A/N: Holy chicken McNuggets, this is gonna have a lot of POV shifts. I hope you enjoy it, though!


Chapter 9: Hunted


"Your highness," one of the pages came close to where she was sitting in the parlor with a scroll in his hands. "Pardon the intrusion, but this is from Hatake Kakashi of the 50th squadron."

"Ooh, good news, I hope?" She took it graciously and broke the seal, scanning through it. The more she read, the more her eyebrows dipped low.

Finally, when she'd re-rolled it, she turned her head to smile sweetly at the page.

The boy swallowed, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. Whenever she smiles like that... s- someone gets sent to the medical bay...!

"Dear page," she began, her voice unnervingly saccharine, "would you be a sweetheart and give this to the king?"

She pulled a lily-white envelope out of her pocket and handed it to him, her pointed fingernails digging into his hand hard enough to leave little white crescents.

He winced, but pulled back quickly, bowing. "Th- thank you, your highness. I'll deliver this at once."

"Thank you." For a moment, her smile was genuine - but in the next, her eyes were cold like snow as she stared into the fire. "Dismissed."

As he scurried out of the sitting room, she hummed in thought, the book she'd been reading clenched in her hands.

"How fortuitous, and yet..." she murmured, a worried frown creasing her brow. "... how unfortunate."

She exhaled heavily, leaning back against the chair. "Ah, how upset little Sasuke will be when he hears."


Sakura cussed quietly, hearing faint footsteps. "They're following us," she hissed to Noh.

The medic glanced back and nodded. "Come on, we have to keep moving. Eventually, they will tire and fall behind."

Hinata tried to resist the urge to look back as well, Sakura's hand in hers a reassurance greatly needed in that moment.


"They're catching up," Karin murmured hastily to Tsunade, holding the lady in her arms.

"Shit," she hissed under her breath. "C'mon, we need to turn direction. Sweep around and rejoin with Noh up ahead. We'll fake 'em out."


Shikamaru glanced up from his chair, frowning.

"Maru, what's wrong?" A girl with long blonde hair asked him, sensing his mood.

He shook his head slowly. "Ah... nothing. I just have a feeling that something bad is about to happen."

She squinted at him, suspicious, for a couple of seconds. Finally, she shrugged, brightening her smile. "Well, anyway, we need to hurry up and finish helping with the decorations! I know our parents have finished planning everything, but as long as we're here, I was hoping we could sneak in a couple of different bouquet combos. Whaddya think?"

She stepped out of the way, letting him get a good look of a simple bouquet of pale yellow roses and a couple of stalks of heather.

"You think they'd like it?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

He sighed quietly, giving a lazy thumbs-up. "Yeah, they're great..."

"Well geez, don't get so excited," she huffed. As she turned back to the flowers, though, she began to smile.

Shikamaru turned his gaze towards the front door of the flower shop, where he saw Tenten racing towards it, looking absolutely stricken. She opened the doors, panting, "Shikamaru! You're needed!"

He stood at once, walking over to place his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down. Is it urgent?"

"Uh, hello?" She rolled her eyes. "Would I be coming to find you if it wasn't? Now hurry up, or Lee's gonna spontaneously combust!"

Shikamaru turned back to glance at Ino, who was looking over in concern.

"You can handle the rest, right?" he called out to her. "I have something to take care of."

She sighed, but she gave him an unconvincing half-smile. "Go do what you need to do. I'll handle the rest of the flowers."

"Thanks, Ino." He flashed her a rare, genuine smile, just as Tenten grabbed him by the collar and practically dragged him out of the shop.


"Shit!" Sakura grabbed Hinata's hand tighter when a kunai suddenly stabbed into the tree trunk ahead of her. "Now they're drawing weapons?!"

"We need to hurry," Noh looked alarmed as she made a quick swerve left, deeper into the trees.

"V- Violet-san, my lungs are-" Hinata wheezed quietly, panicked. "I don't think I can run much longer...!"

"Don't worry, I'll help you with that," the pinkette flashed her a grin and suddenly swept her off of her feet and into a princess carry. "Just leave the work to me! Also, Kami what do you weigh? You're lighter than an owl feather!"

Hinata blushed at that, wrapping her arms around Sakura's neck firmly. "I- well, I was told to maintain a slim figure and a low weight as a high-born lady..."

"I can see," the girl replied, huffing out a laugh. "How much farther, Cypress?"

"Not very," was the medic's response. "They're no longer aiming for us, so I think we ought to make a right back onto the path we were on so that we don't lose our way."

"Sounds good to me!" She chuckled when Hinata let out a startled squeak when they jumped over a log. "Don't worry, your lady-ness, you're safe with me!"


"What's the meaning of this intrusion?" Sasuke asked irritably as the messenger came in to where he was bathing. Thankfully, the steam from the water hid him from the waist down, but he still folded his arms across his chest in an almost defensive manner.

"Forgive me, Crown Prince," the messenger bowed shakily. "But your mother has an urgent messenge that cannot be ignored."

"I'll take that, thank you," Naruto casually swooped in, taking the letter from the page's fingers. "You'd think she'd send for you to meet her in-person though, eh?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes with an irritated sigh. "If you don't have anything further, you're dismissed."

Once again the boy bowed, backing out of the bathing room at incredible speed for someone shuffling backwards.

Naruto snorted once the boy was out of sight. "Geez. Those servants never really turn their backs to you. It's almost as if they think you're gonna blow fire at them the second they look away or something!"

"Well, on one occasion, it has happened before." The prince admitted with a frown. "Though it wasn't my brother or I. It happened a long, long time ago, by my great-grand-uncle."

Naruto hummed in response, already slicing open the envelope with a blade. "Ooo-kay, looky here!" When he slipped out the paper, he smiled at her graceful handwriting. "Have I ever told you that your mom has the best handwriting in the entire kingdom?"

"Yes." Sasuke deadpanned, leaning over the tub. "Several times. Just read it, idiot."

"Fine, fine," the blond huffed. He cleared his throat and began reading aloud: "Dear Sasuke-kun, it has come to your father's and my attention that a little group of rebels still exists - well, no duh - and is actively plotting to dethrone the Uchiha family forever. - Again, no duh."

"Stop stalling and read," Sasuke snapped.

"Alright, alright, geez!" Naruto groaned. "Anyway, - we have come across some startling news from one of our spies that the handmaiden Karin still lives - and that your bride may live also."

Sasuke's breath hitched.

"Furthermore," Naruto continued to read, "It seems that your great-grandfather's rival's granddaughter, Senju Tsunade, is still alive and is actively spearheading this rebel group. You will hereby be dismissed from your training and will be a part of leading our armies in the act of destroying that organization once and for all. Tomorrow morning you are to report to your father and receive your instructions. For now, get a good night's rest. Love, your mother."

Naruto pulled back from the letter and whistled. "Damn, sounds like you're gonna have your hands full from here on out! And what is this? 'Great-grandfather's rival's-' geez, sounds like some kinda convoluted movie plot parodying a well-known science-fiction series involving twin siblings!"

Sasuke let out a shaky sigh. "But is it true, though? Does Lady Hyuuga still live?"

"Who knows," Naruto shrugged. "But if she is, do you really think that her family would allow her to marry you? I mean, faking your death is considered treason, or so I recall."

"But what if it wasn't faked?" Sasuke persisted, shaking his head. "The blast was specifically targeting her chambers. What if that damned group stole her away in order to recruit her to their side?"

"You've got a point, but either way, I don't think marrying her would be the best course of action anymore." Naruto pointed out. "Even you know that, deep down, don't you?"

"Do you take me for a common fool?" The prince snapped in frustration. He covered his face with his hands, leaning against the wall. "But if I don't end up marrying a Hyuuga, I have literally no one left. She was my last shot, since literally every other noble family either, A, has a daughter that's totally obsessed with me and the throne, B, has only sons, or C, has daughters that are too young to marry. Exhibit A, the Hyuuga family's main branch."

"Aw, c'mon, Sasuke," Naruto sighed. "There's gotta be someone out there. There's gotta be someone you haven't considered yet. Hell, would your father accept an arranged marriage between you and a commoner?"

"No, absolutely not," the prince was quick to refute. "He's obsessed with keeping our line 'clean', or so he likes to claim. If I came forward with just any common girl, he would rage at me for 'muddying the bloodline', or whatever."

Naruto leaned against the tub with a weary exhale. "Man, sometimes it's so hard to work for you."

Sasuke snorted. "I daresay it's harder to be me than work for me, but as the commonfolk say, 'go off', I guess."


"Okay, so we've lost them," Sakura panted, exhausted, as she leaned against a tree.

Hinata was worriedly dabbing her forehead with a handkerchief and offering a drink of water, but the girl refused kindly.

Noh glanced up at the sky. "We'll have to be careful tonight. No doubt they'll be coming for us very soon."

"I'll have my men keep watch, milady Cypress," one of the captains offered.

She eyed him warily, but at last she sighed. "I'll allow you this once, but I'm warning you: if any more of your men reveal themselves to be spies for the Uchihas, so help me Kami I will castrate you with a chakra scalpel."

"Y- yes ma'am," he saluted jerkily before ushering his men away.

"That's one problem taken care of," Sakura snickered to herself. "So what now?"

"Now?" Noh turned to look straight into her eyes. "Now we have to focus on putting our Plan B into action."

"Wh- a- are you serious?" The pinkette, startled, sat up straighter. "Now? I thought we were saving that if-"

"If our situation became dire, yes." The woman interrupted. "This calls for that. We need to get you to Konoha as soon as possible."

"Wh- what's Plan B, if I may inquire?" Hinata asked in confusion, ceasing her fussing over the soldier.

Sakura snorted. "We planned to infiltrate the village with someone posing as a noblewoman - that would be me - in order to dismantle the Uchihas from the inside."

"But- how would that work?" Hinata asked. "I thought that the prince disliked every single suitor he's had thus far?"

"He does," Noh confirmed, a mischevious gleam in her eye. "But you've been forgetting one little detail."

Sakura reached into her jacket and gestured for the noblewoman to come closer. In the fading light of the evening, she discreetely showed her an ID card for one Hayashi Shien, a photo looking exactly like Sakura imprinted in the glossy item.

"I had someone pull some strings for me in order to create this," she winked. "Y'know, just in case."

"She'll infiltrate the most influential house in Konoha: the Yamanaka," Noh continued, eyes darting all around. "Nobody will be expecting a beautiful young girl with short red hair to be their downfall, would they?"

Just as Hinata was about to question, Sakura gently pressed a single finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. The girl nodded slightly and Sakura smirked.

"The best plan of all time," she boasted quietly, chuckling. "Absolutely foolproof."

When Hinata began to giggle with her, Noh glared into the trees, her brown eyes meeting a near-invisible black.


Tsunade stopped her band in a thick grove of trees. "This is it."

Karin gasped for air, gently placing the girl down near a tree. "Kami forbid I do that again," she panted. "You're so... heavy!"

The noirette glared up at her for a moment before breaking into silent giggles, giving her a shrug as if to say 'Sorry!'

"We'll have to be careful tonight," She instructed. "They're sure to still be hot on our trail, so just in case, we'll need to resort to Plan B."

Karin gasped sharply. "Plan B?! Tsu- I- I mean Iris-sama, I- I thought we-"

"This is the time to begin," she interrupted sternly. "Dammit... they really caught us off-guard with that plant. We can't be this careless in the future."

She glanced up at the sky. "We'll need to get to Konoha as soon as we possibly can if we're to get this thing started."

Karin collapsed on the ground, exhaling deeply. "Fiiiiine... whatever you want."

She pulled a couple of strands of her hair through her fingers. "I've gotta say, it's a good thing I chopped it recently... though this red definitely makes me a target."

Tsunade nodded. "Honestly. If I had more dye I could help you with it, but we don't need another incident."

"No, we definitely don't." The girl shivered. "I hate that I had to be on the receiving end of trying to wash that out. All I can say is that I'm glad it wasn't me."

"We'll go at dawn," the blonde continued, eyes scanning the trees. They narrowed when she caught something shifting in the rapidly-decreasing light. "For now, though, we must rest."

She turned to the soldiers. "Keep a strict watch. And Captain, if I even hear a word breathed to me about another spy being in your ranks, you'll be demoted so quickly you won't even see it coming."

He gulped, saluting. "Y- yes, ma'am. You heard her, men!"

As they made their exit, Tsunade glared into the near-invisible black eyes of something watching from a ways away.


A/N: Black eyes, take warning... or something like that.

Please tell me what you thought, feel free to speculate, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter (for someone I've been dying to introduce since I began this fic! Woo! Reminds me of how fun it was to write in 2013).