First off, here's your update. Second, read below for your chance to change the story's direction a bit.
. wow ain't this some Final destination shit...
Place: Forest near the border of Sunagakure no Sato
Time: Afternoon
"So tell me," Shikamaru blew air out the side of his mouth as he addressed the three ninja blocking his path. "How'd you know we were coming this way."
"We didn't," Konohamaru grinned wide.
"After seeing that you were on the list of S-class traitors that had been recently posted, I calculated the probability of you seeking out help from other villages. And since you have a very close connection with Sunagakure," Udon reached inside his shirt and pulled out a single scroll. Shikamaru strained his eyes as he recognized the seal on the back of the scroll. "I also calculated the best and fastest route to Sunagakure, from Konoha and several outlying points. I also plotted this route from the last known hideout of you guys and this seemed the best place to patrol."
"So my letter, when did you intercept it?"
"We didn't intercept the original letter." Moegi smiled. "However we did a little investigating and came up with this letter you left in room."
"So now you guys just enter peoples house's without permission." Chouji snorted.
"I'm actually impressed." Shikamaru chewed on his bottom lip. "You guys sure have improved since the last time I saw you."
"But more importantly," Konohamaru's tone went from casual to serious. "Which one of you took Hyuuga Hanabi's eyes."
"Huh?" Shikamaru tilted his head in confusion. Since when did Konohamaru speak with the young Hyuuga girl? Wasn't he and Moegi seeing each other.
"I could care less if you guys broke the law to rescue your friend. I completely understand that but…" Konohamaru began to shake as he pointed an angry finger at them. "To do something that cruel to someone who was only doing their job!"
"Shut up," Shikamaru laughed. "Listen kid, I really don't wish to fight you, but only because you're Asuma-sensei's nephew and I don't think he'd appreciate me sending you to his side. But to accuse me of being cruel without knowing the entire situation. That's foolish."
"Why you,"
"I said shut up." Shikamaru focused his chakra into his trench knives, extending the length of the blade by a few inches. "You're looking for the person who took her eyes right? I'll tell you why I removed them. She needlessly killed a dear friend of mine, Ino…someone who was treasured by your uncle…and someone who brought fresh flowers to your grandfathers and uncle's grave everyday. I had every right to take back what was taken from me but instead I made a promise to someone just as important not to kill her. So you know why I took her eyes? Because maybe I wanted her to finally open them and see exactly what was in front of her."
"Still," Konohamaru lowered his hand. "You broke the law that my uncle and grandfather…"
"You idiot!" Shikamaru shouted. "The Third and Asuma-sensei are turning in their graves right now because the idiots in charge are forgetting the values they lived by. To break the law you become trash. Right, that's fine with me. But no one will ever say that I abandoned my friends or my morals. If protecting what's precious to me makes me trash, or a traitor, then I accept those titles with pride. But you will not stand over there and preach to me. Right now you have two choices kid," Shikamaru held up a single finger. "One, you can try to attack us and apologize to both the Thirds and Asuma-sensei when I send you to heaven. Or two, you can tell Ebisu to stop trying to sneak behind us and step aside and allow us to continue doing what we need to do, to protect our friend."
From his hiding place on the branch adjacent to Chouji, Ebisu bit his bottom lip in annoyance as he watched Shikamaru raise his trench knives to emphasis his point.
"Konohamaru-kun…" Moegi placed a hand on the young chunnin's shoulder as the young man hung his head in anger. After a full moments contemplation he stepped aside and pointed his finger in the direction of the border.
"Go," Konohamaru said, much to everyone's surprise.
"Good," Shikamaru nodded to Chouji and leapt to the branch holding Konohamaru.
"Go ahead, before I change my mind."
"You know what?" Shikamaru stared Konohamaru in the eye as he breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you decided not to fight. I seriously would've lost." With that he leapt away, continuing on to Sunagakure no Sato and his reinforcements.
Place: Execution grounds
Time: Afternoon, at the same moment Lee engaged Anko in combat.
Hinata kept her eyes focused on Hana, even as Lee began his own battle against Anko.
"Please, Hana-san." Hinata made one last attempt at diplomacy. "I do not wish -"
"I don't care what you wish for," Hana growled as she vanished from sight. Hinata ducked her head, avoiding the wide swipe Hana had aimed at the back of her head. "I only want you dead!"
Hinata rolled away from her, hurrying to her feet as she attempted to put as much distance between them as possible.
"I will not give up my life," Hinata said firmly. "Doing so would be a disgrace to the memories of my friends."
"I said I don't care!" Hana aimed her claws at Hinata's face and swiped at her again. Hinata raised her left hand up, securing her fist around Hana's wrist she channeled her chakra into her right palm and drew her arm back ready to strike. Hana acted quickly. She raised her arm, stepped under it and twisted Hinata's arm behind her back. She then wrapped her other hand around Hinata's throat. Hana then squeezed her hand, only to have Hinata vanish in a puff of smoke.
"Mizuken!" Hinata focused the chakra she'd gathered in her right hand, and coupled it with the elemental manipulation jutsu Kakashi had taught her. She threw her left arm forward as bright blue chakra tore across the stage towards the back of Hana's legs. Hana dodged out of the way as she quickly turned around, and Hinata swung her arm, sending another ball of water charged chakra at her opponent.
Hana leapt over ground based projectile and aimed her claws at Hinata's face. Hinata raised her hands, suddenly remembering her training with Lee she managed to parry Hana's outstretched arm, throwing the charging woman temporarily off balance. She then pivoted on the ball of her left foot, spinning around clockwise and bringing the heel of her right foot down into the elder woman's back, sending Hana crashing through the execution stage and down into the cobbled street below.
At that same moment, somewhere behind her an explosive tag went off, sending flesh and blood in every direction.
"Lee-san!" Hinata spun to look for Gai-sensei's hot blooded student, when a strong arm seized her ankle and pulled her down through the stage and to the ground.
"Don't underestimate me!" Hana growled as she easily hurled Hinata into one of the support beams.
Hinata winced as her back connected sharply against the support beam. She bounced off the hard wood and fell painfully against the dirt. Ignoring the pain vibrating through her spine she manage to lift herself up to her knees, with just enough time to catch Hana's right foot with her hands. She pushed down on Hana's foot using as much strength as she could to push herself up on her hands. In an amazing feat of flexibility and strength Hinata pushed her up onto Hana's shoulder and began pounding Hana's face as hard as could with her palms.
Hana stumbled around blindly for a moment, unable to get a true sense of her surroundings she estimated her distance from the nearest support beam and seized control of Hinata's waist she let herself fall backwards, driving Hinata face first into the wooden beam.
"AHH!" Hinata tumbled onto her back her hands covering her face as she screamed in agony.
"It's amazing you survived this long with your skill." Hana panted as she pushed herself up to her feet. She raised her right leg up, and stomped Hinata in the face multiple times until the girl stopped moving. "I told you not to underestimate me." Hana said, spitting on the unconscious girl on the ground.
"Tell, why does everyone seem to forget," Hinata's voice came from behind, and Hana spun around to see the raven haired Kunoichi, leaning against a support beam an arms length away, with a hand covering her broken nose. "That I was an ANBU captain?"
"Teme…" Hana turned her head to look behind her, half expecting a bushin to vanish in a puff of smoke behind her but instead she found something else….
The small explosive note launched Hana's body forward, sending her directly towards Hinata and collapsing the back half of the stage as well.
"Tenshi na tenohira!" Hinata pushed herself off the beam her left arm covered in a solid powerful layer of chakra; her elbow aimed dead center at Hana's chest. She drilled her elbow hard betweens Hana's breasts, stopping the thrown woman in mid-flight. She then focused her chakra into her arm, bringing it around she put everything she had into her palm and pushed every last ounce of chakra she'd stored through the elder woman's body. The discharging exited out Hana's body from her shoulders, resembling a pair of blue angel wings.
Hana dropped to the ground, unable to move. Hinata collapsed to her knees, visibly exhausted from the fight.
"You bitch…I can't move!" Hana coughed.
"I put a current into your nervous system. You shouldn't be able to move for a day or two." Hinata breathed, lifting a hand to her nose. "I had to be careful, because if I missed you probably would've died…"
"You do realized…." Hana coughed again as she futilely tried to move her body. "That I will still come after you, until I die. And even then…after I'm dead…my mother will personally see to it that you get everything that you deserve."
"I know," Hinata said solemnly. "You can come as many times as you wish. But I refuse to be killed as much as I refuse to kill you. I wouldn't want Kiba to be angry with me in the afterlife."
"Shut up!" Hana's head lifted an inch off the ground as she glared daggers through Hinata's body. "Don't let my brothers name come out your mouth again!"
"Gomen," Hinata bowed her head and reached into her accessory pouch. She pulled out a small brown jar and placed it gently next to Hana's body. "When you're able to move again, take this. It should help with any discomfort you might feel…"
"I don't need your empathy." Hana snapped.
"I'm…I'm sorry." Hinata bowed and stood up to leave. "Get well soon, Hana-san." She said and as she turned to leave the ground below her exploded, and a two pairs of powerful jaws clamped down hard on her legs holding her in place. Before she could react to the two ash-grey hounds, a third exploded up from the ground in front of her and locked its jaws around her throat, knocking her to the ground.
"I told you, I'd rip your throat out…" Hana chuckled as the three giant dogs leapt on-top of the down girl and began to maul her.
Hinata pulled at the jaws around her throat, ignoring the other dogs tearing at her flesh. She knew she had one shot at staying alive, and without a second thought she smacked the dog attempting to garrote her hard once behind its ear. The dog yelped once as it fell to her side, dead. She then focused every last bit of remaining chakra into her body and placed her hands on the ground.
"Nakigoe Mizu-hime!"
Place: Execution grounds
Time: Just after Lee's fight with Anko.
Gai had just hefted Lee onto his back when a bright blue explosion erupted from the execution stage. A powerful whirlwind of chakra blew skyward, burning brighter than the sun for a half second; he raised his arms up over his face to shield his eyes. As the light and explosion died down, Gai dropped down into the street to survey the damaged caused by the explosion.
Pieces of the execution stage lay scattered across the street, along with the bodies of three ash-grey hounds and their owner, Inuzuka Hana. The crowd that had gathered earlier had scattered, some had been caught in the explosion itself somehow, and others by the flying debris.
"Lee, be patient I'm going to see if everyone's okay." Gai didn't wait for a reply as he leaned his favorite student against a wall out of the way. He didn't even hear the young shinobi call out to him, telling his sensei how tired he felt. Gai rushed to unmoving body of Inuzuka Hana and quickly checked for a pulse. She was alive…but barely.
"Gai-san," A medical shinobi dropped down in front of him and soon the entire street was filled medical ninja and other ANBU operatives.
"This ones alive, please take care of her." He said and then quickly rushed back to his student, worried that someone might try to arrest his beautiful student. To his dismay there was already one ANBU operative and two medical-nins kneeling over his students body. One of the medical-nins shook his head and stood to leave by the time Gai finally made it back.
"A damn shame too." The medical-nin sighed.
"What!? What are you talking about?" Gai pulled the medical-nin out of the way, and burst into tears as he saw Lee's body slumped over. "Lee, wake up, its time for…"
"Gai-san, its no good!" The men wrapped their arms around Gai as he attempted to shake Lee awake. "He was poisoned by a very deadly snake. There's nothing we can do."
"NO! That's not true!" Gai continued to shake Lee's body as tears poured from his eyes. "Lee, wake up! There's still…so much we had to prove together…"
Place: Sunagakure no Sato border.
Time: Evening.
"About time," Shikamaru sighed as Sunagakure, Village Hidden in the Sand, finally came into view.
"We're stopping to get something to eat first right?" Chouji asked as they leapt off the last tree branch and down into the soft cold sand of the land of the wind. Ahead of them, from behind a cluster of rocks, stepped Sunagakure's Kazekage.
"Hey there," Shikamaru waved as he stopped in place. "Nice of you to come meet us in person, and so close to the border too."
"Out of respect for Temari I'm going to ask that you turn around and leave here now. If you do, I'll pretend like we never met." Gasra spoke without emotion.
"What the hell Gaara?" Shikamaru shook his fist. "My letter should've reached you explaining…"
"It did." Gaara sighed, holding up a small scroll in his hand he made some of the sand in his gourd pluck the scroll out of his hands and carry it over to Shikamaru. The confused shinobi quickly picked the scroll up and opened it.
"Goddammit." Shikamaru growled in irritation.
"I'll ask you one last time, for Temari's sake, do not return until the situation is taken care of. If you cross into these lands before then, you will be killed without a second thought." With that Gaara turned to leave.
"Shikamaru?" Chouji stood completely perplexed.
"Let's go Chouji, looks like we're really on our own here." Shikamaru angrily stormed away, pressing the scroll into Chouji's chest.
Chouji opened the scroll, and finally understood why Shikamaru was so pissed. The scroll was actually a copy of a bounty notice, for Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, Lee and the others. The notice also warned other countries of providing any assistance to the traitors. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Suna did not wish to get involved for fear of repercussions from Konoha. The village had defeated Suna once, and they Sand did not wish for another war. That wasn't even mentioning the treaty between the two villages would be broken.
"Dammit," Chouji cursed to himself as he turned to catch up to his friend.
Place: Alleyways of Konohagakure
Time: Evening.
Somewhere in the dark alleyways a lone figure stumbled down an empty alleyway with a hand over their throat.
Dammit…Hinata tearfully thought to herself, as she bumped into a trash-can and finally crashed to the ground, too tired and weak to continue moving. She lay on her back, staring up into the sky, wondering if she'd ever see Kiba again when she died. She wasn't going to try to fool herself, especially with the wounds she'd sustained to her neck and legs, she knew it was amazing for her just to make it as far as she gotten….
"Naruto-kun. I'm sorry I lied." She spoke aloud to no one.
"Hinata-san," She heard Naruto's voice call out to her. She knew it was her imagination, but despite the obvious she went with it. The blond haired shinobi's smiling blue eyes appeared above her as he stretched out a hand and pulled her to her feet. "This way…come on! Hurry!"
Despite the pain in her body she followed the illusion further down the alley, hurrying to catch up. At every corner he urged her to keep moving. For her to catch up and follow him. She followed him as best she could in her dazed state, and finally saw him stop in front of a door, his arms stretched out wide.
"Come on…hurry…everyone's waiting…" He said and reached out his hand. With one hand covering the wound to her neck she reached out with her free hand eventually collapsing into his arms….or at least she thought. She looked up once as she watched Naruto's image fade away, giving shape to a dark shadowy figure who she thought she recognized, but did not have enough energy to ask the figure their name.
"Ta…tadaimasu…" Was the last thing she remember before the pain from her wounds became too intense for her. Darkness quickly began to swallow up Hinata's vision and she did not resist. She was too tired to stay awake anyway, and shut her eyes, letting the darkness overtake her completely.
Allright, before you start flaming me for Lee's death...just deal with it. And before anyone complains about this still having a happy ending, trust me, it will...just my version of a happy ending thats all. Anyway, when you review cast your votes on whose doorstep Hinata collapse on. I'm pretty sure I don't have to list the names for you guys, which should also leave it open to just about any Naruto character you can think of that I haven't used. Just beware, depending on which person has the most votes, whoever it may be, will possibly affect wether or not the next chapter opens up with Hinata dead or alive. So there's a chance, but you have to try and out think me here, and possibly le-gasp save Lee from dying. Just depends on who you guys suggest. MWHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA... . anyway... proceed to vote...NOW!