Chapter 14: End Game
Silence was the main characteristic of the run through the night. Hinata allowed the moon to guide them, but as was routine, she would check their surroundings with the Byakugan every stretch or so. The night was frigid over the chaparral and even with her thickest clothes on, she was cold under the cooling material of the black cloak. She refused to slow down.
The moon was stupendously bright since the night was clear and cloudless. It was lucky for Naruto and Sakura, as in the bright reflection of the moon, Hinata's robe glimmered in a way that both made her easier to see and difficult to track. Naruto imagined that it would be difficult to properly make out her outline from far away. The blond wondered about how his tiny friend was doing. He hoped that she wasn't pushing herself too hard to get through the trip. He briefly ran up to catch up with her.
"Are you doing alright?" Hinata looked over at him, shocked by his approach. A single opal eye stared at him from under the hood. Then the uncovered half of her lips curved up in a sweet smile.
"Yes. I'm fine." Then she quickly turned the question on him. "Are you alright?" Naruto knew that it was a simple and casual question, but he almost stumbled when she asked it. He realized that he wasn't sure about how to answer it because for an instant he wanted to stop and just about tell her everything that had been bothering him over the course of the trip.
"I'm alright." Hinata smiled warmly, and then returned her gaze to the road. Naruto fell back into his place, slightly stunned with how a single smile from Hinata nearly dragged something out of him that he couldn't quite understand.
Naruto glanced over at Sakura who remained with eyes trained on the path ahead of her. He wondered why she had gotten so upset with him when he had defended Hinata. Sakura hardly ever got that upset at anything, but Naruto also realized that he rarely stood his ground against her. He knew that she was not used to him retaliating against her, but he also knew that things had changed. He was different. She was going to have to accept that. He cared deeply for her, and it hurt him to think that in his altered emotional state, she had distanced herself from him intentionally.
Naruto reflected, and it pained him to realize that she had always been a bit distant. Even when they were younger before he had died. She was always treating him as though he needed to be handled with a ten-foot pole. However, over the course of the mission, he had realized that she also treated Hinata this way. The way that she related with sweet Hinata was what was more astounding. Naruto knew that if anyone deserved to be treated with kindness, it was Hinata. In his experience, she had only ever been accepting of him, regardless of the circumstances. Furthermore, to his knowledge, Sakura and Hinata had always been at least cordial, if not friendly with one another. He did not understand what it was that had changed.
Still, Sakura was his teammate, and it hurt him to feel so alienated from her despite the fact that he was feeling alienated from everyone in general. He had wanted her acceptance for so long, that he didn't know what he was looking for in his relationship with her anymore. He felt confused. He couldn't remember why he was even running the race anymore.
It doesn't matter how you feel about her. Compared to how long you will live, her life will be insignificant. She'll be here one minute. Gone the next. All of them will be.
'Why can't you just leave me alone?'
Because I'm keeping you alive. Or did you forget that?
Naruto made no reply to Kurama's taunt, and focused on running and keeping pace, pushing thoughts of desired acceptance to the back of his mind. He had gotten better at that, but they always managed to bubble forward and poison every positive thought or feeling he had. It was absolutely inescapable, and nearly unbearable.
They ran for what felt like ages. The night got darker and darker before it began to transition to light. Hinata could feel the tiredness creeping into her weakened muscles. She pushed on, knowing that they had to at least make it to the outcropping of rocks they had stayed in on their way in.
Dawn broke, and Hinata tried to pick up her pace. Her legs were burning, but she knew that they would only rest comfortably in the shade of the rocks, but the rocks remained at the edge of her Byakugan's field of vision and she felt the exhaustion creeping in. She centered her focus, reminding herself that Naruto and Sakura needed to get home as well. If she couldn't do it for herself, she would do it for them. Whenever she thought of things that way she normally managed to push through her struggles.
The sun inched its way into the sky, and Hinata was suddenly grateful for the coolness that her cloak provided, but the hint of heat in the air that was hitting her face helped her increase her pace for the sake of her teammates.
Soon she could feel her lungs burning a bit. She had not felt so tired in a long time. The last time had been when she had fought Neji years ago. But Naruto had given her strength then, and indirectly, he was giving her strength now. They pressed on, neither Sakura nor Naruto were aware of the internal battle Hinata was having between her body and her mind.
About half an hour later, as the sun broke in the horizon, the trio arrived at the large rocks. Hinata had picked up the pace as soon as she could see the rock and upon arrival in the space she tumbled forward into the ground, the sand flying up around her.
"Hinata-chan!" Hinata remained on the ground, chest heaving as she tried to regain her breath. Naruto skidded next to her and pulled her up, her body was limp and tired. Hinata coughed a bit to clear her exhausted lungs and Naruto simply held her upright. Sakura joined them on the ground. She ran her glowing hands over Hinata.
"You shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard. It was risky." Hinata couldn't be bothered to reply. Sakura examined her carefully. "You will be okay, though. I'll just do a little healing. Your body is just tired, not much more damaged that it was. With a little bit of repair you should be good to go in the evening. You still won't be in tip top shape, but you definitely will be good enough to travel." Sakura turned her attention to Naruto. "We need to get her on her sleeping bag." Hinata, suddenly appeared startled and tried to sit up on her own.
"I can move myself." But as she tried to sit up her muscles strained and she shook from the effort before relaxing back into Naruto's hold. "Just give me a minute." Before she could gather the energy however, Naruto scooped her up and clear off the ground. Sakura ran into the shaded alcove provided by the rocks and made sure there were no animals or other threats in the space. While Naruto still held an exhausted Hinata in his arms, Sakura lay out Hinata's sleeping bag and motioned to where Naruto should place her.
Naruto gently set Hinata, who was a brilliant shade of red, on the sleeping bag. Hinata made eye contact with the blond and smiled tiredly in thanks. Sakura immediately got to work helping Hinata's recovery process. Occasionally, Sakura's hands would pass over a particularly tender spot and the quick repairs would slightly sting as tissue was reconnected and nerves healed. This went on for several minutes, until the glow coming from Sakura's hands died down and she sat back on her heels. "Alright, now you should be better for later. I think you should eat something and sleep." Hinata struggled to sit up and reached for her bag. Tiredly she extracted the food scroll and retrieved some meals from it.
"Here you are. Mariko helped me pack some food for the trip back so it is fresh." Naruto and Sakura took their meals and sat down to eat them. Hinata struggled through her portion and packaged away the containers. "I think it is best if we all rest now." Hinata herself wriggled her way into her sleeping bag and lay down. Sakura wasted no time settling in as well. She was soon fast asleep. Naruto created a couple of shadow clones, and set them to watching the camp site. He took a quick look around for himself, and then returned to the camp. Hinata lay awake, looking up at the rocks above them. Naruto unrolled his sleeping bag and wriggled in. Once he was in, he turned towards Hinata.
Something seemed off with her to him in the moment. She seemed nervous. "Are you alright, Hinata-chan?" Hinata seemed to stiffen more, but she steeled herself and rolled towards him. In the brightening light of the morning, Naruto could tell that Hinata was blushing. He knew that she blushed a lot, for everything from nerves to anger. She nibbled on her lower lip before pulling her hands out of her sleeping bag and producing a small package.
"It's morning now. So it's your birthday." Hinata balked at her own words. Of course he knew that it was his birthday. She felt moronic. "I wanted to give you this to celebrate. I hope you like it. It's not much, but I've never gotten to celebrate your birthday with you, so I'm happy to do so this year." Hands shaking, she pushed the package into Naruto's surprised hands. The red in her face began to creep down her neck.
Naruto looked at the small package in his hands. Contrary to what Hinata thought, he hadn't even realized that it was his birthday. For all of the previous years, his birthday had never been a day of celebration. He spent them inside, avoiding the hateful eyes of the villagers.
Usually, Iruka would take him out, but only on the days surrounding, never on his actual birthday. His first actual celebration had been on the road with Jiraiya, and at the time he had been too depressed by his circumstances to actually enjoy it. He appreciated Jiraiya's efforts, but his soul had been so empty that it had mattered little. The only gifts he received would be from some anonymous person who used to leave trinkets with him before he had left. Naruto had never received a birthday gift from one of his peers.
His eyes went from the small brown package to Hinata's pale eyes. Naruto clutched the package in his hand tightly. Without warning, he reached out for Hinata and pulled her into a tight hug. Hinata was shocked as she was suddenly pulled into her crush. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to handle it without passing out since she was so nervous. Naruto gently released her and leaned back onto his sleeping bag. He looked at the package with gentle eyes. "Thank you Hinata-chan." Hinata hid herself a bit in her sleeping bag.
"It's nothing, really." Her voice was slightly muffled by the material she was swaddled in. She wriggled herself loose. "You can actually use it now, if you want to, that is." Naruto quirked an eyebrow at her, but busied himself with the package.
Upon opening the wrapping, he extracted a piece of green material. Putting it onto his hand he realized that it was a sleeping cap that was detailed to look like a frog or a toad. Naruto had a coin bag that was the likeness of a toad, so he decided it was a toad. He turned it to admire it and saw that there was something stitched on the back. In bright orange thread the image of a fishcake had been intricately sewn on. Naruto chuckled and covered his mouth. Hinata was watching him carefully. He glanced at her and smiled.
"It's really cute." Naruto admired the cap a bit longer and felt an overwhelming joy. He knew that the gift was small, and he thought that perhaps it meant relatively little to Hinata, but to him in one of his darkest times, it meant the world. Naruto felt a pricking sensation as his eyes began to water, but he cleared his throat and the feeling was gone, leaving a huge grin in its place. "Thank you so much Hinata-chan. It's great." Hinata seemed relieved, and she smiled at him to show it. Naruto trained his blue eyes on her, and Hinata suddenly felt self-conscious again. "Go to sleep. You'll be tired if you don't." Hinata blinked her wide eyes but soon complied and tried to rest.
Naruto put the cap on his head and over his eyes to block out the light. As he fell asleep, he heard Hinata whisper to him. "Happy Birthday, Naruto-kun." The next moment, he was out like a light.
Sakura was the first to wake up. With a glance over to her right, she noted her two sleeping teammates. Hinata and Naruto were facing each other, but Naruto had what she thought was a hideous night cap over his eyes. She sat up groggily, stretching as she went. One of Naruto's clones passed by the front of the outcropping then and slightly startled her. The little bit of light that was coming in from the outside had only outlined the silhouette of the shadow clone, and it had made her heart beat faster. Soon, the shadow clone had moved on and left the entrance to patrol more.
Sakura wriggled out of her sleeping bag and began cleaning up her part of the camp to prepare for the rest of the trip back. She figured that since they were only traveling at night, they would take two more days to comfortably travel all the way back. She wasn't certain that she wanted to be on the road that long, but she didn't have any choice in the matter. She knew exactly what kind of review she was going to leave for Hinata on the mission.
It was a couple of minutes before Sakura had completely finished cleaning her space and was waiting impatiently for Naruto and Hinata to wake up. She knew that to be fair, she could not wake them until the sun was completely down, but she really wanted to be on her way back. All she wanted was a shower and to be home.
After another fifteen minutes, she grew tired of waiting, and went outside the camp area. She looked around, searching for one of Naruto's clones. Upon finding one, she marched straight up to it. The clone looked at her puzzled. "Hey, Sakura-chan. What are you doing up?" Her reply was a swift blow to the stomach, and the clone quickly dispersed. Inside the cave, Naruto sat up suddenly and rubbed his stomach. As usual, the blow hardly hurt at all, but it was still more than mildly annoying. Sighing, he leaned over and gently put his hand on Hinata's shoulder. She was instantly awake, and in her first moment of consciousness she recoiled sharply from his touch in fear. Once she saw where she was however, she simply smiled blearily at Naruto.
"We should probably get going soon." Naruto smiled at her as she rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. He rolled his sleeping cap up and immediately tucked it in his pack before he did anything else. Hinata lay in her sleeping bag feeling her body fight her in its tiredness. Eventually she managed to pull herself up into a seated position. Sakura came back in at that moment and looked coldly from one comrade to the next before ignoring them completely and running to her pack. She took out a nutrient bar and tore it open, indicating that she would not be indulging in the food Hinata had packed. Naruto and Hinata looked pointedly at one another, but said nothing to avoid conflict.
Hinata slipped out of her sleeping bag with some difficulty and sighed as she went to her pack. Naruto noticed the way her gait changed from its usual litheness to what appeared to be discomfort and rigidity. Naruto knew that she was probably trying to disguise her pain, but since she was not acknowledging it, he decided not to do anything either. He got busy in packing up his sleeping area. Hinata returned quickly, handing him some food with a slight smile. Naruto noticed the redness in her sclera when she got closer, but again fought against his concern. He accepted the food gracefully and maintained his silence. With Sakura acting the way she was acting, he didn't want to give another reason to have her picking at Hinata as a leader.
Naruto watched Hinata who tiredly sat on her sleeping bag, munching listlessly at the food that was in her box. Naruto did not know much about the Byakugan but he could only imagine how draining that it actually was. Hinata had built up her endurance during her training with him, but she had been pushed far past her limits on the mission and not given the chance to recover. It was not for a lack of ability, but more for an excess of demand of the mission that Naruto worried for Hinata. He knew that this was her first mission as a leader, and everything that he knew about her indicated that she would want the mission to succeed more than anyone else. And he knew that she would be the type to fight tooth and nail to get her team back safely. He already could see that she was putting her health on the line, but he was not sure if he could convince her to take it easier. The most he could do was try to keep her safe, which was getting more and more difficult with Sakura's obvious discontentment.
When Hinata looked up and caught his eye, Naruto pulled his eyes away and focused on his food. He didn't want to make her think that he was questioning her. Little did Naruto know that Hinata catching his eyes on her made her think just that. Hinata thought on all of the things that she could have done wrong, from her guidance on the mission to her choice of birthday gift. Not wanting to give it too much thought, she forced the rest of her food down despite the protest that her body felt and quickly packed up her space.
She took a few minutes once things were packed to stretch out her tight muscles. Sakura looked on impatiently, and Naruto simply waited. Before long, Hinata had snatched up her cloak, put it on and they were on their way again, rushing into the night.
The air was cold and dry and Hinata could feel her tired eyes itching more because of it. Her mind felt foggy with the tiredness that she felt, but they were one day from home. She activated her Byakugan briefly and searched the edges of her vision, looking for anything that could disrupt their path. Nothing seemed amiss, much to her relief. She was certain they could make it home as long as there were no interruptions, but the idea of the vile man from the village continued to pester her. She had been close to death before, but the experience she had in that village had been the most terrifying of her entire life for many reasons, and it had left her checking every corner. That feeling of being on edge in combination with the exhaustion that she already felt made her want to be home more than anything, and it also made her feel as though there was someone constantly watching them. The mission was quickly becoming the most strenuous that she had ever been on. She activated her Byakugan fifteen minutes after the first time to check the surroundings. Nothing but still, dark silence for miles and miles. Hinata picked up the pace, and Naruto and Sakura matched her.
The wind whipped across the land, chilling them to the bone. Hinata was especially cold in her cloak. The moon above was occasionally obscured by clouds which the ninja were grateful for despite the dip in visibility. If they could not see, it would be more difficult for enemies to see them. At first Hinata checked their surroundings at fifteen or thirty minute intervals, but she could soon feel how the drain in chakra was adding up so she reduced the scanning to when she felt that it was absolutely necessary.
The trio continued like this for hours before arriving at the edge of the forests that surrounded Konoha for a great distance. Hinata stopped them before they entered the trees. "Let's take a quick water break here. I want to keep going, but it will also be significantly more difficult to navigate through here. Just because we haven't encountered anyone yet does not mean that we will not." She reached into her pack and pulled out her water bottle and a small bottle of soldier pills. She swiftly put a couple in her mouth and chased them with water. She winced as the extra chakra forced itself into her sensitive pathways. Her eyes remained fixed on the forest in front of them. Naruto noted the way they glowed with her fear and determination to get home. Naruto and Sakura took a few gulps of water, but neither of them felt the need to partake in soldier pills. "Let's go." On her command the ninja leapt into the trees.
The entire team was on high alert. Although they raced forward with every intention of getting home as swiftly as possible, each had the sense that something was amiss. However, each person dismissed it as the feeling of the night or nerves. After a good time, Hinata activated her Byakugan and gasped. "Wait!" She hissed. They all immediately halted leaping to the forest floor. Looking ahead, not even half a mile, Hinata could see a thick, unnatural mist curling towards them. She threw her hood off her head as though trying to clear her field of vision with that simple solution, but the mist did not go away. It was laden with chakra and beyond it she could see nothing. Naruto heard the quickening of her breath as he sensed her fear spike. Sakura also noticed.
"Hinata-san, what's wrong?" Hinata kept her eyes activated as she scanned the mist but could not see into it at all. Naruto saw her eyes darting and squinting as she strained to see. Her pupils dilated until her eyes were nearly completely silvery gray.
"I…I don't know. There's a heavy mist ahead, and I can see three chakra signatures." Naruto noticed that her hands began shaking. He knew that despite the exhaustion she was most probably shaking from terror.
"Should we try going around it, Hinata-chan?" Hinata shook her head.
"No, whoever it is, they know we're here. They're heading towards us." Naruto growled. "I think we should meet them." Naruto and Sakura both turned to look at Hinata with surprise.
"What? Are you crazy?" Sakura's eyes glowed green in the darkness. "You're only in condition to travel. Not to fight." Hinata continued to observe the mist, the veins around her eyes bulging as she tried to see more.
"There is no other option. They know that we are here. Wherever we go, they will follow. I suspect this has something to do with that horrible man we encountered in the village. This must be the second team. I refuse to lead them to where other people are. The only place we'll be safe is inside the village." Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and gave her eyes a rest, closing them with finality as she made her decision. "I'll be fine. We need to get through." Hinata turned to her two teammates.
The fire in her eyes startled her two comrades. Her eyes glowed in the moonlight with a ferocity that they had never seen before. "I know that it is your mission to keep me safe, but it is my mission to lead this team. This is my direct order. Do not sacrifice yourselves for me. The Hyuuga's Main House has safeguards for keeping the bloodline out of enemy hands. The Byakugan will not be given away so easily. However, you are my comrades and I will not have your blood on my hands. Hopefully it does not come to that."
Hinata activated her Byakugan and checked the progress of the cloud. It had only stretched forth a bit as though it were waiting for them. "Are you ready for a fight?" Naruto and Sakura took on all seriousness. "Let's go." Hinata leapt back into the trees with Sakura and Naruto close behind. The night seemed colder suddenly as they felt their anticipation climbing. Hinata could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the dread escalated. Naruto kept his eyes trained on her as she ran.
'I won't let them take you.' Kurama's chuckle made Naruto grimace.
Are you sure about that? You never know what could happen. Kukuku. Naruto pushed at Kurama.
'We're almost home. She'll be okay.' No reply came from the fox demon and Naruto did not know if he was more or less infuriated. Since the mist was so nearby, they were upon it soon.
"Alright." Was all Hinata said, the mist was soupier to normal eyes, which had Hinata instantly worried for her teammates. As though sensing them, the fog surged into them, first curling around their ankles and then moving up to completely encase the three ninja. Instinctively they moved together as the visibility worsened. They could see nothing. The suddenly cloudy night made it so that their visibility was bleak. Thick darkness surrounded them except when the moon would break through the clouds and they were able to see within three feet of themselves.
The three backed into one another until their backs touched. Hinata activated her Byakugan but knew that these fighters were probably masters at attacking unnoticed. She hissed through her teeth in frustration. A single bead of sweat dripped down Sakura's temple.
"Now what?" Hinata clenched her teeth.
"We fight." As though they were heard, a sense of danger suddenly struck all three of the young ninja and they leapt apart before a person appeared out of the fog and shattered the earth that they had previously been standing in. Standing in the place of where they had just been seconds before was a woman who had shattered the earth beneath her. Her fists appeared to be made of heavy rock. She stood up and dust crumbled from her hands.
"Hello kiddies."The gravel in her voice broke through the silence. The trio stood still watching her warily. "Awww, why are you looking so scared? There's nothing for you to be afraid of. Well, not you two." The woman looked pointedly at Sakura and Naruto. "My boss is only interested in the Byakugan. I'm here to pick up the whole package. So, what's it gonna be?" She smiled, her beady black eyes flicked around. Naruto slightly shifted so that he blocked Hinata a little bit better. "Not interested in turning over the goods?" The Konoha nin stared fixedly to make sure that they didn't miss anything. "Alright, that's fine. I like it rough anyway." The woman stood straight and her skin crackled as it became stone. Within seconds, she was upon them. Sakura immediately jumped forth to meet her. Blow for blow she matched her in a quick exchange before landing a solid punch that sent the woman soaring a good way away. The three made a break for it.
They heard the woman shouting angrily behind them. "Kishiko! Cut the fog! I lost them." The fog instantly thinned out, and Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura used it to their advantage knowing that the woman would soon be upon them regardless, but any distance they covered brought them closer to the safety of the village.
"Ishi, I've got them." The singing of a blade cutting through air was the only warning that Naruto and Hinata had to separate before a katana would have physically split them apart. Without hesitation, a man began to lunge after Hinata using two blades. Hinata used every bit of her instinct to avoid the razor sharp blades slicing by her narrowly. Her heart beat drummed in her ears as she ducked and dodged. The man was forced to chase after her as she tumbled back and leapt about. Hinata kept her Byakugan activated despite the blurriness caused by the thickness of the fog. Hinata steadily led the man back along with her, trying to get into a clearing so that she could comfortably attack him with one of her family's defensive maneuvers.
Suddenly, The man disappeared from in front of her and was replaced by Sakura who had just delivered a strong blow. Hinata instantly turned her head to the man hoping that he would stay down, but he almost immediately jumped back up and came at the two. However, he was knocked over again when his teammate bowled into him. Naruto was back with his teammates immediately, and they immediately continued to run toward the village.
"Agh! Riichi, where's Kishiko?" The woman pulled herself up and stared at the trio as they ran off. The man checked his blades quickly before sheathing them.
"She'll intercept them. We just have to catch up. They're putting up a lot more of a fight than I thought they would."
"Do you think we'll have to get the boss involved?"
"I hope not. We've just got to make sure that we get the girl unharmed. We don't have to be careful with the other two." The pop of a sudden blast of chakra alerted the two of where they needed to be and they raced through the trees and leaves to get to the clearing from where it had come from.
Naruto, Hinata and Sakura had come across a teen girl who appeared to be the epicenter of the fog that they were in. She looked young and did not appear to be a fighter judging by her build. The trio tried to go around her, but she was immediately in front of them again. Hinata activated her Byakugan and noted that the girl was indeed the one controlling the fog.
"She's the reason for the fog." Hinata deactivated her Byakugan to save some energy. She could feel the stress of the battle and chase getting to her, but she had to make sure that her team made it home safe. She also knew that the other two attackers were coming, and she wasn't certain if there were still other people that they did not know about. "Let us through." Hinata trained her eyes onto the girl who said nothing. Instead, the fog suddenly started to condense in front of her and Hinata noted the way that it was becoming a condensed ball of chakra and water. "We need to move!" She leapt up and away while Naruto and Sakura also cleared the area. The ball of chakra shot where they had stood and struck the trees behind them with a great explosion.
Naruto could sense the tension of the situation building. He knew that the other two attackers were not far behind and would be catching up soon. The current block in their path made him nervous. Hinata looked like she was thinking deeply. She gritted her teeth.
"I'll take her. You two get the ones that are coming after us." Naruto and Sakura said nothing, but Hinata leapt into battle with the girl controlling chakra. Hinata examined her opponent. From what she could tell, the girl relied on her chakra molding for defense and offense. A single strike to her physical body could prove disastrous. Hinata also knew that her family's technique, Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms could debilitate the girl, but Hinata had not yet successfully performed the maneuver against anyone. Her father had pressed her to use it against her sister, and berated her when she had refused although they both knew that Hanabi was capable of blocking. Hinata knew the theory, but she did not want to make an error at such a crucial time. The girl watched her carefully.
Finally, Hinata could wait no longer as Naruto and Sakura were keeping an eye on her while waiting for the other two rogue ninja to arrive. Springing into action, Hinata went for a direct strike, hoping to inspire an attack from her enemy. As she drew near, the girl formed a sphere of energy and brought it down upon where she predicted Hinata would be. Hinata spun around the ball narrowly avoiding it as it slammed into the ground tearing up the earth. Hinata was pushed away slightly by the destructive force. She grimaced. Getting hit by any of the balls would be devastating, especially in her weakened state. While she was thinking, the girl's teammates arrived and Hinata could hear the ensuing clamor behind her. They were officially surrounded. She was not going to give herself the option of backing down.
The blue-haired ninja took a couple of kunai out of her weapon pouch and faced her enemy. Her opponent waited patiently. Hinata raced in as fast as she could, the girl prepared herself. As Hinata drew close, the girl formed more energy balls. Firing one, Hinata expertly dodged it and was not thrown off course as it flew far past her. The girl hurled another one, and Hinata once again lithely dodged the blast twisting her body to its full extent. Hinata threw a kunai and the girl dodged it. In that time, Hinata gained more ground. Another blast was narrowly dodged, and Hinata got even closer. The girl seemed to get uncomfortable, and began to form a very large energy blast but it took time. Hinata knew that she would be unable to dodge it. At the last moment, Hinata reached down, grabbed a handful of dirt loosened by a previous blast, and threw it at her enemy's eyes.
The attack caught the girl off guard by its simplicity, and the girl stumbled back sputtering and blinking. Hinata got as close as she needed to and sank into her family's taijutsu stance. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight trigrams Sixty-Four Palms." At that point, Hinata did not let hesitation stop her. Her Byakugan activated, she struck the off-guard girl ferociously. Hinata heard one of the other rogues cry out.
"Kishiko!" But she had finished her attack, and the girl stood, staring at her, eyes wide as though nothing had happened. Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, not wanting to see the damage she had done. The girl choked, and a bit of blood began to trail from her mouth. Hinata knew that her body was unable to handle her attack. Kishiko began to teeter back, and Hinata caught her in her shaking arms setting her down gently on the floor. The girl continued to stare into Hinata's eyes as the light faded from hers. Hinata's eyes watered and she cursed her weakness. "I'm sorry." She whispered as the girl passed away. The last remnants of the chakra mist dissipated, and Hinata gently shut Kishiko's eyes, but was not given a moment of reprieve as Ishi broke away from Sakura and savagely attacked Hinata, utterly destroying the ground next to her dead teammate.
"YOU BITCH!" Ishi could not be bothered with Sakura who was clutching her side, and trying to intercept the stone woman's attacks. Hinata dodged them as they came, before Sakura seemingly overcame her injury and smashed her fist into the side of Ishi's head. The woman went flying and remained on the floor, clearly incapacitated, if not dead. Naruto had his hands full taking on the sword man who was not allowing himself to be distracted by anything, including the other two girls. Hinata took the time to regroup. Sakura glanced over at her, and noted her labored breathing. She rolled her eyes, and turned them back onto Naruto and his opponent.
The sword man staggered and in the time it took for him to regain his footing, he found himself surrounded by Naruto clones. The man kept his swords drawn, and waited for Naruto to move. The one that Hinata and Sakura presumed to be the original turned to Sakura and Hinata. "Get to the village." Without waiting another moment, the two raced off toward the village.
With the fog gone, they had a quick, confident pace. Hinata briefly activated her Byakugan to check on Naruto again, but what she saw ahead of them made her freeze.
"SAKURA-SAN, DUCK!" Just as the two hit the ground, a enormous attacker flew over their heads. The two ninja immediately got back on their feet and turned to face the unexpected opponent. Although, Hinata cringed knowing that she had suspected it from the beginning. Facing them, was the same man who had nearly killed her days before.
"I found you. I won't let you get away again, Daughter of the Hyuuga." Hinata felt terror chill her to the bone as she looked into the wild eyes of the monster. In a moment of panic, Hinata could feel her breathing get away from her more than it already had. She was exhausted. She knew that she was. Sakura knew that she was, and the hideous man in front of them probably also expected it. "You and your team managed to take out my three best fighters. That is quite impressive. I'm sure you're tired now though, so if you come along and don't put up a fight, I promise that I won't hurt your teammates." Hinata breathed deeply and tried to calm her racing heart. She didn't want to put Naruto and Sakura in danger, but she knew that giving up wasn't the answer. The two girls continued to stare at the man, hoping that Naruto would catch up before they had to take on their attacker.
"Sakura-san. Remember. You will not engage him directly. He's not after you. If he does attack, use weapons and jutsu exclusively." Sakura said nothing in reply. Hinata, felt anxiety pulsing through her body. The man continued to watch them curiously.
"Are you still refusing to come along then?" Hinata and Sakura stood their ground against him. "Very well. I suppose we'll just have to do this the fun way." Faster than they had expected, he raced towards them, and the two ninja leapt apart, narrowly avoiding getting snatched up. Hinata had leapt up and landed behind him. He spun around, again snatching wildly for her. Again, he missed. Sakura who was still a good distance away threw some kunai, and the monster was so preoccupied with catching Hinata, that he hardly flinched as the metal bit into his flesh. The man growled in frustration when Hinata again narrowly avoided his grasp.
Hinata tried not to show it, but she could feel her body begin to fight her as she put everything into avoiding getting grabbed. Her legs were starting to shake and her breathing was increasingly labored. She allowed herself one quick moment of wondering whether it was better to keep fighting or to just give in. As she dodged another swipe, she thought about how disappointed Naruto would be if she just gave in, and she felt her determination grow. Sakura struck again, and shuriken lined the man's ribs. This time, he took pause to remove the blades from his side. Hinata took a moment to slip a soldier pill. The little bit of energy that she felt coursing through her body did little to stop the shaking in her legs. It was her second day using the soldier pills to help her get through the mission, and she could feel the effects.
"Your friend is pesky. I'll deal with her later." The man again lunged at Hinata and Hinata countered by leaping up and then landing a Jyuuken strike right behind the man's neck. She used the force of her blow to leap up and away from him as the enormous man crashed into the ground. Hinata rejoined Sakura.
"He's obviously very preoccupied with making sure that he captures me. I need you to use that to our advantage. Just throw whatever you have at him. With patience, he'll probably either tire so much that he can't fight anymore, or he'll change his tactic." Sakura's emerald eyes bore into Hinata.
"Are you sure that you're in the condition to keep this up? I can just use my axe and take him out right now." Hinata sighed, but the monster man started to get up again.
"Just keep at it with the long range attacks." Hinata then leapt right back into it, meeting her assailant head on. The man stopped and waited for her to get close. Hinata skid to a stop directly in front of him. As she looked up at him, she wondered if she was showing every bit of fear that she felt deep in her heart. A set of shuriken flew at his back from Sakura's hand, but he paid them little mind as they embedded themselves into his back.
"Why don't you give up, Little Hyuuga?" Hinata glared at him.
"Who are you?" The man sneered at her but gave her no reply. He reached for her, and Hinata deflected his arm with all of the strength in her exhausted body. She activated her Byakugan. He reached for her again, and again, Hinata deflected his grasp. She could tell that he was toying with her. If he really wanted to he could just grab her in her weakened state and take off with her. She hoped that he continued to exhibit such self-confidence for only a few moments longer. In the field of her Byakugan, Hinata could see that Naruto had just left the sword man with one of his own swords imbedded in him and was on his way to catch up with his teammates. Hinata thought that if they could only hold their final obstacle off for a bit longer, the path to the village would soon be free. A trio of kunai cut in and hit the monster man in the face, causing blood to pour down. The man growled in the direction from where they had come from and tore the metal out of his face. His eye had been damaged terribly, and Hinata could only see his seething anger in his other eye. Hinata took a moment to deliver a Jyuuken strike to the man's leg. His leg crumpled under him, and he stumbled over before regaining his balance. In that time, Hinata skipped back a couple of paces, and waited for him to follow her. He staggered towards her, and in that instant, Hinata felt like time slowed down as she prepared to strike.
The night air felt cool on her skin, and every part of her flesh that touched her cloak felt chilled. She could feel the sweat on her temple slip down. She could feel the pulsing of her Byakugan in her eyes. Suddenly, her intense moment of focus was interrupted when she heard Sakura shout.
"I've had enough of this!" She raced out of the shadows, her battle axe drawn as she drew in for what Hinata imagined would be a devastating close range attack, if Sakura could manage to land it. Just as Sakura launched her attack, Hinata saw Naruto race into the clearing that they stood in.
"Sakura-san, NO!" Hinata reached forward as though she could stop Sakura from where she stood.
"Perfect." The man suddenly grabbed Hinata's outstretched arm and swung her around, smashing her into Sakura's oncoming attack. As time had slowed before, Hinata felt it slow again. She felt herself get grabbed and being spun around. She felt the wind get knocked out of her as she was smashed into Sakura and her axe. The axe met her ribs, and even though her side was covered by the cloak, Hinata felt the weapon crack her bones. Sakura went flying to the side, but the man did not release Hinata. He lifted her in front of him and stared into her eyes as the Byakugan faded from one eye and she struggled to maintain it in the other.
"My name is Masaru. And I'm your new owner." His hot, foul breath flowed over Hinata's face, but it was the least of her concerns considered her crushed ribs and dislocated shoulder. With the last bit of fight she could muster, Hinata kicked at him, hurting her side and crying out in the process. The man tisked.
"It's a pity, I –gurk." Hinata crashed to the floor, and felt blood drip on her face as she completely released her Byakugan and flinched. Opening her eyes again, she could see that a hand coated in red chakra protruded from the man's chest where the man's heart had been.
"Damnit." Was the last thing that the wolf-man said. Naruto tore his hand back out of Masaru's chest as he jumped off the man's back and allowed the heavy body to fall to the side. The red chakra surrounding Naruto's form dissipated as he knelt next to Hinata.
"Can you stand?" He asked her gently. Since the fight was over, Hinata could feel her body take note of the damage it had sustained. She licked her dry lips.
"No." She managed to wheeze. She began to suspect that her lung was punctured considering the extreme difficulty she was having breathing. Naruto reached for her and tried to lift her gently, but Hinata cried out in pain. Naruto put her back down, not wanting to hurt her more.
"SAKURA!" Sakura lay on the ground, dazed. "GET OVER HERE!" Sakura struggled to her feet, and ran over. "Can I move her or am I going to make it worse?" Sakura threw herself to her knees next to Hinata and began analyzing the damage. As she did, she could feel Hinata and Naruto's eyes boring into her.
"She is nearly completely depleted of chakra, she had a dislocated shoulder, shattered ribs on her right side, and a collapsed lung."
"How much of that is your fault?" Sakura flinched at the venom in his voice but did not meet his eyes.
"Naruto-kun, please. Sakura-san, can I be moved?" Sakura didn't answer her immediately, but reached for her dislocated arm. A forceful yank and a sickening pop was followed by a scream from Hinata before Sakura stood again.
"Now you can. It's going to hurt, so you should brace yourself. We need to get you to the village and into Tsunade-sama's care as quickly as possible." Naruto reached for Hinata, who cried out as soon as he put his arms under her to lift her. He hesitated when she began to sob. She looked into his eyes.
"Just do it quick." He lifted her in one go, and she screamed in pain. Her scream cut off abruptly, however, as she passed out immediately once he stood. Naruto was glad for the temporary reprieve she had from the pain, and he adjusted her limp body in his arms. Without so much as a word or a glance to see if Sakura was with him, Naruto was off as though he had hell at his heels.
Author's note: School's out. Hope you enjoyed.