time Shikamaru, I doubt they'd try anything at this point since the last fight we had."

Shikamaru stared at his friend as he growled, "If any of you guys seriously believe that bullshit, then I think you guys are forgetting something here. A gang like that targeting us? There's just no way in hell, that they can't possibly be surveying us all around the clock. Don't tell me you guys have forgotten about just what the Akatsuki are perfectly capable of doing here."

Shikamaru folded his hands eerily composed as he darkly added, "They could even be watching us now…"

There was a moment of silence before Neji threw out there, "Shikamaru's right. We're obviously not taking this seriously. We should keep in mind that the Akatsuki are just as clever as we are; maybe even more. So we need to step it up guys, and take this seriously."

The group gloomily brooded on Neji's words when Sasuke suddenly snapped his laptop shut. Standing the Uchiha sighed as he tucked the device under his arms and stalked out of the kitchen.

"I'm going to look into this some more, while I'm doing that, I want Shikamaru and Neji scheduling Naruto's appointment. The rest of you guys do what you think will be beneficial for when we encounter Sakura, and I can't remember the last time we did a supply check. Kiba, you should make sure we're still loaded."

Kiba mockingly saluted the Uchiha as he disappeared through the open doorway as he grumbled, "Roger that captain."

Before the rest of the group could disband, Shino spoke up, "I think we're also forgetting a key situation here…"

Naruto grinned as he leaned across the table, smiling at the shadowy figure whilst he took another bite of bacon.

"And what may that be bug boy?"
Shino gave Naruto an unamused expression as he bluntly pointed out, "The Hyuuga are still looking for our friend here."

Shino gestured to Hinata who had now moved to the kitchen sink long ago to wash the frying pan.

"Now that we're going to be heading into the heart of the Hyuuga enterprises, I don't think it's wise that we stay blind to Hinata's vulnerability. She could be snatched up by a Hyuuga agent if we don't do something about her."

Lee nodded in agreement, "I too have been thinking about that, we should do something so that she doesn't come in harm's way!"
Shikamaru sighed as he ran a hand over his face, "Oh geez… I completely forgot about Hinata and her little family problem…!"

Choji snorted, "Which is more complicated; Hinata's family or Temari's?"

Shikamaru shoved his big boned friend and sighed at his laughter, "That… is a question already answered."

Kiba nudged Naruto on the shoulder as he flashed him a grin, "Hey hey now, let's not forget what we're talking about here ya'll. Naruto here has a little decision to make about his little caretaker."

Naruto gave Kiba a sour expression as he sighed, "Can you not call her that?"

Neji narrowed his eyes at Naruto as he snapped, "I hope you know what you're doing Naruto, she's my cousin and I wouldn't want her to fall back into the hands of her father. She's very much like a sister to me rather than a cousin, so I suggest you don't take this situation too lightly either."

Naruto held up his hands in his innocence as he laughed, "Chill it there man, you shouldn't worry so much! Hinata is perfectly safe here with us, there's no way the Hyuuga agents will find her here!"

Kiba smacked him on the head from behind him as he snapped, "Idiot! Don't forget about our old teachers being Hyuuga agents, and there's no telling when those guys will come swinging around for another visit!"
Naruto registered Kiba's words while numbly fingering the back of his head at the sore as he sighed, "Oh… right. I almost forgot about Kakashi and the other teachers…"

Neji shook his head, his arms crossed as he grumbled, "I'm starting to wonder why I entrusted her to you…"

Shikamaru stood from the table, shrugging as he pointed out, "Whatever the case is, Naruto, you should take a moment to figure it all out. If you really want to commit to helping the rest of us out to finding Sakura, you should find a way to keep Hinata from getting caught into her own problems. After all, you did assume responsibility over her to keep her safe from the Hyuuga agents on your own whim."

Naruto nodded to no one in particular as the boys began to exit the kitchen.

"Yeah… I got that."

He sat alone at the table when suddenly someone placed a warm cup of coffee before him. Hinata smiled shyly at him, sitting across from him cradling her own cup as she mumbled, "I-I heard from Shikamaru one time that you liked drinking coffee occasionally in the mornings…"

Naruto smiled at her as he took the cup in his hands and thanked her.

"Thanks, I do enjoy a good cup of coffee every now and then…"

Hinata nervously watched him as he brought the cup to his lips and took a mild sip, anxiously watching as he lowered the cup and winked at her.

"Mmm…! Nicely made, tastes great, thanks Hinata."

Beaming at his praise she smiled in relief, "A-Ah, you're welcome!"
There was a brief moment of awkward silence between them as Hinata finally asked nervously, "Um, Naruto? I-I heard about you and the others trying to find Sakura…"

Naruto nodded, flashing a halfhearted smile as he laughed nervously, "Y-Yeah…"

Hinata glanced up at him and asked quietly, "Is m-me b-being here a… n-nuisance for you a-and y-your t-team?"

Naruto blinked in surprise at her question as he flustered, "Ah, no, no, no, no, no! You're not a nuisance – NEVER were you a nuisance, what in the world made you think that!?"
Hinata timidly fingered her bottom lip as she eyed the edge of the table as she sadly replied, "W-Well I-I o-overheard what Shikamaru last said to y-you a-about m-me and I… I-I don't want to become another p-problem for you and y-your friends, e-especially when you all need to find your friend quickly. I-I can always go b-back to K-Kurenai's place and stay hidden there…"

Naruto sat there stunned at her words before gathering up the nerve to reach over the table and gently grasp her hand, a sad smile on his face as he responded, "Don't say that Hinata, I don't regret trying to help you. Even if I have my own problems, that doesn't mean I can't help others. I'll help you the best I can Hinata, because you're a friend. Plus, Neji would kill me if I screwed up even once."

Hinata cracked a small smile as Naruto added, "No one is going to find you as long as you're with me Hinata. Even if they do find you, they won't get near you."

Hinata asked, "Why?"
Naruto gave her a sly smile as he drew her hand close and kissed the back of her hand.

"Because if they try, I'll gut them inside out before they can lay a finger on you."

Hinata blushed at the gesture as he released her hand and stood up, stretching his arms up and over his head he yawned as he turned to exit the kitchen.

"Ah man, I'm gonna go for a jog, feel free to relax Hinata, you can watch TV or type your stories up, whatever you do around this time. Just relax and don't worry about anything, I've got you covered."

Hinata stayed rooted to her seat with her hand tingling like crazy as he left heading back to his room to throw on some decent clothes. Hinata brought her hand up to her lips as she tried to suppress the overwhelming urge to smile.

"H-He… k-k-kissed m-my h-hand…"

That can't mean anything, right?

Refusing to read too far into his gentle gesture, Hinata shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks to snap back to reality. Taking deep breaths to scare away the blush on her face, she took her cup of coffee in hand as she headed back to her own room, hoping to retire there and spend some quality time to finish another chapter of her book.


Kiba waved a hand at Naruto as he headed out the door, shouting through a mouthful of potato chips as he exclaimed, "Oi, take it easy on the running alright? You still have stitches in so don't break 'em!"
Naruto rolled his eyes as he left the house, bathing himself in the warm glow of the morning sun as he began jogging down the sidewalk down alongside the road.

"Eesh… he should be going out on a jog, with all that eating potato chips while watching TV… that can't possibly be good for him."

Jogging a few blocks down he already crossed paths with a few other early morning joggers. He even caught a rare sight of a couple jogging together as they passed him; they even shot him a warm "good morning" with a smile as he passed them. He couldn't help but kind of stare over his shoulder at the two with a lingering yearning to have a relationship those two shared. It was simply something he never experienced and it'd be nice to have a relationship like that.

Sighing he turned his focus back to his morning jog as he continued farther down the road passing by several neighbors and a park, watching in mild amusement at the squealing mass of children that ran around playing with one another with their parents watching close by. But it also came with a feeling of bitterness; he never had the fun those kids had when he was young. Everyone in his neighborhood and school hated him at the time; it was a childhood he preferred not to reflect upon. Turning his gaze away from the park he stopped the flow of his thoughts as he zeroed in his workout, stretching his legs as he quickened his pace, beginning to pass by small shops and gas stations.

He had only crossed another block when he came across disaster.

A stranger has just stepped out from a phone booth when he stopped Naruto in mid-stride.

"Excuse me sir, I'm sorry to be bothering you so early this morning, but do you have a phone on you? I need to call my wife, but the phone booth is out of commission, this is a bit of an emergency, do you mind sir?"

Naruto blinked in surprise at the sudden request as he patted his pockets for his phone as he sighed, "Uh, no not at all, here let me just get my phone out-"

Suddenly the stranger whipped out a knife and kicked out one of Naruto's knees, surprising him as he fell to the ground on one knee as the stranger attempted to cut down at his neck in an instant. Letting his body take command of his movements, Naruto rolled away, bringing himself barely a hair's length away from certain death as the knife instead bit into the concrete sidewalk. The moment Naruto got back to his feet, the stranger was already quickly approaching, unperturbed that he had dodged his first attempt.

The stranger tried a direct attack, keeping the knife held up to his chest as he aimed to pin Naruto to the wall or the ground first, but having experienced years of street fighting from years of defending himself, Naruto learned better than to lose ground to his attacker. Refusing to be cornered, Naruto slapped the knife arm away from his body before leaping over the attacker's shoulders to land behind him, turning heel with viper speed, lashing out a leg to knock the stranger's legs out from beneath him. The stranger planted a hand on the ground to spin himself back to his feet, using the momentum of his fall to carry him through as he landed a safe distance from Naruto.

The numb sore in his chest reminded Naruto of his limitation, knowing that if he got himself into a serious fight with his attacker, he could easily break the stitches once again. And he sure didn't plan on getting wound back into the hospital for recuperation. Hoping to end this quickly, Naruto prepared for another attack, pinning his gaze on his foe.

His attacker sure wasn't an amateur when it came to fighting however. He was nimble and quick on his feet, showing Naruto that he was a capable fighter as well. The way he handled the knife, being able to maneuver it so well, it suggested to Naruto that this stranger may or may not be a well trained assassin…

Keeping his gaze on the knife in the stranger's hand he asked, "What the hell do you want with me?"
The attacker twirled the knife in his hand, readjusting his grip as he flashed a smirk.

"Are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto stayed silent.

The attacker widened his grin as he laughed, "Then I'm sure you know the reason why I'm even here."

Naruto put two and two together and felt a twinge of fear cross his thoughts. In that moment, the stranger threw his knife aimed at Naruto's shoulder. Once again, trusting his instincts, Naruto dodged as he shook himself from his thoughts back to reality.

However, his attacker knew by this point that Naruto was well capable of dodging direct attacks and quickly followed up with a secondary attack. After losing his first weapon as a choice to distract Naruto, he pulled out another from within his sleeves and grabbed Naruto from behind and brought the knife up to his neck, hoping to make it a clean kill.

Driven by the sudden life threatening danger Naruto found himself in, he brought his head back, the tip of the knife cutting into his chin as he slammed the back of his head up against his attacker's forehead, successfully dazing him long enough to twist around and kick him in the side.

Stumbling away from Naruto, the attacker was immediately caught in Naruto's grasp, a leg locking on one of the attacker's legs to keep him from running as Naruto twisted the knife from his hand and now held it up against the attacker's neck, the fight ceasing for a heartbeat.

Naruto wiped the blood off his chin, tracing his thumb along the long narrow cut from his right cheekbone to the tip of his chin as he flicked the blood to the ground in irritation; a foot grounding in the blood as it smeared across the concrete.

"You shithead… I got shot in the chest a few days back and now you're going out your way to cut my face? You're such a jackass…"

Naruto tilted the knife against his captive's neck, letting it bite into his skin and draw blood as he hissed, "Now, if you don't want a cut across your pretty face, you might as well tell me the reason behind this attempt of murder."

The stranger kept silent, eyes drawn slowly to the knife in Naruto's hands as the stranger snickered, "Wow, shot in the chest you say? And yet you're still pretty flexible with your body even after such an injury…"

Then with a jerk, the stranger twisted Naruto's arm back, slapping the knife out of his hand as he wrenched his leg free from Naruto's and pushed him to the ground. Collapsing back first against the concrete sidewalk, Naruto was stunned for a moment as he absorbed the impact in his torso, bringing a wave of numbing agony over his body. Again, using those split seconds to his advantage, his attacker leaped upon him, pinning him down with a knee on his chest and having snatched up the knife once again, he held it up for Naruto to see, laughing as he twirled it between his fingers.

"You know, it's really a surprise that you're still alive. Even after that bloody massacre that fateful night…"

Flashes of his parents' smile from his previous dream crossed his mind, bringing back a wave of nauseating fear that this man may be…

"…Who are you!?"

The man laughed again as he gripped the knife, making it clear he was done talking to him.

"You won't have to ask that, because even if you did know, you wouldn't be able to say anything about it."

Then he drew his arm back and brought the knife point forward at his neck, in that moment attempting to murder the last Uzumaki presently known.


Hinata sat next to Kiba and Shino in the living room on the couch while she typed the draft of her to-be published book. Shino had taken a relative interest in her writing, sharing her some insightful views to the topic of her book while Kiba shrugged off the mere concept of 'books'. Clearly Kiba wasn't the type to really read since he seemed to stay glued to the TV remote ever since this morning.

"I don't know why you guys need to read books. I mean, there's ton of good shit on TV every day! No one really reads books these days!"
Shino gave Kiba a menacing glare behind his shaded glasses as he growled, "Keep your unintelligible comments to yourself Kiba; I doubt you even know the true value behind a book!"

Kiba snorted, flipping through channels with one hand as he stroked Akamaru's neck fur with the other, the dog's head resting in Kiba's lap with his tail thumping steadily on the carpet.

"Whatever Shino, you crazy bug addict…"

Hinata looked between the two as she stammered, "G-Guys! L-Let's not fight over this, p-please…!"

Hinata felt bad that the two friends were sparking a fight between themselves just because Hinata had curiously asked Kiba if he liked books. Shino seemed displeased by Kiba's conflicting views on books and seemed entirely pissed off by Kiba's words; Hinata hated making such an innocent question become the kindling for a growing conflict.

"You start calling me a crazy bug addict one more time and I WILL put a swarm of mayflies in your room and put lice in your mattress-!"

There was rough, frantic banging on the front door, as to who Lee answered to, leaping up from his daily stretching on the other side of the living room as he practically flew to the door calling out, "Coming!"
Unlocking the door quickly, Lee threw open the door, revealing three figures as they stumbled into the house, the only thing setting off alarms over everybody's heads was the blood.

"Good Lord, what happened to Naruto-!?"

The young man with red hair glanced over his shoulder to Lee, and quickly snapped, "Shut the door, quick!"
With Lee slamming the door, the boys were drawn out from their rooms to the source of the commotion, eyes widening and jaws going slack at the sight of Naruto's blood. Kiba and Shino leaped off the couch, rushing to take the two strangers' place as Naruto waved them off, grumbling weakly that he was fine when clearly, he wasn't. Hinata stood up staring in shock with one hand over her mouth. In all her life, the most blood she had ever seen was a terrifying nosebleed – however the wound Naruto now bore had more than enough blood to give her nightmares.

Sasuke had already came by Naruto's side, barking off in his ear, demanding to know what stupid act he could've done this time to get himself all torn up, while Shino ordered Lee and Kiba to fetch his medical supplies. Neji came to Hinata's side, comforting her with a hand on her shoulder as he gently pulled her to one side, where she wouldn't be able to see the blood, as he told her to remain calm. Shikamaru sauntered into the room with his cell phone pressed to his ear, clearly having a romantic conversation with his girlfriend, but one look at Naruto's condition had him give his lover a brief goodbye before ending the call abruptly.

Sasuke irritably grabbed Naruto's ear and yelled, "How the hell can you be so stupid!? You should've just ran you stupid bastard!"

Naruto, equally irritated, yanked his ear out of his grasp as he rubbed his ear while glaring at the Uchiha.

"You know it's not my style to run!"

Shikamaru sighed as he crossed his arms while shaking his head in dismay.

"Style? Like what, being severely injured every fucking time you try to take a stand?"

Shino had Naruto take off his shirt in order to locate the source of the blood as he mopped up the excessive blood that stained his chest.

Kiba sourly glared at Naruto as he snapped, "Geez, just tell the rest of us what happened, and you better not leave anything out."

Naruto eyed the boys around him, seeing the same expression of concern and equally balanced anger as he glumly sighed.

"Fine, fine, you want a story? I'll tell you a fucking story…"

Naruto winced as Shino brushed the bloody cloth over his shoulder, gently wiping away the blood to find the open wound where the knife had been buried into. With Shino brushing the cloth over raw, open skin, Naruto grimaced in silence as he waited for Shino to finish cleaning his wound before wrapping it in a clean fresh bandage. Then his attention came back to the silence around him as everyone waited for him to start explaining. Groaning to himself Naruto slumped up against the couch as he sighed, "Where do I start…?"


Naruto wasn't going to let this fucker have his way.

Shifting the best he could, Naruto avoided having his neck gutted out; instead, he had the knife buried hilt deep into his shoulder, a howl of agony torn from his lungs as Naruto grabbed the man sitting atop of him and kicked him off with the knife embedded in his shoulder.

The man rolled off to one side, withdrawing another knife as he chuckled, "Not bad. I had you pinned down and yet you still managed to-!"

The man ducked instinctively as a newcomer swung an aimed kick over his target, immediately following up with an elbow in his face. Dropping his knife to clutch a broken nose, those hands grabbed Naruto's attacker by the collar of his shirt and hissed, "Tell me now; what the fuck are you doing to him, you shithead? And you better spill it quickly before I snap your petty little neck-!"

The attacker kneed the man in the gut before scrambling off, only to run into another newcomer who stood barring his way, arms crossed and menacing gaze affixed.

"I don't think he told you that you could leave."

The man who got kneed in the gut choked out an angered threat to the cornered attacker, growling with one arm around his stomach as the attacker took a few steps back to the edge of the sidewalk, inches from the busy road.

"…I have nothing to do with you two. You should stop trying to be heroes defending this nobody when you two can't-!"

The second newcomer immediately broke out into a barrage of fists and kicks, a few blocked and a few hit their target. Overwhelmed by the sudden overly skilled fighter, the attacker retreated and ran across the street – risking the cars that sped to a halt at the sight of him fleeing. The two watched the attacker disappear, leaving them with Naruto on the ground as they turned to give him their full attention.

"Holy shit, why the fuck were you having a fight with a guy with a knife!?"
Naruto was aided to his feet by the two, one at each shoulder as the one with red hair glanced at Naruto's bloody shoulder.

"…He didn't get you anywhere serious did he?"

Naruto took a deep, ragged breath, shaking his head in response as he leaned on the two for support.

"No…"

"Then let's just get you home quickly. We wouldn't want anyone to see you like this in public."

The second man whistled to the shadows in a nearby alleyway where several other fellow gangsters poured out. Barking orders to clean up the blood on the street, the two guided Naruto back towards his home, taking a discrete route to avoid the neighbors and the park he passed by earlier that was still full of children. With the adrenaline dying out of his system, Naruto felt the weight of his exhaustion weigh down on him – and the pain of his new injury.

Leaning on his saviors he sighed, "Thanks guys… Gaara… Kankuro…"


Shino had sent Naruto to rest, insisting that he received enough shock for the morning and ordered him to go take a break in bed. Though he tried to deny that, he was sent to his room with Hinata at his side. He wanted to spend some time to talk with Gaara and his brother Kankuro for a while since he hadn't seen them in a while since the last time he met them, however the boys just gave him the evil eye and sent him crawling.

So now here he was lying in bed as Hinata gently tucked him in. While doing this, Naruto couldn't help but think of her as a motherly type of person when she did these sorts of things; like cooking him and the others meals and taking care of their laundry. Lately, she also claimed she's cleaned the bathrooms and she wasn't kidding about that either. Naruto watched her as she smoothed out the sheets near his feet as he cracked a thoughtful smile.

Damn… she'd make a fantastic wife.

Hinata caught sight of his gaze and felt a light blush touch her cheeks. She averted her eyes and continued to smooth out the wrinkles in his bed sheets before retiring to her seat at his bedside. He turned his head to look at Hinata, a silly smile plastered to his face before he attempted to initiate a simple chat.

"Hey Hinata, has anyone told you this, that you'd make a fantastic wife?"
Naruto half expected her to blush and mumble a thank you for his compliment, but instead, at his words, her facial expression darkened as she nervously forced a smile.
"O-Oh… uh, yes, I've been t-told that… m-more t-than often upon s-several o-occasions… it's n-nothing n-new, but t-thank you n-nonetheless…"

Then even quieter she added, hoping he wouldn't hear, "…I suppose…"

Naruto knew better than that though. Noticing that he may have offended her, Naruto sat up in bed, eyeing Hinata as he exclaimed, "Hinata… are you alright?"

Throwing Naruto a rather perplexed expression he continued to ask, "I didn't… offend you or anything… have I?"

Hinata caught sight of the edged hint of concern in his blue eyes as she laughed tensely and shook her head, "N-No, no, o-of course n-not. I was j-just r-rather surprised that y-you w-would've said something like t-that to m-me, t-that's all…"

That wasn't entirely a lie. She was surprised that Naruto saw her that way. Normally she would've taken comments like that as a compliment, but whenever someone threw such words out at her like that, all she could think about was Hanabi's last words to her five years ago: 'Father has always liked me better. I don't blame him; I am better than Hinata...'

Naruto studied Hinata's rather aloof expression before reaching out to grasp her hand – which had curled into a fist in the midst of her thoughts. "Are you sure? It seems to me that I may have insulted you or something…"

'Hinata is too kind and compromising to be able to handle the business world anyway. If she can't learn to be demanding and ruthless in the business managing, she's better off being a housewife, like you mother; to bring up children like me into the family.'

Naruto frowned at her silence, squeezing her hand as he called out again, "Hinata? Are you listening? Hey…!"

Hanabi smirked at her sister's unchanging expression of sadness.

"You'd be better off popping babies than making deals."

A hand lightly cupped her face, jolting her back to reality as she blinked up at Naruto's concerned face, a wave of confusion and then shame as she realized she may have been ignoring his words while brooding, by herself, dark memories.

"Were you spacing out again?"
Hinata apologized, bowing her head in shame, only to be lifted back up at eye level by Naruto's hand.

"Don't be, you must've been really disturbed about something."
Expressing genuine concern he added in, "Care to talk about it or would you rather have me to keep my nosy self out of it?"
Hinata shied away from his hand as she quietly fingered her bangs, keeping her eyes away from Naruto as she mumbled, "I… I-I'd prefer if we talked a-about i-it some o-other time…"

Naruto shrugged, settling back up against his pillow as he sighed, "Fair enough, I'll respect that…"

Feeling rather uncomfortable for possibly disturbing Hinata with his compliment that was meant to please her, Naruto sat there trying to see if he could turn it around somehow, to keep her mind off whatever it was that was haunting her current thoughts.

Hinata sat in her seat, numbly facing a dreaded replay of her younger sister's spiteful remarks from that day when Naruto spoke up, "You know, I always wondered about getting married one day."

Perching his head on his hands he grinned at Hinata, again, reminding her that he was simply trying to lighten the mood as he began rambling, "I hope I can find someone like you Hinata, someone who'll take care of me and treat me fairly. God, I'd love that kind of a woman to death like that."

Naruto laughed, running a hand through his hair as he made a point, "However, it seems unlikely I'll ever get a wife if I can't even score a girlfriend. I'm always too busy trying to keep my gang together that I don't have time to go out and meet new people. But I feel like that just means I should try harder to meet others because, well hell, even that lazy Shikamaru found a girl to cuddle with, and he barely had to even leave the house to get to know her. I guess I just don't have the charm like he does with girls or whatever…"

He flashed her another sad smile.

"Guess I'm just too weird for most girls."

"N-No, I-I t-think y-you're very attractive Naruto-!"
Halting mid-sentence, Hinata brought a shocked hand to her mouth, wondering why she blurted out such a questionable comment. Oh God, does he suspect…?

Naruto laughed, his smile beaming at her as he chuckled, "Aw, thanks! But you're just being nice aren't ya' Hinata?"
Reaching out he pinched her cheek, a playful gesture as he laughed, "Daw… you're so cute sometimes!"

Grabbing his retreating hand, Hinata fought the blush on her face as she genuinely tried to express, "N-No! Naruto, I-I'm sure m-many girls would find you v-very a-alluring! You're compassionate, t-thoughtful, and q-quite h-handsome. I-I'm sure you'll find someone who'll have fallen for you…!"
Like me.

Naruto continued to laugh, his fingers weaving into hers as he continued to smile, "You really think so, huh? Well, if Hinata has faith in me, then I guess that means there's yet some hope left for me, so I should have some faith in myself too!"
This brought a small smile to Hinata's face as she joined in his laugh with an unrestrained giggle. But his words really did make her wonder; did Naruto really feel that way? Did he want someone to love because… because he was always so lonely? Hinata always assumed he never was since he had so many friends, but then again… finding love was something far rarer than friendship. Perhaps he felt that his chances of ever gaining the affections of another was near to zero; maybe Hinata… can prove that wrong someday.

Their laughs slowly died out, leaving them with sore cheeks from smiling so much as Hinata sighed, her hand still entwined with his as she offered him a genuine smile.

"Naruto…?"
He looked up at her, his laugh spent but his eyes continued to carry on his laughter as she smiled wider, "Thank you…"

She knew he was only trying to take back whatever had set her off from earlier. Of course he'd feel responsible for reminding her of her dark memories that linked to the compliment of being a good wife; however, she didn't want him to feel that way, so perhaps next time, she should try not taking it so personally. After all, he genuinely meant it; he hadn't said it spitefully like Hanabi had. So she could at least take his words to comfort knowing he truthfully meant it without malice.

Naruto simply smiled back, nodding before sliding down in his bed, shifting so he was lying on his side as he sighed, "Ugh, I'm pooped. Guess I'll be sleeping in today… again."

Cracking a halfhearted smile he closed his eyes sighing, "Geez… I just had to slip up and get jumped by some shithead… damn I need a life Hinata."

Hinata gave shared his halfhearted smile as he began to slowly drift off to sleep. He unconsciously tightened his grip on her slim fingers, taking comfort at the small gesture as she squeezed his hand back, letting him know she was still there.

She eventually found herself staying by his side the rest of the morning as he slept, his grip gone slack with sleep as she gently slipped her hand from his and tucked his outstretched arm beneath the covers, resigning herself to simply watch him nap. It was amusing to watch how he slept. Constantly he would tangle himself in his blankets, turning this way and that as he mumbled in his sleep, his blond hair slowly entangling as he shifted in his sleep. No matter how many times Hinata attempted to straighten him out, to pull the blankets apart and back in one piece over his slumbering form, he would eventually only ensnare himself once again.

Growing tired of sitting in a chair for the past few hours, Hinata took a moment to stand and stretch, her legs sore from staying idle for far too long as she massaged her tense muscles. That was when the door to his room silently opened and closed, admitting inside Naruto's Uchiha friend. He stood by the door watching her stretch her arms down to her toes as he approached Naruto's bedside and asked quietly, "How is he?"

Hinata jumped back up, having not been aware of his presence as she sighed in relief, pressing a hand to her chest as if trying to restrain her racing heartbeat.

"Oh… goodness! I-I didn't see you there S-Sasuke…"

Sasuke eyed Naruto's odd sleeping style and suppressed a snort, as if he had never seen someone so ridiculously stupid when sleeping. Hinata watched every shift in his expression, trying to read his emotions from the stoic Uchiha; out of all the boys, he was by far the most mysterious to her. Like a puzzle she'd never understand. Which was fine, since she wasn't interested in him at all anyway; she never liked men who always kept to themselves, giving the entire world the cold shoulder. She preferred the optimistic, bright and happy demeanor of whom Naruto fit the bill.

Sasuke shot Hinata a sideways glance before asking, "Weren't you here with Naruto since this morning?"

At Hinata's silence he rephrased his question, "Were you here with Naruto the entire time?"
Hinata resigned herself to simply nod, thinking only to give him short responses as he quietly absorbed her subtle answer.

Then a thought came to Hinata's mind when she peered up at the Uchiha and quietly asked, "Sasuke… p-pardon me for asking, b-but did you come here to check on Naruto because you were w-worried?"

Sasuke shot Hinata a glare that challenged the intent behind her question as he hissed back, "Me? Worried? About this shithead of all people…?"
Afraid she may have struck a nerve in the sensitive Uchiha, Hinata edged away ever so slightly, keeping her eyes averted from his chilling glare.

"I-I apologize… I was just… wondering."

An awkward silence passed between the two, save for Naruto's quiet snores, before Sasuke spoke out, "His luck is running out you know."

Hinata frowned at his words, turning to peer up at the stoic expression on Sasuke's face as she prodded questionably, "What makes you say that?"

Sasuke continued to watch Naruto's slack, sleeping face as he muttered quietly, "They're coming for him again. Only this time… they're not nightmares anymore."
Yet still perplexed by his strange phrases, Hinata meant to ask further explanation before the Uchiha suddenly turned heel and left the room in a flash, leaving just as quietly as he had entered the room. Hinata sat in her seat wondering if he had even been in the room with her and Naruto. Sighing she shook her head, brushing aside the Uchiha's disturbing words as she grumbled to herself, "Why does he have to act so mysteriously bleak?"

Turning back to Naruto, Hinata ran a hand through his bangs, brushing his hair to one side as she sighed, "You have the strangest friends Naruto…"

There was a sudden commotion roaring from the living room, piquing Hinata's interest as a voice shouted, "Well then just get Hinata, HINATA! Can you come down here for a second!?"

Standing at the voice of Kiba's calling; Hinata took one last glance at Naruto's sleeping form. Deciding it was best to leave him be anyway, Hinata hurried away out the door as quietly as possible, leaving Naruto to his sleep.


Hinata pulled on her shoes just as Kiba held out her coat for her, helping her slip her arms in the sleeves as he smiled at her sheepishly, "Sorry for making you do this. It's kind of important that you pick it up for us. Normally this is something we'd do ourselves, but everyone is busy and I have to do some work here so I hope you don't mind…"

Hinata gave him a reassuring smile, placing a hand on his shoulder as she assured him, "D-Don't worry, I don't mind. I-I'm fine with doing a few errands now and then. Everyone here has been s-so kind to me and it's only f-fair that I do something in return."

Kiba smiled back nervously, scratching the back of his head as he mumbled, "Yeah, but… you're the one practically taking care of everything here. You're manning the kitchen, the laundry, I even saw you cleaning the bathrooms once… eesh, it's rude to be asking you to do any more…"

Hinata laughed as she buttoned her coat to her neck, placing a hand on the door as she smiled, "T-This is different, Kiba. Everything I've done up until now has been something I just felt like doing. No one told me to do it. However, here you a-are asking me to do a quick favor. Now I-I'm more than willing to help out, s-so don't feel b-bad when you ask of me to do a-anything for you."
She opened the door and stepped out of the house, Kiba leaning up against the doorway as he watched her take a few steps down the front steps before turning around to add quickly, "Y-You can tell that to the others too."
Throwing him one last smile she turned and went on her way down the sidewalk, heading to where Kiba directed her as he watched her turn the corner and disappear from sight. Checking his watch he estimated when she'd return and turned to close the door. God… if only there were girls out there more like her, you never saw kind hearted women out there. Sadly Kiba had his fair share of the nasty lot…

Walking back in the living room the other boys looked up from their conversation to eye Kiba.

"Did you send her off well?"

Kiba nodded as he took his seat next to Shino, "Yup. Luckily, she wasn't too sour about it or anything."

Sasuke snorted, "That's Hinata for you. Sweeter than hell."

Shikamaru eyed the boys as he gathered their attention back to the main focus, "Okay now, back to what we were doing. Gaara and Kankuro will be spending some valuable time together with us this afternoon to discuss a few things about Naruto's encounter with what seems to be an assassin. So let's tune in and give them some respect by listening, alright?"
Neji looked around as he intervened, "… I still think I should've gone with her."

Shikamaru shook his head, "Who, Hinata? No Neji, we need you here right now. Remember, after the discussion I'm going to need you to help me schedule an appointment for Naruto's check up at the Hyuuga hospital. Besides, Hinata will be fine. It's only a few blocks down the road to a nearby drugstore, so don't worry about it, Neji."

Bowing his head Neji muttered inaudible phrases to himself, still thinking he should've been there to guard his cousin when the boys began to question Gaara and Kankuro for further details concerning Naruto's near encounter with death. Little did they know just how incredibly lax they were for letting Hinata go off on her own.


It was a chilly afternoon as Hinata stalked the streets for her given destination. Kiba had asked her to pick up something from the drugstore, claiming it was important and that it needed to be picked up quickly. All she had to do was to just go up to the cashier and 'casually' hint at Kiba's name for the awaiting package. Though it did pique her interest as to what he was itching to receive, she decided not to pry into his business.

Pushing the door to one side, Hinata observed the quiet drugstore; only a few customers milled about selecting their choice items as Hinata quietly shuffled towards the cashier, not wanting to stay out here any longer than she needed to. She was after all still being hunted by the Hyuuga agents.

The cashier was a middle-aged man with a dire need of a shave; a lit cigarette sticking out from his teeth as he took a long drag from it and released it in a puff of gray ash and smoke. Hinata even wondered if he was even allowed to smoke inside the drugstore.

"What may I help you with miss?"
He eyed Hinata from head to toe, as if questioning her likings in a place like this. After all, the other customers were most likely either hoodlums or just the run of the mill troublemakers.

Feeling consciously out of place, Hinata asked politely, "Y-Yes u-um, I-I'm here to p-pick up a p-package? For K-Kiba I-Inuzuka…?"
The cashier eyed Hinata more skeptically at the name as he reached under the counter and asked, "Who are you? His new girl or something?"

Flustering at being pinned as Kiba's love interest, Hinata shook her head furiously, adding in with a stammer, "M-Me? O-Oh no, n-no, I-I'm just a friend o-of h-his…!"

The man snorted as he brought out a small box, pushing it across the counter to her as he smirked.

"Yeah, that's what they all say. Anyway, tell 'em this better be the last piece of shit I do for him. He'll know what I'm talking about."

Tucking the box in her coat pocket, she thanked the rather crude cashier before quickly exiting the drugstore, retracing her steps back to Naruto and the others.

How embarrassing! Since when was it a thing that being a girl and being sent by Kiba on an errand was supposed to make her his girlfriend of some sort? However, she did suppose the reaction would've been similar with the other boys if she were to go on an errand for them with similar people; after all, they were a rather interesting bunch that affiliated themselves with rather erratic company, so it wouldn't have been a surprise if others were to assume her association with the boys was nothing more than being a simple girlfriend. Though she wouldn't have minded if she was being associated in that way with Naruto… shaking her head she sighed, stiffly heading back to the boys when she encountered a stranger.

A well dressed man slipped out from nowhere, eyeing her strangely as he stood barring her way with a notable authority to his aura as he approached her with suspicious intent, "Pardon me miss… but do you have some time on your hands?"
Hinata took a subtle step back, set on edge by his affixed gaze as she questioned, "…E-Excuse me?"
Then nervously she added, "I-I'm sorry, b-but I d-don't know w-who you a-are…"

He gave her a slight shrug, his expression unchanging as he threw it out there, "True, but I know you. And this time, you're not slipping away quietly…"

Then he added with a grim smile.

"…Hinata-sama."

Hands grabbed her wrists as two agents appeared in a similar fashion to her surprise, a rush of dread overwhelming her as she did the only sensible thing to do. Rather than letting fear dominate her actions, Hinata funneled that fear into doing herself a favor. Twisting her wrist in their grip, Hinata reeled a leg back and aimed a dead on kick between the legs of one of the agents that kept a fastened grip on her other wrist.

"L-Let go of me!"

Crumbling to his knees crying out, Hinata tore her wrist free from the remaining stunned agent as she went running past the others. The one who addressed her from the start cursed and demanded the standing fools to run after her, giving chase as he called the other agents on the phone to get the car ready.

Hinata knew she wouldn't have been able to run away very far, but at the very least, she wasn't planning on being dragged in front of her father all meek and weak. No, let him receive the news that his weak daughter Hinata caused a public ruckus with her capture, hopefully that'll embarrass her father some if she ever got caught as a result of this chase...

She sped down the roadside when she faced three other agents who arrived to cut her off her path, a nearby sleek black van pulling up to reveal two others. They shouted to one another, pointing at her and pulling a van door open as they tossed the other agents ropes and a sack cloth. Without a second thought, Hinata dashed down a nearby alleyway, knowing perfectly well who those choice items were for, when the men came running in after her armed with ropes.

She found herself in a mad chase for her freedom. Dodging every agent and scrambling past thick crowds as she got herself deeper and deeper within the suburban community, the marketplace as busy and lively as usual.

If she couldn't get to the boys, she'd at least get help from the one person she knew who would. Though it had been a while since she last visited her, Hinata searched the streets for the old woman, finding her just after escaping the near clutches of two agents as she ran up to the fruit stand, nearly collapsing over the pile of oranges on display as the old woman turned around ready to snap at whoever it was.

"Good Lord, you better watch your step missy, I just settled those oranges there and I ain't gonna-!"

Peering at Hinata's windswept hair and breathless form, the old woman immediately recognizing her before coming around her fruit stand to steady the gasping Hyuuga.

"H-Hinata! My word, what's gotten you all breathless and so disheveled on a lovely day like this?! Have you been running?"

Hinata was yet still unable to catch her breath, letting the old woman quickly catch on before glancing around to catch sight of a group of men dressed in black as they split up to search for Hinata.

"Oooo are they gonna get it now! Hinata, you hurry around the back of the market and hurry on back to safety. I'll distract the lot of them soon enough with some others, now you hurry on now!"
Shooing Hinata to continue running, Hinata threw the old woman a grateful look as she breathlessly gasped, "T-Thank you so much Grandma Chikako… thank you…!"

Then she went hurrying away as Chikako scurried off to wreck mischief among the searching hounds as they went about interrogating a few along the way for the dark haired woman when word quickly spread of Hinata's misfortune. Help eventually came along the way.

Two agents went up to a trinket stand and demanded the rather strange man who ran the stand questions on Hinata's whereabouts, only to be faced with a barrage of vague answers while they retorted with demands for any straight answers. Another group of agents were led astray, as another were faced with a sour old couple that proceeded to call them trash and swat them with brooms and bang pots on their heads, scaring them off with a running mouth of profanity.

Another group came across a fish stand ran by a group of fisherman wives as they came up to the first woman and asked, "Have you seen a dark haired woman come running by? She was wearing a maroon coat, she also has-!"

"Well will you look here girls; it's another one of them stalkers again!"
The women turned to eye the well dressed men to shake their heads and agree systematically.

The first woman pointed her knife at the man, which she was using to gut a fish, as she began to accuse, "Look here son, I ain't gonna help you and your fellow dogs sniff out some poor innocent lass! That's the last thing I need on my conscious in the latter end of my life!"
The agent gave her a glare as he shouted, "I-I am NOT anything of the sort! You see, I'm from the Hyuuga Enterprises and that woman I'm trying to find is the runaway Heiress and-!"

"What's this? Hyuuga what-da-what? Pssh, I have never heard of something so silly! Never heard of you or your petty little company, and what's this runaway heiress business? Never heard of something so farfetched, am I right girls?"

The other women nodded in agreement, muttering to one another words behind the agents' backs as another agent grabbed the shoulder of the first as he muttered, "Come on, let's just move on and find her already!"

The first agent shouldered him away, glaring at the smug fisherman's wife before him as he hissed, "Hell no, I've got a score to settle with this stuck up bitch here…!"

The woman feigned shock as she exclaimed, "My word! Why am I hearing such vile words from such a rude young man!? Goodness, I can't take any more of this, honey! Honey, come here quick!"

Screaming for her husband, a band of fishermen arrived to the scene as if on cue, thick cords of fishing nets and ropes hanging from their shoulders as the largest of the group went up beside the woman as he belittled the agents before them with one glare.

"What's wrong hon? These shitheads messing with ya'?"

The woman clung to her husband as she whined, "Yes! This one here just called me a stuck up bitch when I-!"

Throwing down his nets and ropes aside, the fisherman grabbed the agent by his coat and spat in his face, "What'd you call my wife you bastard? You wanna say something like that to my face?!"
The agent tugged on the fisherman's wrists, gasping in surprise as he exclaimed, "I meant no offense sir, your wife was being rude and uncooperative, why she was the one calling me a stalker in the beginning-!"
"Ain't matter shit who started it you son of a bitch! If you're going around calling my wife a stuck up bitch I'll drown you in the damn ocean itself!"

The other agents went up to the fisherman, demanding he released him when the other fishermen went up to his side, defending him as they called the other agents to back off until it became another brawl.

Chikako cackled in glee to herself watching it all unfold. She caught the gaze of the first fisherman's wife as she winked at the old woman, instantly sharing a laugh as they turned back to their own business, a mission well done for an old woman so to say.

During the chaos the agents faced back in the market, Hinata successfully escaped out the back, slipping past the commotion behind the screen of stands as she made her way back to the roadside.

'I've got to get back to Naruto and the others-!'

"Hinata?"

Jumping at the voice, Hinata glanced around until she saw Naruto further down the block. He stood breathless, crouched over slightly as he wheezed for breath, looking up at her as he squinted towards her, trying to determine if it really was her. He looked as if he just rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes before running outside, which… was probably what he did.

Relief washed over her as she turned and took a step towards him, raising a hand to show her recognition of him.

"N-Naruto…! I'm so glad you're here-!"

Suddenly, Naruto expressed a look of horror as he sprinted towards her, "Shit – HINATA, BEHIND YOU!"

How stupid of her.

She hadn't realized that a black van that was driving by came up behind her, swerving as it hit the curb with a jolt, as the side door slid open and revealed a group of agents. Two agents grabbed Hinata by each arm and hauled her bodily inside, a third agent clapping a cloth over her nose and mouth as she struggled against her restraints.

Whatever they were trying to do, all she knew was that the cloth smelled sickly sweet and probably something she'd prefer not to breathe in at the moment. After a handful of seconds, she began to slip away, her conscious blinking in and out as seconds passed. What was left of her consciousness, she was able to see Naruto having confronted the agents just in time, breaking into a fight on the street before… something happened, and he was kicked out the van and the door slammed shut. The engine roared to life, and as the van lurched away, Hinata knew they were leaving Naruto behind by the roadside. It only took nearly half a minute for her to lose conscious, half a minute that could've saved her if she had noticed the van beforehand.


He woke up with a jolt, having the sudden urge to pee, Naruto sat up in bed; rubbing the grit from his eyes as he yawned from a good long rest. Looking around, he noticed Hinata's absence, but thought nothing of it, because even he knew she had her own time on her hands than to sit around watching him drool in his sleep. Stretching his sore shoulder, Naruto wondered in amazement how well his luck had kept up with him. Hopefully, it'd stay that way for a long time… and hopefully he wasn't being too foolish hoping for that. Naruto shook his head as he thought to himself, that Sasuke would've called it a 'fool's hope' for believing in luck. But it was all Naruto had so far alongside his friends, he'll believe in anything as long as it works out for him.

He got to his feet and took heavy steps to the bathroom, taking a good long piss before washing his hands and face. He wondered when was the last time he took a shower and decided he'd worry about that later as he exited his room to check on the others.

He headed down the hall towards the living room when he stopped in the shadows of the hallway to listen in to the boys' conversation…

"…you know his past, and it's not something I'm going to start talking about to all of you guys behind his back."

Gaara? Huh, he was still here… but what about someone's past? Were they talking about him?

"Look Gaara, we're not here asking about Naruto's past and… whatever shit went down about his parents. No one wants to be a dick to Naruto and start prying into his history. We just want to know what happened today and why a fucking assassin was trying to stab his neck out! I mean, there has to be a reason, right?"

Naruto placed a hand up against the wall, supporting himself and his weak knees as he tried to comprehend what they were discussing when Kiba interjected, "You're damn right Shikamaru! Come on Gaara, Kankuro! You've gotta tell us something, like, tell us the watered down side to the major details about Naruto's past. Because we can't help but admit, that a few things about Naruto's history does link to what's going on now."

A cutting voice venomously shot back, "Wow, never thought I'd hear you say something the slightest bit intellectual. But we really shouldn't go around poking our head into his business, can't you just be satisfied knowing a killer tried to attack Naruto, but Gaara and Kankuro came just in time to help Naruto take care of it, and that he's alright? Why is it necessary to know the reason behind the intent?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Kiba lashed back, "Aw fuck you Neji! Why the hell wouldn't I want to know!? Someone tried to kill Naruto, and he's our damn friend here! You guys seriously don't want to know why anyone would pull a stunt like that on him!?"

"Guys, I think we should just wrap this up and put it behind us, like Neji said, he's alright now."

"Yeah, sure Choji, and leave it on all of our conscious, that Naruto has a band of assassins on his tail! Good call there big fella!"

Kiba's venomous snarl sparked anger across the group as Shikamaru lashed back, "Hey, don't you go around throwing your shit at Choji! He's just trying to keep us all cool in our heads right now-!"
"Cool in our heads!? Naruto was stabbed in the shoulder by a killer and we don't know squat about the reason why! And none of you want to know why? If we knew why, we'd be able to help Naruto out a little bit more, maybe even prevent future attacks. And if I recall correctly, even Sasuke was mentioning how his luck is running out. We need to be there for his ass, guys!"

There was a bang, the sound of a fist slamming against the coffee table as a voice sliced through the tension like a blade of steel, "Leave me out of this Kiba."

"Friends! Please, keep your voices down; Naruto is still sleeping in his room!"

"That's right Lee, we should all remain quiet about this. If Gaara and Kankuro aren't willing to talk about it, we should just let Naruto talk about it himself when he feels the need to. But for now, we should just drop it."

Everyone was silenced at Shino's words before Shikamaru spoke up, "I agree with Shino. Let's just keep this to ourselves, and don't any of you guys dare going up to him and asking him about any of this to him personally. That includes you especially, Kiba."

Unable to stay in the shadows any longer, Naruto entered the congregation of his grim faced friends. They looked up in surprise at Naruto as Gaara called out to him, "Naruto! When did you get up?"
Naruto feigned as if he heard nothing as he shrugged, rubbing his eyes as he yawned, "Just now. I went to take a piss before coming here…"

The boys fell quiet as Naruto looked around before asking, "So… what were you guys talking about? Just chatting with Gaara and Kankuro, I take it?"
The boys eyed one another before agreeing halfheartedly.

"Uh yeah, that's what we've been doing, right boys?"
Everyone followed Shikamaru's lead as they nodded, chiming together in a chorus as they agreed with one another. Naruto addressed Gaara and Kankuro before he forgot to do so, "Oh, and I don't believe I properly thanked you two from earlier. Thanks…"

Kankuro gave him a grin as Gaara smiled, "No problem man, you know Gaara and I got your back."

Neji crossed his arms as Naruto settled down beside him, directing his question to the two brothers in curiosity, "Just out of curiosity, what were you two doing down in the suburbs anyway? I thought you two stuck around the other side of the city."

The two brothers eyed one another when they refocused their attention back to the others, "Gaara and I were just coming over for a visit… plus, I was kinda hoping I'd check in with our sister Temari."

Shooting Shikamaru a glance that read as 'you and I are gonna chat later', Shikamaru shrank away, taking a nervous sip from a can of soda that sat on the cluttered coffee table before them. Naruto glanced around the room before realizing that Hinata was yet still absent among everyone. Turning to Neji, Naruto asked, "Say, where's Hinata? Is she in her room or something?"
Neji looked up from a cup of tea before answering, "Ah her? Yeah, Kiba had a nasty little favor to ask of from Ren down at the drugstore and he apparently had something to deal with at the moment and had Hinata head off and pick it up."

Naruto stared at Neji before asking again, "…And she's alone?"
Neji glanced at the other boys, a look as if telling them he should've gone with her when Naruto added, "And how long has she been gone?"

Lee glanced at the clock across the room at the wall and frowned, "She left at around 1:45 so um…?"

Choji eyed Kiba before asking, "Shouldn't she be home by now?"

Naruto watched in disbelief at how slowly the awareness of her immediate danger got to the other boys, making him turn to Neji and exclaim, "Seriously, you weren't at all concerned about this?!"
Neji gave the other boys another nasty glare before sighing, "I… I wanted to go with her, but the others told me she'd be fine. They said it was right around the corner and we needed to talk about a few things and schedule your appointment afterwards, but…"

Talk about things? Which was more important to him, talking about Naruto and his near death encounter or his cousin's initial safety?! But Naruto didn't feel like he needed to blame anyone as of right now; he understood that Naruto's case had been a bit more severe than Hinata's at the moment, but she was in a real fix too with all that Hyuuga business. Leaping to his feet, Naruto rushed for the front door, slipping on a jacket when Shikamaru leaped to his feet to stop him before he left.

"Whoa now Naruto, we should send someone else. What if you run into trouble again? Besides, you just got stabbed in the shoulder today-!"

Giving Shikamaru a glare he growled; "Not now Shikamaru, thanks for the concern, but Hinata's safety is more important right now. I promised her that we'd protect her!"

Shouldering past him he exited the house, leaving the boys stunned and wallowing in guilt, all except Sasuke as he snorted and rested his chin in an upturned palm as he grumbled, "Stupid idiot, making promises he can't even keep… this was bound to happen."

Kiba sighed, dropping his head on the table with a groan, "Shit… it's my fault. I shouldn't have sent her off in the first place! I almost forgot about all the Hyuuga business with all this Sakura and Akatsuki shit stuffed up my ass! Ah great…! Now Naruto is gonna hate my guts…!"
Lee jostled his shoulder, fretting as he exclaimed, "No my canine loving friend! Naruto would never hate you! This was all just a mistake!"

Shino eyed Lee from under his shaded glasses before muttering, "You can't take back mistakes…"

Lee gave Shino a frown as Neji freaked out by the door.

"Holy shit! I knew I was supposed to have gone after her, why the hell did you tell me not to go!?"
Neji pointed an accusing finger at Shikamaru, who in turn gave him a look of disbelief before tossing back, "Look, I honestly thought she'd be alright, okay? And besides, it was your choice whether you wanted to listen to me or not! I never forced you to stay or anything!"

Shikamaru's glare reflected upon Neji's face as he snapped back, "Maybe not, but you did say you needed me here so I decided to stay. But now my cousin is probably sniffed out by one of the Hyuuga agents and God knows if she's alright now!"

"So you're saying this is all my fault now!?"

Kankuro sighed as he turned to Gaara and muttered, "Eesh… we probably rolled by at a wrong time. Who is this Hinata girl anyway?"

Gaara shrugged.

"I don't know… but if she's Neji's cousin then she probably has something to do with the Hyuuga scandal on the news lately…"

Neji shook his head, clearly frustrated at Shikamaru before turning to the door hastily, "Doesn't matter anymore! I have to go after Naruto and see for myself if she's alright, I can't stand being here expecting for the best!"

Grabbing his arm Shikamaru stopped him, "Neji-!"
"What now? You're gonna stop me from going after my own cousin!?"
Shikamaru gave him a glare before spitting back, "You've gotta give me more credit than that Neji. I'm saying you shouldn't go alone, I'll go with you."

Kiba smacked the coffee table with both open hands as he stood up with a raised arm, "Hell, I'm tagging along too! If Hinata is in trouble, it's all my fault, so I've gotta do something to help."

Akamaru barked as the dog bounded up to Kiba's side as Lee bounced up as well.

"Well then, I'm coming too!"

Choji hefted himself to his feet as he sighed, "If Shikamaru is going, then I guess I should go as well."

Shino silently joined their side as Sasuke held up a hand with a shake of his head, "I'll stay behind. I need to talk to Gaara and Kankuro a little longer. You guys go on ahead and back up Naruto's ass."

The boys hurried out in a flash, leaving Sasuke to face the two brothers alone as he turned to them and tapped a finger on the glass coffee table and sighed, "Alright now you guys… I know there's something more to you two just 'visiting'. Why else would you cross the entire town leaving your rowdy gang unattended?"

Kankuro laughed as he shook his head, "W-Well to be honest, we have Temari set up back there keeping the boys in check. I sort of fibbed about coming here to come across her… she came to stay with us when you guys went off on a little search for Sakura. Claimed Shikamaru was 'busy' at the moment."

Sasuke nodded.

"Right, I knew about that too. Now, if this is something about Naruto, you'd better say it now so I can relay it to him later."
Watching the discomfort cross Kankuro's face – though Gaara's remained eerily stoic – Sasuke shook his head, "…Unless you'd prefer to talk to Naruto himself."

"No, it's fine if it's you. It may or may not include you anyway."

Sasuke turned to eye Gaara as he asked, "And…?"
Gaara folded his hands together as he narrowed his gaze at Sasuke, letting out a sigh as he closed his eyes.

"…I heard some nasty rumors again around the underworld lately, and it's gotten pretty heavy…"


"Hey! Watch where you're going-!"

"Whoa! Slow down there-!"

"Eek! I almost dropped my phone you bastard-!"

"Ouch! Rude much!?"

He felt bad for shoving past those innocent strangers in his mad rush, but he had to find Hinata soon. He wasn't sure if he was doing all of this for nothing, in case Hinata really wasn't in trouble, it'd be embarrassing to tell her he got all worked up for nothing. But for now, he'd just keep in mind the worst case scenario she'd be caught up in.

He tried the drugstore first, like Neji had told him, as he literally pried open the automatic doors and slammed into the cashier desk where Kiba's acquaintance Ren, dropped his cigarette on the tiled floor.

"Oh shit, you okay there, kid?"

Gasping and taking a moment to rub his sore sides, Naruto held onto the smoker's gaze and hissed, "H-Hinata…"

Ren frowned at him, "Who?"
"Hinata…! A young woman who came in here for Kiba's package or whatever, where is she!?"
Ren found himself caught by the front of his shirt in the blond man's grasp as he held up his hands in innocence as he exclaimed, "W-Whoa man! I don't know where she is! She just walked in, took the package and left!"

Not wanting to waste precious time, Naruto snapped, "When did she leave?"
"I-I don't know! Around 2:10 I suppose?"

Shoving the cashier back, Ren stumbled into the locked case of cigarettes behind him as he watched him speed off, leaving the drugstore in a flash and with the same urgency as he had barging in. Glancing around, Naruto jogged off back towards the initial direction of his home, glancing around the streets for any sign of the missing Hyuuga. He couldn't possibly have discovered where she was if it hadn't been for a pair of old women walking down the sidewalk side by side with bags of groceries from the nearby street market near the harbor.

"…can you imagine all the ruckus it brought upon those men? I'd say; Grandma Chikako really outdid herself this time!"

"Yes! The way she went around informing the entire marketplace of some poor girl's distress, my favorite scene was when those fishermen kicked all those nasty agents into the ocean!"

Naruto moved past them, taking a mental note about the market place. He assumed it was the same one he had met Hinata previously before, knowing full well on how to get there as he hurried along down the roadside, hoping she was alright. He also took note of this 'Grandma Chikako'; he'd have to give that old woman a high five or something for her efforts.

His mind drifted back to Hinata, his thoughts refocusing on what was really at stake here as he picked up the pace. Turning the corner he began to sprint when he caught sight of a familiar maroon coat…

"Hinata?"
Jolting, the woman turned around, her wide eyes staring at him in surprise as he rested for a moment, narrowing his eyes at her from where he stood, trying to see if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

She relaxed, her shoulders slumping forward as she took a deep breath. Then she gave him a small, tired smile as she took a step towards him, a hand raised in recognition as she exclaimed to him, "N-Naruto…! I'm so glad you're here-!"

Cars whizzed past her on the road, he didn't think much of the black van until it swerved to the sidewalk behind her and came to a pit stop. The moment the door slid open to reveal the agents, Naruto started sprinting towards her, shock running through his system as he shouted, "Shit- HINATA BEHIND YOU!"

Damn it! If only he had been quicker on his feet!

The agents grabbed her, throwing chloroform over her face as she fought against their hands. He only reached them seconds too soon. Grabbing the first agent he saw, he delivered him a jaw snapping punch. The other agents began attempting to push him out of the van, the agent with Hinata crouching in the far back as far away from Naruto as possible. Naruto wasn't able to do much once an agent struck him in the stomach with a well aimed kick, sending him sprawling on the sidewalk in agony as an another agent quickly got to sliding the door shut, the wheels kicking up gravel and dust as the van pulled away, speeding down the road in a squeal of tires.

Coughing, Naruto got back to his feet, watching in dismay as the van weaved through honking cars through the streets off to the Hyuuga Enterprises – taking Hinata with them. This wasn't supposed to happen! God dang it, and right after he promised he'd protect her from them!

Hands grabbed his arms as he was suddenly pulled back to his feet, his friends surrounding him as they peered at him with concern.

"Naruto! Are you alright!? What happened? We saw a van pull off-!"
"And then you were shoved to the ground-!"

"I think I saw one of those shitheads kick you in the chest-!"
"Was Hinata in there-?"

"You're not hurt now are you friend-?"

"We were too late weren't we?"

Naruto shot Shino a sad look as he shook his head and sighed, "…Yes. Damn it…!"

The boys shared a similar expression as they solemnly stood as a group in silence, guilt hanging like a heavy cloud over each individual. Only none of them felt as bad as Naruto did.


The nurses looked up from their reception desks, whispering to one another as the newly employed doctor stalked past them. Other passing nurses and doctors bowed respectfully to her, taking note of her name tag and occupation as they hurried away. She headed to the glass escalator, her white doctor's coat flapping out behind her as she walked with her head high and hair loose around her shoulders as her high heels click-clacked across the paved tiled floor. She hefted the thick folder tucked under her shoulder higher up her arm as she stepped up on the escalator, readjusting the stethoscope around her neck as she sighed while checking her watch.

It was almost her break time and she knew she would want it. She had only been employed here at the Hyuuga hospital for over a short period of time, almost about a day or so and she was already bombarded with a shitload of work. Nothing more annoyed her however than the keen attitude every nurse or doctor threw at her as they showered her with their non-genuine courtesy in the hallways.

"Good morning Dr. Haruno!"

"How are you, Dr. Haruno?"
"Here's the paperwork for the last patient you were with, you're looking beautiful today, Dr. Haruno!"

"I absolutely love your work Dr. Haruno, keep up the good effort!"
Sometimes, she felt like it'd be nice to shove a cork in everybody's annoying flatter – it hurt even more to know that most of them probably didn't even like her.

Usually, no one liked the doctors in the medical board. They were intimidating and possessed an influential, yet limited, power over the entire hospital and its employees. Sakura had learned that she even had the power to punish others – whether it was firing or probation, however it was up to the hospital's president to decide officially whether to follow through with her accusations if she were to make any.

Her time at the hospital weren't enjoyable. There were plenty of small things to be grateful for, like a quiet secluded office, early morning and late night cafés located throughout the hospital, and the regulated shift that allowed her to take several breaks in-between her packed schedule. However, she rarely even had time for herself, always being rushed to the next appointment with an unfortunate patient or overseeing the work within the laboratories for medical research on newly developed prescribed drugs.

Plenty of talk went around with the hospital staff (mainly the nurses) as they gossiped behind her back about her history. There was one favorite little rumor of hers that she was involved in a drug dealing business where she doled out huge cash and bribed the members of the board to hire her in the hospital. It was extremely farfetched and of course Sakura knew it wasn't true. The only drugs she ever got near during her time in the pharmacy were the over the counter drugs. Though… she had a few encounters with several other illegal drugs when it came to doing favors for Naruto and his gang when they were using drugs as bribery to a bunch of black market jerks for certain information, but that was a one time thing.

Sakura stepped off the top of the escalator and headed through the winding open hospital that reminded her more of a fancy shopping center than a hospital as she located her office. Again, she passed by more annoying nurses before finding sanctuary in her office. Inside, she still had yet to unpack her personal office belongings and she didn't plan on doing that until later. She was too tired to do anything right now.

Setting down her folder on the desk, she sat in the desk chair and leaned back, closing her eyes as her hands slipped into her pockets. Her hand instinctively curled around her phone, pulling it before her eyes as she swiped at the screen and dialed for Naruto. She stopped herself right before she could tap the glowing icon 'CALL'. Sighing, she recalled her deal she made with Itachi and regretfully canceled the number, tucking her phone back into her coat as she took another deep breath.

"Ah geez… I hope you guys aren't freaking out like usual…"

Sakura wondered if the boys were actually worried about her right now. They really shouldn't be, she was fine after all, but she could just imagine how upset Naruto would be. He'd probably give the boys a rallying speech about Sakura being a fellow friend and tracking her down and get her out of whatever sticky situation she was caught in. However Sasuke… was he even the slightest bit disturbed by her disappearance? Or had he simply shrugged it off wondering to himself, 'I hope she's just not dead.'

Ugh… sometimes she doubted she had spent the last twenty one years hanging out with that Uchiha alongside the rambunctious Uzumaki. It was also unbelievable to imagine she had once been neighbors with those two boys and yet, even now, she felt like she didn't know them well enough – especially Sasuke. But oh how she wanted to get closer with Sasuke, he always lived alone and she had often times came over to his house when she was younger to cook him meals, but he never really appreciated them… at least that's what she thought now.

There was a soft chuckle from behind her, making her back arch in fear as a shadow creeped up behind her and a hand rested on the edge of her chair.

"Glad you didn't make that call, you're keep your promises fairly well Haruno…"

"This isn't for you if that's what you're asking."

Itachi laughed, coming over to sit on the edge of her desk with a smirk as he cackled, "Oh I know, it's for them, right?"
Sakura crossed her arms, sighing irritably as she attempted to ignore him. In the short time she was associated with Itachi, she had found to her discovery that he was subtly irritating, his careful choice of words pissing her off with just him hinting at an insult. He acted as if he knew everything and sometimes Sakura had to wrestle with the urge to kick the shit out of him.

"So… who is it? The lucky guy you're fallen for? Naruto or Sasuke?"
Itachi perched his chin in his upturned palm, copying the same posture Sasuke usually posed in whenever speaking to her, perhaps it ran in the family…?

"Naruto? Ugh, no. I'm sorry, but your brother is more suited to my style…"

Itachi whistled.

"Really now? My baby brother is your love interest? That's not surprising. Sasuke does have that initial charm to himself that seems to draw girls to him like bees to honey. However, I thought you'd be more leaning towards Naruto's type, the bright, happy go lucky fool he is…"

Sakura glared at Itachi as she snapped, "Can you not talk to me as if we're friends or something? You know I'm only doing this because of the deal you forced me into."

Itachi shrugged, flipping through her folder with mild curiosity as he snorted, "I'm merely talking to you as my little servant. You're doing our dirty work anyway, infiltrating the Hyuuga hospital and gathering information about certain things…"

Sakura watched him as he slipped the folder into his coat as she questioned, "What do you need all of that information for anyway?"
Itachi eyed Sakura as he smiled, "…Tell you what. If you keep out of our business, I'll keep out of yours. Sounds good?"
"You didn't answer my question-"

"Good. Now, you should get back to your break, it's almost time for that."

Then with that, he curtly stood up and disappeared out the door, folder and all. Another reason why Sakura dislikes this particular Uchiha; he was curt and irritably rude about almost everything in his own charming way. It sickened her.

Dropping her face in her hands she sighed.

"What am I doing here…?"


"What are we going to do now?"
Neji restlessly paced the sidewalk, the rest of the boys standing beside the bench Naruto was sitting in as he discussed things over with Shikamaru and Kiba at his side.

"Well, we have to go after her… obviously…"

Neji shot Naruto a frown as he exclaimed, "And do what, miraculously bust her out and keep her in hiding? Yeah, thanks for pointing out the impossible Uzumaki!"
Naruto threw the other Hyuuga a glare as he snapped, "Hey, you asked me what we're going to do and I'm telling ya' exactly what we're going to do about it. Not how!"

"What about Sakura? You're not going to let Sasuke deal with that all on his own, are you?"
Shikamaru eyed Naruto as he shook his head, "No, I'm not. But listen, if Hinata is taken back to the Hyuuga household, then that means she won't be far from our connections. First, we find Sakura and get Sasuke's side of his business dealt with, then from there at the Hyuuga hospital, see if we can find out where they're keeping Hinata and locate her. Then we'll figure out what to do once we know where she is."

Kiba groaned beside him, drawing the focus of all the boys as Kiba placed both hands on his face and continued to moan.

"…What's with you man? Got diarrhea or something?"

Kiba ignored Naruto's jab and mumbled, "Aw shit man…! I'm not in the mood for jokes…"

"Then what's wrong with you?"
"Can't you see? I fucked up! I send Hinata on an errand and she gets caught! I bet you hate my guts right now…!"

Naruto sighed as he patted Kiba on the shoulder.

"There there now… I uh, don't blame you for the incident so stop punching yourself over it…"

If there's anyone to blame, it's me.

"No man, it was all my fault, if I had just-!"
"Kiba-"

"Been aware of her situation more-!"

"Kiba-!"

"Then none of this shit would've happened-!"

Smacking him on the backside of his head Naruto gave Kiba a glare and huffed, "Good God, you can get so fucking annoying sometimes, you know that? I told you to stop griping on about how it's all your fault! It's not, okay? So just shut up and let us think here on how to get her back instead of moping around about it!"
Kiba whined to himself as he rubbed the back of his head, shrinking away from Naruto to continue mumbling to himself of shame and guilt as Naruto turned his attention back to the rest of the boys.

"…So anyone got any idea where we should start?"
Choji and Lee looked at one another as Shino piped up, "Well Shikamaru is our strategist. He should know."
Shikamaru eyed everyone before sighing, "Ah man, this is so troublesome…! Well, if we're going to go save ourselves two kidnapped damsels in distress, we might as well start off with the one place we know we can start off with. And that's the hospital."

Shikamaru folded his hands together as he concentrated steadily deeper into his thoughts, speaking out his thoughts aloud as he began, "We can schedule Naruto's appointment as planned. Have all the boys come and let Naruto go through his appointment, chat with the doctor, see what information he can get out of them. The rest of us should split up to sniff around the hospital for Sakura, and if we come across her, have a little chat with her. Things could get bad though if the Akatsuki are there keeping tabs on Sakura, so it might be difficult to confront her if we do find her. So maybe it'd be a good idea if we did something else as well… a convincing cover up, a good excuse to be there besides Naruto's appointment…"

"Like what?"
Lee curiously asked Shikamaru who broke his train of thought to address him directly, "I have no clue yet. Give me a moment…"

Letting his gaze drift off he eyed a news board posted up against the window of a café, several ads promoting the dire need for new employees for several different companies and shops. The boys waited patiently for the cogs to turn in his mind as he finally came across a solution.

He smiled as he turned back to the boys and joked, "Anyone willing to go through a job interview?"


Hinata disliked headaches. It may be more accurate to say that she absolutely hated them. She hated it when she would be forced to lie in bed and either sleep it off or let it wean away so she could resume her work. Those headaches were annoying… but this wasn't like anything she ever had experienced before.

The headache hit her the moment she opened her eyes. It was like a hammer was driving a nail into her head, each throb felt like the nail was being driven in deeper and deeper still… it was terrible.

Hinata took a moment to ease the headache, letting the throbs come to pass as she slowly reopened her eyes to drink in her surroundings. She was lying on a guest bed, the curtains drawn over the large spacious windows for the sake of her eyes as she slept. Lush curtains hung draped from the sides of the bed for privacy purposes as she sat up, rubbing her temples as she sighed. Then she remembered why she was here. She got caught… then she was drugged… then…

Leaping to her feet Hinata scrambled out of bed, falling to the ground after getting her legs tangled in the bed sheets, then after a brief moment to untangle herself, she hurried back to her feet and glanced around for the door. Catching sight of it, she ran up to it, trying the door handle with desperate urgency. The door rattled and yet kept in place, proving to her they had locked it and she angrily thumped a fist on the door, shouting to the other side of it, "Hello? A-Anyone? P-Please let me out! I don't want to be here!"

There was silence. Whoever locked her in here had probably left momentarily.

She tried the door handle again, taking a moment to kick the door in her frustration, eventually falling to the ground with her back up against the door, sighing in her predicament. If only she had been aware of her surroundings, if she had seen that van coming she could've…

Oh no. Naruto. She remembered him being kicked out of the van, left there on the sidewalk as they sped off. Was he alright? Hopefully the other boys found him and helped him if he got hurt. Oh no, what if he got hurt again? And all because of her own foolishness…

Dropping her face in her hands Hinata felt a sob well up in her throat, her eyes welling up with tears. But she forced herself to take deep breaths, to breathe and forget her growing fear and worries. She had to forget about what has happened and worry about the now. Like what would happen to her now that she got caught. This meant her father won. He had her where he wanted her and now would make her do whatever he wanted her to do. Whether it was for the family name or for his own reputation, he'd make her do whatever he wanted her to do because she was the one at the disadvantage. But Hinata refused to be used as his puppet; she would never sink back to that level she was stuck in five years ago…

There was a light knock on the door of which Hinata ignored amidst her thoughts, only to be shocked out of them when the door swung open as she fell backwards to fall on her back, her support no longer present as the door was pulled to one side.

Looking up at the stranger who opened the door, Hinata paled at the sight of a rather intimidating agent. He peered down at her, giving her a curious look before crouching down to take a closer look at her face. His calculating eyes bore into her as he then reached out and… poked her face.

"Uh, Hinata-sama? Are you alive? Maybe the chloroform was too much for her…?"

Hinata blinked twice up at the stranger who took recognition of her blinking and sighed, "Ah, you're not dead. Okay, great. Now uh, if you may Hinata-sama, if you'd get back to your feet. You have someone very important to meet."

Hinata was pulled to her feet by the agent, who she took three steps back from in her show of indignation and distrust as she snapped, "W-Who are you? And why am I brought back here?!"

The agent crossed his arms at her before reluctantly giving her a bow.

"My apologies Hinata-sama, I'm Kakashi Hatake, head agent of the Hyuuga Enterprises. This is your home, the Hyuuga estates. You were momentarily placed in the guest room for your sake. We waited patiently for your awakening. Now we politely ask of you to please act obediently and not cause any more trouble. I heard from the report you put up quite a struggle…"

Hinata frowned at the agent, immediately distrusting his gentle demeanor. It set her on edge and raised millions of alarms that reminded her to stay on guard; for the gentler ones were often times the scariest. A wolf in sheep's skin she supposed.

The agent took a step to one side, outstretching a hand down the hallway as he gestured, "Now if you may Hinata-sama, if you would be so kind and walk ahead of me. I must take you to your father."

Hinata cringed at the word before crossing her arms and muttering, "…No. I-I'm not going to see anyone."

The agent simply smiled and drawled, "Very well then, however you do realize that if you don't come, I'd just lock you back in the guest room for however long it takes. The windows are reinforced with iron lacing and made of double glass. You're on the fifth floor so it's quite a drop even if you did get past the windows. Down below I've stationed several agents to watch the Hyuuga grounds in case you escaped and thousands of hidden cameras are hidden all over the estates, including your room. We had this all carefully planned out for your arrival Hinata-sama. We had a feeling you'd be… reluctant to accept this in the beginning of course."

Hinata took a moment to absorb the man's words, finding to her dismay that he was right. She had no way out of this particular situation this time. And this man would only keep locking her in her room until she finally gave in to meet her father. Or even worse, he'd bring her father TO her instead…!

Clearly upset, Hinata shook her head and sighed. Then straightening her shoulders she crossed her arms and marched past the agent with her head held high, her gaze sharp as she then declared, "Fine then, I'll meet him. B-But don't expect anything miraculous to happen!"

The agent eyed her as she stalked down the hallway in her fury, her reaction to everything proving to Kakashi that she wasn't very timid and quiet as her portfolio had previously described. Perhaps those five years on her own had her gain a bit of confidence. Perhaps. It was a lucky bet if it was to be so. However, he kept those thoughts to himself, knowing that right now his job was to be performed at hand. He retrieved Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuuga Enterprises. What would happen now? Well his job will get tougher after Hanabi discovers her arrival. Then he'd have to keep tabs on two rebelling Hyuuga daughters and not to mention he'd have to help the Hyuuga president convince Hinata to play along with their charade as her as their 'Heiress'. Hopefully, Hinata would understand that all they wanted was her to act as if she would become an exceptional heiress which would cause Hanabi to change her ways and reclaim the heiress title with a challenge. Once Hanabi becomes suitable once again, Hinata would be sent back to her original lifestyle and never have to deal with the Hyuuga again. At least this had been President Hiashi's plan; however, Kakashi knew things just may change later if she agrees to do so. It could be possible that while Hinata learns to be a stand in heiress, she may be more widely accepted than Hanabi and actually become the official heiress…

He followed after the Hyuuga, shaking his head as he sighed.

Let the President figure that all out on his own…

She was led through familiar hallways and passed several bands of maids and butlers, bringing surprised looks to their faces at her appearance. She knew what they were thinking, 'oh! It's the new heiress, they found her!' or at least that was what she assumed…

Agent Hatake led her further into the mansion, leading her down the main staircase where she could recall old memories from her childhood in the Main Hall – the towering chandelier that hung above her, the rows of golden candlesticks sitting on pedestals up and down the entire front hall, curtains of velvet hanging from every window. She was lavished in the luxury of royalty itself; and she had hated it.

He led her to an office, where inside she could see HIM… sitting at his desk with rows of neatly stacked paperwork awaiting to be signed and approved. He wore his eyeglasses reading each sheet carefully, aided by his assistant who stood by his side pointing out any minor detail he may have missed. His pen was tapping at a slow rhythm on his desk, the soft click-click-click of his pen tapping on the desk reminding her of the times he had done the same gesture whenever he was scolding Hinata, the pen tapping.

Kakashi eyed Hinata and gestured for her to enter. But she simply stepped backwards into the shadows, concealing herself in the shadows of the curtains when Kakashi knocked on the doors.

The two inside looked up and the President called out, "Who is it?"
"Agent Hatake sir."

"Come in."

Hinata winced at his voice, trying to disappear into her corner; she was dragged out by a firm grasp by Kakashi's hand, pulling her along behind him as they entered the office awkwardly. Hiashi sent away his assistant as he put down his pen, stacking the papers neatly in front of him before lifting his eyes to Kakashi as he folded his hands neatly before him.

"Now what is it that you came here for-?"

Hiashi's gaze fell upon Hinata, chilling her to the bone the moment their eyes met. Hiashi went slack for a moment, then he turned to stone. He stared at her, in shock at the very sight of her as he fought for the right words to say.

He focused his eyes on his daughter as he dropped his folded hands from in front of his face, his eyes widening slightly before regaining composure. "H... Hinata..."

Hinata found herself at loss for words, mixed emotions rising along with the bitter taste of an unwanted reunion. She found herself facing the devil that reigned her nightmares.

Somehow… somehow she found the courage to unlatch herself from the agent beside her, face Hiashi and grimly give him her smoothest bow she could offer. Then standing herself back up she managed to spit out, "…President Hiashi, g-good evening…"

Hiashi took quiet note of how she no longer called him father, which was a good thing he supposed, since he disowned her and all before she ran away… then he found himself saying the only thing that came to mind; "Welcome back."

Hinata also took note of how her father didn't say 'welcome back home' and excluded the last word, seeming to remind her that she no longer had a place here and she would never have that place here even now.

Grimly she summoned all the fear and all the anger she kept bottled up for the past twenty one years and unleashed it in one cold glare.

"Yes… good to be back."


SNEAK PEEK INTO CH. 13...!

Then he pulled her gently into a hug, a hand stroking her hair as he allowed her to weep in relief on his shoulder at his next words, "Don't run away from me…"


NEXT TIME IN CH. 13:

THEY KNOW WHERE SAKURA IS, BUT WHY THE HYUUGA HOSPITAL OF ALL PLACES!?

QUESTIONS ARE BREWING AS THEY HEAD OUT TO MEET UP WITH HER ALONG WITH A SEPARATE MISSION TO TAKE BACK HINATA - BUT FIRST, THEY GOTTA WORM INTO THE SYSTEM.

THEY NEED TO GET INSIDE THE HYUUGA ENTERPRISE.

AND WHAT BETTER WAY THAN TO GET LEGALLY EMPLOYED?

CAN THE BOYS SAVE ANY OF THEIR FRIENDS!?

Mysteries have made themselves clear, and the answers are nowhere within reach... yet! Travel with us along this trip to seek after unknown truths!