SHIBARI: Bound

Chapter Warnings: Language

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Music:

'(4.1) Seven Nation Army (The Glitch Mob Remix) [Note: NOT the official video. The correct song is around 4:18 in length]

Note: Chapter 1 - 4 YouTube Playlist link included in my profile page.

Chapter 4

Capture the Kunai

Present (Late Summer 5 AN) – Konoha Falls

A soft breeze ruffled his dark locks, providing him a much-needed respite from the merciless sun. From his vantage point at the top of the Konoha Falls, he could clearly discern the individuals enjoying the serenity of the lake. He smirked internally watching Kiba catch Sakura's ire, but his eye was drawn to a certain indigo haired Hyuga.

Jin and Koji were a step behind.

"Yo, dibs on pinky," Koji exclaimed while giving Sasuke a playful slap on the back. "Cool?"

Sasuke shot the rambunctious teen an irritated look. "I don't care about your pursuits, just leave me out of it," he responded impassively. Idiot, he thought wryly. He knew Sakura's type, and the youngest Uchiha wasn't it.

The eighteen-year-old Yoshida smiled toothily at the implicit consent and haphazardly started down the rocky path carved into the cliffside. Sasuke hung back at his perch to continue observing.

Jin paused next to Sasuke before following the youngest Uchiha and glanced at the group huddled near the base of the cliff. He cautioned steadily, "I do not understand why you encourage him. That woman's emotions are dangerous."

Sasuke's dark orbs darted to the side to look at the younger Uchiha in silent appraisal. "I wouldn't worry so much. He could stand to fail more."

In a very Uchiha manner, Jin responded with a skeptical 'hn' and a quick nod before going after Koji. His hands clasped together casually behind his back, the breeze forcing the bottom of his robe to flap in time with his careful stride.

The eldest Uchiha returned his attention below to watch as Hinata stood to stretch and rehydrate. She could be a problem. Just as he was feeling ready to make an appearance, his muscles coiled and readied to spring as he sensed another chakra signature behind him. The signature was unique to the ANBU shadows that had been following him constantly since his arrival.

"She is special," the visitor behind him remarked in a familiar gravelly voice that lacked any inflection.

Sasuke, decidedly, did not turn around. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Gaara no Sabaku," he feigned indignantly.

The red-headed Kage moved to stand next to the other man. Crossing his robed arms that matched the deep carmine of his hair, he scanned the area below and let his seafoam green eyes drift to the subject in question.

Feeling the soft bite of unsolicited possessiveness rip through him, Sasuke tore his dark gaze away from the ex-heiress to face his once rival turned temporary comrade. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a village to run?"

With his lips faintly twitching upwards in amusement, Gaara's piercing eyes took in the scowling Uchiha. Deliberately ignoring Sasuke's questions he simply replied, "If you are as smart as your reputation professes, you would claim her before someone else does."

"Someone like you?" Though it was an inquiry, it came out more like a challenge. His steely gaze was the only outward indication of his rising temper.

The young leader very concisely yet vaguely volleyed, "Perhaps."

Staying just long enough to allow his words to settle, he casually turned on his heel, twisted a raised hand with a flourish and was gone in a swirl of sand before a proper response could form.

Sasuke waited and watched as the particles cleared from the air, leaving him alone once again. "Tch. I still don't like that guy."

Ducking low behind a large boulder at the end of the winding path that followed from the top of the falls to the bottom, Koji sneakily watched as two of the males from Sasuke's past playfully attempted to shove, carry and strong arm the other under the waterfall- neither succeeding in the effort but both finding themselves submerged under water multiple times anyway. The ball that occupied their attention earlier, long forgotten, now bobbed up and down with the movement closer to shore.

The young male scrutinized their behavior, their strengths and even their appearances. He noted that one of them looked like he was ready to go diving with a full on stretchy green wetsuit. His wet hair was now slicked back, making his thick black brows stand out even more against the pallor of his skin. However, the garish outfit and untamed eyebrows seemed dull when compared to the blinding nature of his smile each time he grinned. The other was dressed more casually in dark gray swim trunks. His shoulder length brown locks were also matted back from the water, showcasing red fang like tattoos on either side of his face. They were both well built, but Koji was convinced he could take them both on.

"Koji, what are you-"

"Shhhh!" Koji hissed without taking his eyes off the boisterous males ahead of him. With a wave of an open palm, he motioned for Jin to kneel with him behind the boulder.

The twenty-year-old Uchiha complied by walking to Koji's's side and bending at the waist so his ear could be closer to the bothersome teen. In a low voice, he condescendingly questioned, "Why are we hiding?"

Koji finally looked at his travelling companion and feeling somewhat defensive answered, "Getting a good look at the competition obviously." He rolled his eyes and snorted, his focus back on the duo. "C'mon, let's sneak up on them and shove them both into the waterfall!" His body tensed as he was preparing himself to pounce from behind the boulder. "Are you ready?"

Jin calmly suggested, "Why don't you count to three?"

"Good idea! One. Two. Three!"

Koji sprang from his position and quickly gathered his cloaked chakra at the base of his feet as he dashed across the lake surface. Targets in sight and engrossed in their own folly, he pushed on faster. He was seconds away from being close enough to push one or both of them into the cascade. An assured victory forcing a grin onto his determined features.

Suddenly, his steps faltered as a fully dressed, and soaking, goggled form unexpectedly surfaced in front of him, spraying water around with the sudden emergence from the depths. The Yoshida yelped and his body went stiff as he was thrown back into the lake by a mysterious, buzzing force that somehow flanked him on all sides.

He sputtered and thrashed wildly to resurface, gulping in as much air as his lungs could gather as soon as his head was freed of the cold, suffocating element. When he was sufficiently oxygenated, he heard Jin chuckling from behind him. He glowered at his so-called 'friend' who was still standing by the boulder, blissfully, arrogantly dry. "Traitor," he muttered scathingly while mentally supplicating to the gods that Sakura hadn't witnessed the embarrassing display.

"Heads up!"

A white volleyball bounced dangerously close to where Ino, Sakura, Tenten and Hinata were sitting, kicking up dirt as it slowed to a stop. The women were sitting on a couple of logs that had been set up in a square pattern around a formation of rocks and wood meant for a fire. There were several similar arrangements around the clear lake that fed one of the rivers in the forest within Konoha's walls. All were occupied. It seems they weren't the only ones who thought an afternoon swim would be a nice reprieve from the heat of summer.

Ino, clad in a scanty violet bikini, screeched at the intrusion. She brushed off the tiny specks of dirt that had been kicked up onto her long, lightly tanned legs.

Sakura irritably retrieved the ball from where it landed a few inches from her, wearing a strappy red two-piece swimsuit. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing your balls, Kiba!"

A chakra powered fist torpedoed the object back at the offending target. It was expelled with such force Kiba flew back several yards upon catching it and skidded across the surface of the water, landing on the sandy shore. The ball was surprisingly intact.

In good spirits, the Inuzuka stood and patted the grit off his swim shorts and laughed. "Where would you like me to put my balls Sakura?" He grabbed his nether region suggestively at her with a quick raise of his brows and a full fanged grin.

"Why you…" The high strung kunoichi started walking towards the brunette with a murderous intent when Ino pulled the pinkette back to her side.

"Oh, put a sock in it will 'ya Billboard Brow? It was an accident. Let them have their fun," Ino reprimanded with an exasperated tone. Some things never change.

Sakura sighed and sat back down next to her blonde friend. "You're right. What were we talking about now?" She looked at Tenten who sat on a lump of wood wearing a long white wrap-around skirt with a red floral print and matching loose tank top. Her ever present double buns were tied up with red ribbons atop her head. Hinata was on the log adjacent to theirs, still draped in her standard casual shinobi outfit. Refusing to give in to the demands of the sweltering heat.

Similarly, Shino was dressed in his shinobi gear and roaming inconspicuously near the edge of the forest, inspecting the various insects he could find. Lee and Kiba continued to splash around in the water roughly, causing many of the other water voyagers to give the group a wide berth. The only ones missing were Neji, who was busy with clan duties, and Shikamaru and Choji who were planning to show up together later in the afternoon.

Ino reminded her hot-headed friend, "We were talking about how Tenten ended up falling for Lee of all people."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino and turned to Tenten with a patient smile, "Sorry Tenten. Please continue."

Tenten leaned back on her arms and looked up in thought. "You know I don't really know how it happened to be honest. We'd been teammates for so long and originally I thought I'd end up with Neji, especially since he was my first kiss, but that didn't work out…"

"Your first kiss was with Neji?!" Ino exclaimed, mouth gaping and wide eyed. "What was that like? He seems so cold and stiff, I figured it'd be like kissing a statue. A good-looking statue, but a cold, emotionless statue nonetheless."

Hinata turned red at the mention of her cousin. Tenten looked over at the blushing girl and gave a small smile. "Well, not to go into too much detail but it was actually really nice. It was before the war though and we were still really young. There wasn't even any tongue. It was very innocent and very sweet."

"What happened?" Sakura inquired.

"Literally nothing. I guess there wasn't a spark and he honestly didn't seem all that into it. Like his head was somewhere else. Anyway, we decided we'd be better off as friends after that. He's been one of my best friends ever since.

"With Lee though, I've always admired his persistence. I mean, yes, he's silly and a little bit… extra," she winced at the word and continued, "but after the war I guess I really needed help finding the beauty in life again and the passion to keep going. He helped me with that. He forced me out of bed every day, made sure I ate, and had me train with him. I think he was just trying to be a good friend, but the fact that he saw that need in me, was really touching.

"No one's ever cared for me that way before, and one day while we were out on a mission, I almost fell off a cliff dodging a paper bomb and he saved me. The way he looked at me when he thought he'd almost lost me…" Her eyes glazed over with a faraway dreamy look.

As if remembering where she was, she quickly stated, "And so I kissed him!" Her cheeks turned pink at the confession, her brown eyes darting to the side. "I haven't looked back since."

Ino and Sakura swooned. Hinata, who was resting her chin in her hand propped on her knee with an elbow, gave the girl a smile as if to convey 'I'm happy for you.'

"How romantic…" Ino dreamily sighed. Sakura hummed in agreement with hands clasped over her heart.

Tenten added, "Besides, he has really great stamina." She winked her almond shaped brown eyes which made Hinata turn crimson again and the other girls giggled. "Sometimes it's even better when he's drunk."

The giggles turned into a full uproar. Once the laughter began to subside, the feisty tomboy turned to the pink-haired medic and asked, "How did your date go last week Sakura?"

Hinata took the change in subject as an opportunity to stand and stretch. The shade the trees offered provided some comfort from the sweltering heat, but it was still uncomfortably hot. She walked over to the opposite corner where a cooler full of cold drinks sat, courtesy of Lee and Tenten. She stuck a hand in the melting pile of ice and fished out a bottle of water. Quickly unscrewing the top, she tilted her head back with eyes shut to savor the cool life-giving element as it trickled down her throat.

While she enjoyed spending quality time with her friends, she felt a sense of detachment. Like she couldn't connect on the same level with them, so she mostly listened and nodded when appropriate.

She loved these people and would fight for them, but she could not share in their excitement over everyday things. Things like fashion, boys, or wealth and status. They meant nothing to her.

Her life now was a vow of servitude, honoring the fallen and finding peace. Lounging felt like a waste of time, but she couldn't say 'no' to her precious people. Life was too short not to spend it with loved ones. Especially when it pertained to important milestones.

She let out a satisfied sigh after quenching her thirst. She grabbed an extra bottle and walked back to take her place next to Tenten, gently nudging the extra bottle against the other girl's arm. The brunette jumped at the unexpected coolness before she smiled at the younger woman and accepted the drink. Sakura was just finishing her commentary on her most recent escapade.

"All in all, it was a disappointment. Not just the conversation but the sex too. Take it from me girls, shinobi are better than doctors," she snorted with a shake of her pink locks. Sakura watched Hinata sit back down and prompted, "Wasn't Kiba your first kiss Hinata? What happened there? I mean you're both single and you have a great relationship already- don't you want to give it an honest go?"

Hinata looked away embarrassed and thought about how to explain it best. Feeling the weight of everyone's stares, she clutched at her water bottle with both hands. "I just don't think we're compatible. We were, maybe 14 at the time? He was all tongue and teeth, and it was just too much. We were just practicing anyway, for the real thing." She shivered in recollection and closed her eyes tightly, willing the images to leave her mind. "Please don't say anything. Shino doesn't know."

Once again, laughter ensued. Hinata couldn't help but feel like she was the butt of the joke. She envied their easy laughter. It came so naturally to everyone else. She plastered an uncomfortable grin to her face.

Ino wiped at the tears that formed at the corners of her eyes and said between gasps, "Yeah but, like you said, that was a long time ago. I'm sure Kiba's improved a lot since then. Besides, tongue and teeth can be a good thing when used the right way," she insinuated.

"You're all despicable," Hinata glared playfully causing Ino to fake insult with a manicured hand to her chest.

Sakura's mood suddenly turned solemn, and she wondered softly, "Do you think he'll come?"

The group of kunoichi fell silent and they all turned to the medical specialist. "Are you talking about a certain Uchiha, Sakura?" Tenten asked for confirmation of what everyone was thinking.

Sakura nodded, worried to give voice to her thoughts.

"I sure hope so!" Ino weighed in excitedly.

Hinata shot her a disapproving look.

"What? Yoshino said to stay away, but she didn't say how far. I know how to stay out of trouble."

Hinata raised both eyebrows at that.

"I do!" The blonde defended herself. "If they show up, things could get really interesting. I'd have some juicy gossip, and we'd all have some really nice eye candy. Win-win, right?"

Hinata decidedly looked up to the left, huffing a small current of air through her bangs.

Tenten giggled. "I swear Hinata, you're the only person I know who can hold a full conversation without muttering a single word!"

"Sasuke was like that too," Sakura mused. "If you two ever try to have a conversation it would be like watching a game of charades or the world's longest staring contest." She fell into a fit of giggles, clutching at her stomach with both hands.

If not for their shinobi training, they all would have jumped out of their seats when the smooth baritone and decidedly masculine voice surprised them with an even counter, "I simply prefer a more direct, physical form of expression. Wouldn't you agree, Princess?"

Three stunned kunoichi gawked at the unexpected visitor standing behind them. No one sensed his approach which was vastly different than their earlier encounter. Had they been that immersed in their own conversation that they couldn't detect him?

"Please don't call me that," Hinata lightly cautioned, meeting his expectant gaze. "I'm no princess."

He smirked and his chin lifted a degree appraisingly. "Whatever you say... Princess." This earned him a lip curled in disgust from the offended Hyuga, bringing out a quiet chuckle from the enigmatic man.

"SASUKE!" Sakura squealed and jumped up from the log. When she ran to grasp him in a welcome embrace she swiped at air and stumbled forward, catching herself abruptly. Confused, she looked around to find that he had maneuvered himself to the side. He's fast.

He stared at her with a hint of threat in his eyes and the tone of his voice. "I allowed it before. Do not make yourself too familiar now."

Recalling his discomfort with other people touching him, her face reddened to match her hair, which she immediately began to twirl with her index finger. She stammered out, "I-I…. You made it!" She gave him a nervous grin and glancing around curiously she asked, "Hey, where are your friends?"

Hinata was already standing at the edge of the water, arms crossed, watching the folly ensue between the new Uchihas and their male counterparts. The rest of the group followed suit, huddling near the ex-Hyuga heiress.

She was very aware that silently, standing within inches of her gracefully dignified form, was one of the most powerful shinobi left in the world. Their subdued juxtaposition emanated with a raw undercurrent of electrical energy.

The feel of his eyes on the back of her head, sent a small shiver down her spine that she tried to conceal, and dared not look back. Doing her best to ignore the brooding presence, she debated on the merits of joining her 'brothers' while trying to listen to the fusillade of accusations.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Kiba yelled looking between an upright and fully clothed but soaked Shino and an equally drenched but very irritated Koji pointing an arm in the direction of the insect wielder.

Lee stood confusedly with his back to the waterfall, a foot behind Kiba and Shino just in front of both, arms out, retracting his army of kikaichu into his sodden trench coat. Jin skimmed over the lake surface with chakra infused heels and Koji was in front of him standing knee-deep in the water. A few meters of distance between the two groups.

Koji yelled back to retort, "I could ask the same thing! This freak appeared out of nowhere and shoved me in the water with some strange jutsu!" He jabbed a finger in Shino's direction. All eyes rested on the bespectacled brunette.

Shino, showing no visible reaction, calmly contended, "My kikaichu detected a foreign presence. I simply reacted to the possibility of danger when the little Uchiha tried to assault Kiba and Lee." He nodded towards Koji and adjusted his goggles with a hand. "As you can see, apart from pride, he is otherwise unharmed."

With jaw hanging and eyes agape, the teen loudly objected, "First, that was highly offensive- I am not little. Second, I saw them playing around and thought I'd have some fun…" His voice trailed at the end and he looked shyly away before regaining some hostility and challenged, "Rematch! I call a rematch! My team versus yours!"

Jin closed his eyes and shook his head exasperatedly. He wanted no part in this endeavor. Koji was always getting them in trouble. "Forgive my idiot friend here. He knows not what he says." This awarded him a murderous glare from his offended counterpart and an attempted shove that Jin easily twisted away from with a smirk.

"Friends! This is all a misunderstanding," Lee proclaimed, his round eyes even larger in his panicked plea for peace. "Let us all join together in the summer of our youth and forget this mishap."

"I'm with little Uchiha here. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone…much." Kiba gave a sideways grin, fists taking turns to envelop in each other to crack his knuckles.

As Koji grumbled under his breath how 'not little' he is, Lee announced with starry tears in his eyes and a fist slowly raising in front of his face, "Ah, yes Kiba! What better way for us to bond in brotherly and sisterly love for each other than to test our strengths in friendly fists of combat! But what sort of competition are you thinking?" He paused in his gloriously dazed speech to look at Kiba who shrugged and then to Koji who repeated the action.

"I have an idea," a bored voice drawled out, directing everyone's attention to the owner. Shikamaru snickered as he set his pouch down on the ground next to a log. Ino's face brightened at the arrival of both Shikamaru and Choji, whose attention was focused on eating his potato chips straight from a bag. "Capture the Kunai."

Ino ran to her ponytailed lover and, knowing his discomfort with public affection, gave him a prudent kiss on the cheek and a wide smile. "Glad you made it, babe." He returned her smile and casually wrapped an arm around her narrow waist to pull her closer. He was dressed casually with loose, dark gray pants and a beige untucked button-up, collared shirt. The collar was popped up and the top two buttons were undone, revealing a dark colored under-shirt and necklace.

"Someone, please explain what Capture the Kunai is," Koji yelled in more of a demand than a question, exasperatedly looking around.

Unperturbed, the Nara indulged the request in his characteristically calm, matter-of-fact tone. "First, you'll form two teams. Then everyone will be designated a position. The positions are the Samurai, the Shinobi, the Daimyo and Yoriki. The Samurai on each team will both start out with their team's Kunai and try to keep the other team from capturing it. They are essentially defensive runners. The Shinobi is the primary offensive position tasked with stealing the Kunai from the Samurai. If, and when, the Shinobi is successful in capturing the other team's Kunai, they are tasked with assassinating the Daimyo by cutting the Daimyo's 'life string' with the other team's Kunai. Yoriki are versatile offensive and defensive players that help the Shinobi, Samurai and Daimyo. Whichever team assassinates the other team's Daimyo first is the winner. Only taijutsu and basic ninjutsu. No genjutsu." He turned to give Sasuke a pointed look. "That means no Mangekyo Sharingan… also no Susanoo. Any questions?"

Sasuke scoffed with an accompanying eye roll. He had no intention of hurting anyone on his first day back and he doubted he would need anything more than basic taijutsu anyway.

While normally he wouldn't readily agree to waste time on childish past times, unexpectedly, he felt the excitement of challenging his old classmates on a level playing field. It would be beneficial to discover how far their skills had progressed since the war. It also helped him to evade the uncomfortable conversations he would surely have to endure otherwise.

"Uhhh… yeah," the youngest Uchiha blurted as he regarded the lazy advisor. "Can you repeat all that?"

The Nara genius's shoulders drooped forward as he sighed defeatedly, "What a drag…" He started again.

After a few more questions and clarifying responses, the teams began to form. The Uchihas naturally made up one team with the members of the former Team Eight and Lee in the other. With Shikamaru playing referee and Choji only interested in snacking on the sidelines, this left the remaining kunoichi.

"I'll be on Team Uchiha!" Sakura excitedly proclaimed, waving a raised hand. "Want to join me Ino?"

"No way," Ino replied haughtily with her nose turned up. "Tenten is pregnant and can't play. I'm keeping her company to cheer from the sidelines. Besides, I'm not messing up this beautiful mane in a game of tag."

Sakura pouted but conceded quickly, "Fine, but you'd better be cheering for me, Yamanaka." She was answered with a giggling, blue-eyed wink as she slipped a form fitting red dress over her swimsuit.

"Great, now we need two different kunai and two strings." Shikamaru glanced around for the objects in question.

"I can help with that!" Tenten's twin buns rolled gracefully down her shoulders as she untied the red ribbons from her hair.

"That's my beautiful Camelia!" Lee hollered proudly with a thumbs up directed at her. Tenten beamed a grateful smile towards her soon-to-be husband.

She then pulled out a scroll from her pack, made a few hand signs and unraveled the parchment with an elegant extension of her arm. A dozen kunai flew out and landed against the trunk of a nearby tree. She walked over and selected two. One handle wrapped with red ribbon, another wrapped with green. She handed the kunai and spare ribbons to Shikamaru who dipped his head in appreciation.

The two teams grouped, assigned positions, and discussed strategies. Shikamaru called the teams forth and they lined up on the rippling surface of the crystal lake. Lee and Koji were Samurai, each holding their team Kunai, green and red, respectively. Kiba and Sasuke took up the Shinobi mantles, ready to steal and assassinate. Both Hinata and Sakura had Tenten's red ribbons wrapped and tied neatly around their left arms as the Daimyos. This left Shino and Jin to play the Yoriki.

Shikamaru stood at the end of the two lines. "Let's have a fair game everyone. Please bow to your opponents," he instructed and observed with watchful dark eyes as the shinobi bent towards each other. He placed a flat palm in front of him, thumb facing up, and promptly swiped his hand down in a chopping motion. "Begin!" He announced before swiftly extricating himself from the lake surface to watch the game play out near Choji's rotund form.

'(4.1) Seven Nation Army (The Glitch Mob Remix) [Note: NOT the official video. The correct song is around 4:18 in length]

Kiba and Hinata took off in a blur after Koji and Jin while Sasuke and Sakura set off after Lee and Shino.

Sakura and Shino were no match for Sasuke and Lee's speed, so they focused on each other for the time being. Shino's masterful control over his kikaichu kept Sakura busy, but her persistence made sure he was too distracted to provide his full assistance to Lee. Red gloved fists pounded at the cliffside from a large protruding rock near the falls. As large boulders fell, she used chakra enhanced strikes to direct them at him and his insects.

"You're fast Sasuke," Lee complimented, dashing from tree branch to tree branch with a speed, Sasuke noted, that had far surpassed the display he'd witnessed during the Chunin Exams. After a breath he continued, "but I feel I must warn you… I'm not wearing my weights!" The talkative shinobi planted two feet on the tall trunk of the cedar tree. Using his momentum and the strength in his legs, he propelled backwards- twisting his nimble form mid-air, to place a well-aimed kick to Sasuke's gut.

Sasuke, graced with the speed to match his opponent, smirked at Lee's boldness and blocked the kick with crossed arms. Hands clamping down on Lee's now exposed leg, he uncrossed his arms, effortlessly flinging Lee towards the ground in the process. Lee helplessly spiraled down with a force that would dimple the surface with a small crater.

Using a sturdy branch to pivot his direction, Sasuke kicked off to head towards his plummeting target.

Realizing his dire situation, Lee called out to his comrade and readily threw the green kunai at Shino before pounding the ground into a shallow hole with his body.

Shino snatched the kunai midflight milliseconds before having to dodge another boulder courtesy of Sakura. Sweating heavily from the effort, Sakura screeched and hit the surface of the lake with a splash. Without realizing, Shino's beetles had been slowly siphoning chakra from the pink-haired kunoichi.

Landing with catlike ease next to the cracked earth, Sasuke gritted his teeth before locating his new target and speeding off in a flash.

Choji looked at Shikamaru with stuffed, red-swirled cheeks and asked curiously, "Do you think they'll follow the rules you gave them?"

The small crater suddenly erupted with bits of dirt and rock spraying into the air as Lee emerged glowing, having opened two of the eight inner gates. At this, the remaining civilians within earshot of the match decided to flee to safer territory.

"Damn it, Lee!" Tenten shouted angrily. "You're not getting any elixir this time!"

Shikamaru snorted and muttered under his breath, "Troublesome women." He dropped a finished cigarette and crushed the lit end under his sandaled toe. Straining to catch glimpses of Sasuke maneuvering around swarms of kikaichu, he amusedly responded to Choji, "Not for a second."

On the other side of the lake, a much more vocal pair were busily taunting each other.

"What's the matter old man? Age slowing you down?" Koji goaded and laughed heartily as he launched himself upwards in a zigzag pattern between two ancient wooden giants, flinging shuriken at an enflamed Inuzuka.

Kiba growled and gave chase to the swift moving boy, evading the various instruments of death along the way. He was slowly closing the gap as he clawed up the trunk of one of the trees on four chakra infused appendages. Another charcoal covered throwing star whizzed past his shoulder, nicking his arm shallowly. A hiss escaped from between his gritted teeth. "Hina…," he hollered, dragging out the last syllable of her name, with a hint of desperate irritation. "How's it going back there?"

Hinata relaxed into a familiar juken stance, clouded in a veil of a black chakra-infused fog that would make another presence nearly imperceptible. Seeing her hands and feet would have been impossible without her unique family trait. It was akin to wading and peering through dark murky water. There was a weight to it, and movement like a silky caress.

Suspecting this talent would completely cripple most shinobi, she feigned blindness and waited for Jin to approach within striking range. Hearing Kiba's exasperated cry, she replied with a mirthfully light tone belying her theoretically grim predicament, "I'm a little busy right now Kiba-kun. Give me a moment please."

There. She grinned like a cat spotting a field mouse.

Jin silently closed the distance from behind, floating through the haze like a wraith, his arms spread out behind him. In a whirl, she speedily tapped a few points along his arms and torso. He crumpled to the ground in a breath, mist dissipating. His face remained unbothered as he stared up, locking dark eyes with light, and inquired intriguingly, "What did you do to me?"

She smiled down at his defenseless form. "Don't worry Jin. I'll unblock your chakra pathways as soon as the game is done." Without giving him the option to respond, she leapt off to help her friend.

Catching up quickly, she asked, "Where is he?" Although her kekkei genkai was still activated, there were too many things to focus on. Asking was more efficient.

As though answering her question, a barrage of shuriken whistled in the air towards the duo. Pulling out a kunai, Hinata blocked the projectiles aimed at her body.

Kiba glared in annoyance and redundantly nodded in the direction of the culprit. "Behind that tree."

"Ha! You should be careful doll face. Wouldn't want to mess up that pretty porcelain of yours." Koji jeered while he wrapped around the base of a giant cedar with his arms and legs. He yelped abruptly, as a searing pain shot through his hand causing him to release his grip on the proud tree. He glared at the offending kunai that had buried itself so far into the wood, its blade drilled through and barely emerged on the other side to pierce him just enough to cause pain. "Fuck," he murmured as he plummeted towards the ground, scraping along the rough bark with his uninjured hand and feet to slow his descent.

Rushing towards the cocky youngster, Kiba eyed his female counterpart. She was sporting a triumphant smile, tickled at having just tagged the smug boy with her blade. Kiba complained, "How is it that you get doll face while I get old man?"

She shrugged playfully as they reached the ground, where Koji was already up and running again, though much closer than before. With the cool wind brushing past her face and sweeping through her locks, she could feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins. Each pound of her steady feet fueling the blood rushing through her body, thudding against whatever surface they could find purchase.

Koji was seconds of being within her grasp when she heard Lee shout hysterically, "Hinata, look out!" Still running towards the younger Uchiha, she turned her head to see a blur of black over the glittering surface of the lake, heading straight for her.

Being forced to give up the chase, she reached an arm out towards Kiba who signaled his understanding with a nod. Grabbing hold of her arm with both hands, he spun her body around his and hurled the kunoichi towards Koji. Reaching one arm forward, her fingers lightly grazed across a few points along his torso sending him to the ground in a tumble along with Hinata.

Recovering quickly, she rolled into a crouched position and assessed the situation. A few feet from her, Koji was attempting to figure out how to get his leg working again while Kiba and Shino were distracted with keeping Sasuke from Hinata with a flurry of kunai and kikaichu. Lee, like Jin, was out of commission from some sort of paralysis that Hinata didn't have time to think on. Sakura was out of sight for the moment.

Capitalizing on the fleeting opportunity, Hinata took to the trees.

Sasuke, launched up into the canopy after her. A vortex of water droplets from the lake sprayed into the air with the force of his departure. Leaves rustled in his wake where he entered the forest.

"Stay on Koji," Shino ordered Kiba. The ground rumbled and cracks began to spread out in a web towards the men, who deftly leapt to safer ground.

At the other end of the fissures stood a thoroughly drenched and furious kunoichi with red gloved fists shaking. After regaining some of her chakra through food pills, she went after the bug user with a vengeance.

"Shino!" Her voice boomed across the terrain and Shino tensed before taking off in the opposite direction, a wall of beetles separating him from his hunter.

Hinata had made her way halfway around the lake when she stopped in her tracks on a high branch. Both hands ready with the kunai held up in front of her.

Sasuke's shoulder was pressed casually into the side of a tree with his arms crossed a few yards in front of her, looking for all the world as if he'd been waiting for hours. Pushing off the tree base, Sasuke smirked when their eyes met, and her features formed a scowl.

"Let's play a game. Shall we Princess?" Sasuke spoke insouciantly in a voice so low Hinata intuitively leaned forward in anticipation. "You hand me that ribbon around your arm and I'll pretend you put up a good fight. It'll save us both a lot of trouble."

She tilted her head in mock contemplation for a moment and with a shake of her head she politely responded, "Sorry, Uchiha-san, I can't do that." Hurling both kunai in his direction, she clapped her hands together, forming a hand sign initiating the body flicker technique.

Sasuke leapt towards her, twisting his body between the two deadly tools and reached her vacant position just as she glimmered out of sight. He tutted his dismay and focused on detecting her new location. Tapping into his meticulously sharpened senses, he followed Hinata's movements based on her suppressed chakra signature. Identifying a pattern, he flickered to their next contact site.

Hinata jumped from branch to branch skillfully, scanning the area with her dojutsu. He seemed to have disappeared altogether. Impossible. Choosing to go to ground for easier defensibility and movement, she hopped down from her perch and walked stealthily in circular motions, with her knees bent slightly and her arms raised.

Sensing more than seeing, she folded her body in half just in time to avoid an extended arm swinging at her collar bone. Popping back up, she forced chakra into a palm she used to thrust towards her aggressor's chin.

The power from the blast missed him entirely and sent a deluge of yellowing maple leaves to harmlessly trickle down on the two shinobi who were now engaged in a silent stand-off. The trees stood like ancient sentinels, rustling with fervor, showering the adversaries with their swirling foliage in an explosion of color.

His glowing red eyes involuntarily captured the moment and noted the contrast of colors against her monochromatic appearance.

After a few moments of tense anticipation, the high-pitched cries of a thousand chirping birds filled the air. Erratic pulses of blinding flashes emanating from a single hand painted everything in a bluish light and lit up Sasuke's sharp features menacingly.

He snickered, a playful grin stretching across handsome features. "You're quicker than I remember. I'm curious to see just how much you've improved."

A bead of sweat found its way to her brow and her muscles tensed. She watched the rapid movement of his highly developed chakra system, waiting for a change indicating intention.

She moved.

Running in the opposite direction she threw two kunai with explosive tags into the trees next to her. They detonated almost immediately with a deafening blow. Smoke and debris temporarily separated her from her pursuer.

Unscathed, Sasuke emerged with a slow gait from the wreckage and quickly spotted Hinata leaping back up into the canopy. Within a blink of an eye, he caught up to her and slammed his Chidori fist into her back.

Her eyes and mouth gaped in pained surprise, body flailing forward, falling towards the ground.

He felt a tiny stab of guilt as he watched her fall like a bird with broken wings. He rationalized with himself.

She made a foolish decision. It's her own fault if she got hurt.

Regardless of logic, the familiar pang of remorse unexpectedly pricked the cavity in his chest… for a second.

Adrenaline flooded his system with acute awareness as he detected a presence behind him, but it was too late. The pinch of his chakra being cut off sent sharp jolts of pain running through his left arm- his Chidori wielding arm. Hinata's flailing body below vanished into a puff of smoke on the ground.

He spun around, three tomoed sharingan spinning wildly to meet a resolute byakugan stare.

Flipping backwards off the thick gnarled branch, he escaped the rest of her gentle fist set before they could land. The movements faster than the naked eye could capture. He smirked at the surprising challenge she was presenting.

Hinata looked down at him from her vantage point and held her hand up, revealing the green kunai she had stolen from his obi. Smiling mischievously at his quickly soured expression, she turned tail and ran.

The avenger swore under his breath as his legs propelled his body forward.

"Sakura!" He needed the medic's help to at least regain movement if not access his chakra before he could once again pursue the devious kunoichi.

He would not underestimate her again.

The sun hung low, sending a wash of pink and orange across the empyrean expanse, broken only by scattered cotton candy clouds. Shino watched as Sakura lethargically dragged herself from the sandy shore to go to Sasuke's aid, swallowing another food pill as she picked up speed.

His chakra sucking beetles were posing a challenge to the strong fist user, even though he was careful not to drain her completely. Releasing a heavy sigh of relief, he took a moment to himself and readjusted his goggles.

Hinata landed gracefully next to him. "Ready for stage two?" She asked a little breathless.

"The Uchiha appears rather upset," Shino quietly observed based on the murderous intent identified by the kikaichu he had stationed throughout the forest.

She looked at him sideways and took a quick swig of water from her canteen, before placing it back in one of the packs against the dip of her spine. She cocked an eyebrow at his comment and gave a cheeky grin. "That is the plan, isn't it?"

A powerful disruption in the air sent waves rippling and trees furiously shaking, capturing the full attention of all surrounding shinobi. Virulent crimson eyes pinned her down with a rage she couldn't help but smile at.

It was sure to infuriate him further.

Hinata casually tossed the kunai to Shino. "Good luck!" She called out and departed away from the Uchiha's path.

Sasuke's head snapped to the vital game piece in Shino's hands.

Feeling a panic in his chest, Shino cringed and immediately signaled to Kiba.

The Uchiha shot a Chidori Senbon from extended fingers to incapacitate the Aburame.

A moment before collapsing to the ground in a heap, Shino successfully launched the kunai towards his comrade.

Kiba leapt towards the approaching kunai. He reached out in a futile attempt to grab the dagger but was left empty handed as Sasuke reclaimed control before it could reach its destination.

Pivoting quickly, the Uchiha intended to finish this.

#####

A/N: My sincere apologies for the little cliffy there. This chapter was too long so I decided to move 500 words into the next chapter. I hope you still enjoyed the read and that the pacing is okay!

Behind the Curtains: I hope that you find this story refreshing. My goal is to provide a unique in universe experience that (for the most part) aligns to canon but ends up with Hinata and Sasuke together. The challenge is in making it believable. That meant a parallel timeline that at some point branches (here the 4th shinobi war) plus a heavy dose of head canon that could be possible (think of these like filler episodes). Originally, I planned for Hinata to be her normal, passive, 'see the positive in everything and everyone' person she usually is. While always a good read, I began to realize that there were already many stories out there where Hinata is portrayed as the meek girl that grows into a confident woman. On the other hand, I have also read strong Hinata stories where she's seriously OP. They are entertaining as all heck, but many don't truly explore how she came to be that way or it's very linear- She was this and now she's that.

Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to focus more on the confident and strong (albeit a little broken) woman she has already become but take an in depth look at the experiences that shaped her. All while revealing the internal struggle she has against her ingrained nature. This to me seems realistic. Two steps forward, one step back. Again, it also refers to the masks we all wear. Hopefully this comes across in my writing, and if not, it's probably a good thing I'm not a writer by trade. Haha!

Thank you! Rafael Fernandes1, Fleurony, MsRie, house56, DatboiAB, neverkarma, sm0key, Malakye Kelley, Rouge Joker, Chantil, bogusbabe, cherrymarce, yundian, LaIs Tsuki, LuvsOtis, keotaka1, Bowl123, Splaaash-attack, kikyo670, abc27, maysorianoup, nazt-zeptine, EmpressOfFandom, zsyree, tribalphoenix, animenerdwife, pinkydoodledoo, Fanfickween, LB Cat, rei, and guests for the Favorites, Follows and Reviews!

It helps to give me a sense of whether or not anyone is still interested in reading the story and encourages me to keep going. I was surprised at how writing for yourself is completely different than sharing your work with others. There's a level of anxiety and pressure I was unprepared for. So again, thank you for your support!

I wanted to address some of the reviews here in case others have the same thoughts or questions.

Rei: Thanks for the anti-troll support. 😊 I hope this update gave you a little more of the SasuHina interaction you were looking for. Also, sorry for misleading you. As I mentioned in this chapter, and you will see in the next, Neji is very much alive and will be somewhat a romantic rival for Sasuke. Sasuke and Hinata will have shared grief, but it will be over Naruto instead of Neji and Itachi. In fact (as you'll come to learn more), Sasuke has already processed most of his grief over the loss of his family during the past few years (as much as one can when dealing with the passing of a loved one). This might make him seem a little OOC in my writing. Cheers!

LB Cat: Madara is, in my opinion, a very strategic thinker. This means going into battle knowing which chess pieces are on the board before making a move. Hinata is an unknown to him, and a powerful one at that. Right now, he's just looking for more information on her to assess if or how this affects his plans. He hasn't decided what he wants to do about this new player yet. Thanks for your continued support and reviews!

Zsyree: I enjoyed reading your review for EVERY chapter! It appears you binge read everything in around 2 hours. Haha! Thank you. I'm glad you are liking the changes in Hinata and the interactions between the Konoha 12. I do feel like I should let you know that not all pairings are set in stone. The only pairings that have been decided are SasuHina and LeeTen. I will probably ask readers in the next season about pairing preferences. Also, I appreciate your very kind anti-basher words. It's nice to know that I have a SasuHina protection squad to help me out. :D

Everyone: I appreciate each one of you for being here. Stay safe, be kind and remember to love yourself.

Next chapter: The winners announced and Neji enters the chat… (Note: Update will likely be on Friday Pacific Time as I'm going off the grid during the week)