Chapter 3

Hinata woke, feeling coldness surrounding her. The senbon was still imbedded into her left thigh; she pulled it out with care before checking her surroundings. Looking around her, she could see walls and walls- all dark and continuous. There weren' t any bars like those of a cage, therefore concluding that she was in a really big cave. Suddenly she remembered about her sister, Hanabi, activating her byakugan she tried to gain information as to where Hanabi could be and where there were possible exits. Not long later, her eyes stumbled along four figures walking around the cave to an unknown destination.

One of them was dressed from head to toe in a large cloak while the others dressed themselves casually. Hinata suspected that the three were her captives.

What am I to do, thought Hinata. I haven' t been a Chuunin that long and I' ve never been on a mission alone before. There was always someone with me. Her timidness had returned to her, again. But, suddenly an image of Naruto popped through her mind. That' s right, Naruto-kun never gives up so why should I.

She once again tried to search for Hanabi but came up with no traces. Stumping down onto the rocky surface below, she thought, what am I to do? I can' t do anything. I have no idea what to do next. Tears of sorrow were dripping down her face.

Meanwhile, Hanabi awoke finding herself in the middle of a forest, looking up she saw grey clouds and the moon shining from behind them. Examining herself all scratched and messed up but she didn' t care, all she wanted was to get home, which was quite a problem since she had no idea where she was. Thunder rumbled and rain started to pelt down.

Curse the rain, why now, she asked herself as her clothes clung to her from the wetness. Where am I and how on earth did I get here? More importantly, where am I to go now. If I continue to stand here I' ll catch a by morning. Choosing her route, she headed east to any destination.

Next day, somewhere in the forest, near the edge of the Sand Village, Sasuke was planning his attack on the little village, Haro.

Pathetic little place, he thought. Soon you will no longer be a small, peaceful town but one of anger and dread, ending his thoughts with an evil laugh. Enjoy the time you have, I' ll attack at midday. Walking off to a lake situated nearby.

Tenten scrambled out of bed as soon as she realised the time. I' m going to be late if I don' t hurry. Grabbing some new clothes from the wardrobe, she quickly dressed. Tying her hair in its usual two buns before setting off to find her backpack she had packed the day before. Opening the fridge she retrieved a water bottle and stuffed that into the bag. Before she zipped it up, she quickly ran over the things to be sure she had them all. Water bottle, first-aid kit, my weapons, scrolls, sleeping bag and some food, all checked, she thought. Extra weapons and scrolls just in case. She already had weapons stocked but it wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side. Taking an apple from the fruits basket she let herself out of the house, locking it as she went.
Sakura wasn' t as rushed as Tenten was, she woke up on time and everything was organised. Getting changed into her clothes she thought about the mission. A mission to find and save Hinata and her sister seems fine. Grabbing the necessary needs and putting them into her pack, she walked peacefully into the kitchen. It was quiet and dull but what was to expect, after all she lived by herself- alone and away from the happiness. Making herself breakfast she quickly ate it before leaving with her backpack towards the Hyuuga Manor.
Lee on the other hand was up early in the morning, already doing some training before the mission even started. He seemed organised and ready but someone else was not.

Naruto had slept in and took a long time to pack all the things he need. What an idiot I am, Neji will kill me if I am late, he thought. He rushed out of his apartment without eating breakfast and he will sure receive the punishment for that, later.

Neji had been awake for a long time, talking to Hiashi in his room. While he waited for the others to arrive he recalled his uncle's words.

Flashback

"Neji, I understand you have chosen four others to accompany you. May I ask whom?" Hiashi asked with curiosity.

"I' ve chosen Tenten, Naruto, Sakura and Lee," he informed his uncle.

"Do remember no others are to know about this, I have informed the Hyuugas that Hinata and Hanabi have gone out for a while," Hiashi replied.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama," Neji nodded in agreement.

"Before you leave, I want to see the others." He announced, "Also I' ll inform the Hokage about your choices. I want this mission to be accomplished as fast as possible."

"Yes," was Neji's reply.

Bowing before he left, he walked out to wait for the others.

End of Flashback

The first to arrive was Tenten, though she seemed a bit puffed out as if she was in a rush, greeting Neji with a warm smile. Few minutes later, Sakura arrived giving a greeting before returning to her silent state. She wondered to the corner of the walls, wanting to be alone. While they waited for the other two, Tenten mentioned a few things.

"Um...Neji, how exactly do we know how to find them?" she asked.

"hn," was what she got as a reply from Neji.

There was silence for a couple of minutes before Neji broke it.

"We' ll figure that out later but for now let's wait for the others," he said. "And those two are late."

Sure enough, both Lee and Naruto were late even if they Jounins, they weren' t much organised ones. Suddenly the floor started to rumble as if an earthquake was approaching only the two earthquakes were Lee and Naruto. They were running like bulls, through the village and stopping right outside the Hyuuga Manor where three others were waiting very impatiently for them.

"You' re late," stated Neji. "We have to speak with ..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Naruto and his shouting.

"Not my fault I was late, furry eye brows was the problem!" Naruto but once seeing Sakura, his attitude changed. "Good Morning, Sakura-chan." For a Jounin, he still acted like a 5 year old child.

"GOOD MORNING, SAKURA-SAN!" yelled Lee after catching a glimpse of Sakura in the corner.

"...Hiashi-sama before we leave," continued Neji after Naruto interrupted him.

Heading into the Hyuuga Manor, the five figures walked in to have a talk with Hiashi before leaving.

"I want you all to accomplish this mission successfully," stated Hiashi. "No one is to find out about this."

"Excuse me, but find out about what?" asked Naruto giving off a confused look. But everyone turned towards Neji wondering why Naruto wasn' t informed.

"I didn' t trust him to keep his mouth zipped," replied Neji adding a little annoyanceto his words.

"Well, one of you can inform him later but right now, I think you should all be leaving," announced Hiashi before leaving them.

Before they left, they need to plan since they had no idea where Hinata and Hanabi were.

"Start in Konoha and ask some questions but don' t give it away," ordered Neji getting straight to the point. "Sakura, inform Naruto. I want you all back here by midday. Go."

The group separated to gather any information about Hinata and Hanabi.

Meanwhile, Hiashi was having a talk with the Hokage.

"Neji has taken Tenten, Naruto, Sakura and Lee, with him on the mission," he said to Tsunade.

"Thank you for informing me, but I'll ask you why Hinata and Hanabi might be taken?" she asked.

"I think I know why but I am not positively sure," he replied. "There is a secret scroll that only some people have heard of; the scroll belongs to the Hyuugas from generations before."

"They want a scroll?" Tsunade asked, adding a bit of interest to the subject.

"It isn't any scroll, one that can decide the fate of all Hyuugas," Hiashi replied.

"I suggest you keep it safe and I believe they want it as an exchange for Hinata and Hanabi," the Hokage stated upon hearing this piece of information.

"Yes, I am quite certain that is the reason," he said, getting up to leave.

"Inform me if anything comes up," Tsunade called out.

A/N: Thank you for reading so far. I hope you like it. I'll try to update as soon as possible. This is my first fan fic.

harukakanata- Thank you for your review. It help me a lot. Sakura has changed. And the rest you seem to have gotten it. Thanks again.

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz- Thanks for the review. I'll take them to account.

mystical shadow angel- Great to hear that you like it, so far.

KonohaChan- Thanks for reviewing. I'm happy you like it.

Other reviewers- Thank you for reading and reviewing. Please continue reading, it makes me feel happy that others like it.