Disclaimer: If I owned it...don't you think a few of these plot twists would have appeared in the series? Especially the ones coming up that-- (realizes she's about to give everything away) -ahem.- read on...

A/N: I flip scenes a lot here. If that bothers you, sorry. As soon as I get bored with one person's point of view, I switch to someone else's. I've tried to make it as un-confusing as possible though.

Ok, first this was EATEN by my computer, then I accidentally DELETED it, then the thing freaking CORRUPTED it, and then it decided that it didn't like Word and screwed it over AGAIN. And then of course we have these lovely little exams…which take up an amazing amount of study time…-scowl-

Apology to Toki (and everyone in general): It has been brought to my attention (by Toki) that I was so concerned with explaining everything and setting things up that I forgot to actually put in the PLOT. Oops. Sorry about that, I'm working on it right now.

Ch. 8: Spider's Web

Sakura spent most of the day sightseeing the village. It wasn't the shinobi village itself, but an ordinary civilian populace, just a few minutes' quick run away. It was a very large town; everywhere she looked, there were people. Crowds of all ages, from incredibly ancient-looking elders who moved with a slow deliberate pace to small children that Sakura was forced to repeatedly dodge to avoid collision, jostled and made noise around her. The sound of a child's skipping, running-tag game battled with the clamor of street vendors, which fought with other people trying to be heard over the din. Altogether, it seemed deafening to someone like Sakura who had spent most of her life in a small ninja village, where most of the residents were quiet and reserved, disinclined to make too much noise.

There were moveable carts and small stalls selling foods of different kinds, some of which smelled interesting enough to make her want to try them, just to see what they tasted like. As she walked, the scents of spice, fruit, cooking meat, and quite a few others she couldn't name or that mixed too well to differentiate mingled in the air and wafted through the crowd. She let herself enjoy the fragrance of one of her favorite styles of stir-fry as she walked, and then sneezed violently and tried not to cough as something burned and not particularly appetizing hit her nose.

Sakura caught sight of a stall that displayed what looked oddly like green and blue jell-O on a stick. The sticks had something that appeared to be flour-ish all over them, which smelled suspiciously like fish. I think I'll leave that one alone.

She started searching for a place to stay. There were two hotels she bypassed before settling on the third. It was a modest little inn that offered one room plus breakfast and dinner for a very reasonable price. Well, reasonable compared to the rest of this place, anyway. I better find these scrolls fast...now I know why Tsunade-sama lent me so much money for this mission! She wasn't being overly nice, this place would suck my purse dry in a day!

After reserving a room, she went back out to look around some more. While taking in the sights of the prospering village, Sakura automatically memorized all the different paths back to her inn, and later she made sure to find the fastest ways out of the entire village itself.

Naruto would love this, she decided as she skipped out of the way of two more children. A determined little boy with messy bluish hair and a stubborn chin that jutted out chased his older sister through the crowd, who laughed as she looked back at him and dared him to catch her. Neither of them was over ten. Sakura's hop out of their path put her in range of yet another vendor, who began calling enthusiastically "Ah, a beautiful lady! Would the lovely young woman want some pretty jewelry to show off her sweet looks? Come right over, we're excellently priced! The most exquisite pieces from Masters of every Village!"

Sakura glanced at the trinkets and glittering jewelry, all of which actually were quite beautiful. She didn't want any of them and doubted she could afford them if she did. However, the man himself seemed nice enough, if overly loud. Maybe he had directions to some low-priced food, since everything she'd seen so far seemed exaggeratingly expensive...

With Hinata

(A/N: This has a point, I promise.)

Hinata carefully stretched the stiff fabric over the delicate frame, deftly securing it there. It was different hues and shades of green, all of them blending and melding together so that if you tried to find where one green ended and another began it would be impossible, but when you looked at the fabric as a whole it became obvious that there was more than one tone.

She studied it carefully, critically going over every thread-grain to make sure it was exactly where she wanted it. Maybe she was being a little too anal retentive, but it was important to her that this look just right...

Satisfied with the layout, Hinata set it aside and picked up a little box with threads and a needle inside. The box was carved ornamented wood, scrolled designs worn smooth and shiny with age. Opening it, she chose a shining silver thread that looked just like the true metal. She held the needle and easily threaded it before cutting off the desired length of string.

Taking up the oddly-shaped frame with the fabric she had just stretched over it, she let her eyes dart across it briefly. Then, having decided on the exact design she wished, Hinata nimbly inserted the needle and started stitching.

Almost four hours later, the beginnings of an intricate design could be seen in the glittering silver threads, beautiful even though it was only the barest sketchings of the graceful thing it would become.

Hinata's fingers hurt like hell; she decided to stop for now. It wouldn't do her any good to screw up because her hands were tired, and it was almost eleven in the morning anyway.

She carefully packed everything away in the ornate little box. Standing, she almost fell over; her entire lower half was completely numb. "Ow," she muttered, catching herself against the wall. It took a few minutes, but she was finally able to walk again without too many pins and needles in her muscles.

She hid the box in her room before going outside to sit under a tree just inside the front gate. It would do her any good to train today; she had completely mastered anything that she had ever been taught so far. The only things she had left to learn required having a partner to train with, and no one was available. She needed to master the art of fighting multiple people by herself (which required multiple people to fight), the more advanced uses of her bloodline (which required someone to teach them to her, and no one was available at the moment), and tracking with simple woods-knowledge and her special eyesight (which required someone to track).

She knew there was no point in going to the Festival of Families today; Sakura was gone, Hanabi was sick, and Neji and her father both refused to attend.

Even those who had recently lost family members, or who were unfortunate enough to have no remaining family, could and did attend this Festival; unlike the celebration recognized by the world outside the hidden villages, the shinobi had added theor own caring touch the originally cheerful and upbeat holiday: a ceremony at midnight to honor those fallen or passed on. This way, those who had recently lost a family member could grieve openly, and look around to see others saddened just as much and sharing in the pain of loss and newfound loneliness. Sometimes, just seeing others hurting just as badly was the greatest comfort there was.

"Hinata-chan!" called a loud voice that made her heart jump into her throat and stay there. She jerked her head up and saw Naruto outside the gate, waving energetically and grinning like an idiot.

He hadn't changed much since he hit 14; he had decided he liked the version of orange clothing he wore then and never altered it. With the exception of quite a few inches and a chuunin vest, Uzumaki Naruto looked exactly the same as he had three years ago.

"H-hi, Naruto-kun," she stammered shyly, feeling her cheeks burn and trying to make them stop.

"I was heading over there to train," he explained, pointing off to his left, away from the main village and toward one of the smaller training grounds. "I didn't think you would be here, though. I thought you'd be getting ready for the Festival. What's up?"

Hinata was momentarily taken aback. Naruto had actually remembered when a celebration was? He normally couldn't even remember his own birthday; she and Sakura had to remind him every year. "Um…no one would go with me," she near-whispered. "I—I didn't want to go alone."

Naruto thought that over. Hinata decided his 'thinking' face was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Except for his 'victory' face or his 'confused' face or his 'determined' face or his 'hungry' face or his 'don't-give-up-I-believe-in-you' face or—

Scratch that. Uzumaki Naruto was striking on his own; thinking of specifics threatened to turn into a long, long list. The expression on his face was inconsequential.

"I've never gone to this Festival," he said after a moment. "I didn't like being the only one without a family to share it with. And everyone always looked at me weird anyway." Suddenly he brightened and exclaimed cheerfully "Hey, we could go together! That way, neither of us would be alone!"

Hinata felt so happy she wouldn't have noticed the ground opening up and swallowing her then and there. If she had been more outgoing, she might have said she was bursting with overwhelming joy. As it was, she only knew that this was the strongest euphoria she had ever experienced.

She tried to respond, to tell him that she would love to go with him…and her voice wouldn't work. Her eyes were shining with her overwhelming elation and her heart roared like thunder in her ears, but she couldn't have said 'yes' to save her life.

Naruto, who happened to be terrible at reading expressions and/or body language, took her silence and surprise as rejection. He wilted slightly for a moment, but then he forced the happy-go-lucky grin back on his face, appearing only a little strained, and said as cheerfully as he could "That's ok. It's not like I'm gonna miss something I've never seen." He managed a cheery wave as he turned to walk away. "Bye, Hinata-chan!"

Ah! Oh no, come back Naruto! Hinata scrambled to her feet, throwing herself against the gate and fumbling with the ornamental lock as he started to walk away from her. "N—Naruto-kun! Wait!" she cried out, bursting through the iron-wrought gate and sprinting after him.

Naruto paused and turned to look over his shoulder, puzzlement written in every line of his body. Hinata could almost imagine seeing a question mark over his head. She ran up to him, breathless from more than the short run and exclaimed passionately "Yes!"

"Eh?" he tilted his head, looking down at her. A small glimmer of hope was flitting in the backs of his beautiful cerulean eyes.

Shyness returned full force to smother her in self-consciousness. She flushed hotly and stammered softly "I…I would love to go to the Festival with you, Naruto-kun." She restrained herself only slightly from poking her fingers together, a habit that hadn't left her through the years. She was struggling even to keep her head up, and couldn't meet his eyes.

He blinked, then beamed hugely. It seemed to almost split his face. "Alright!" He almost jumped in the air. Then suddenly he froze and glanced almost apprehensively down at her.

Hinata waited nervously, fearing something terrible was about to happen. She could feel her heart sink lower and lower, a tight coil of anxiety gripping her inside. Had she done something? What was it? Was he going somewhere else and couldn't make it after all? Had she upset him?

"Uh, Hinata-chan…" he said hesitantly.

She knew it! It was her, there was something wrong with her. What if he thought she was some kind of freak? What if he didn't like quiet girls? Why couldn't she be loud like Sakura so he would like her? She was near to tears with sudden self-loathing and fear, and just as she was about to work herself into an insecure, nervous breakdown, Naruto asked haltingly

"What time does the Festival of Families start?"

With Sakura

By the time the sun had started to set, Sakura had almost perfectly memorized almost every public and obvious building. With a mental map firmly in the back of her head, she made her way back to the hotel.

She thought back to her last conversation with Tsunade before leaving. She had visited the Hokage again, to ask a few more questions. Tsunade had said that one of the people currently involved went by the name Mizu, and he would definitely know where the scrolls were hidden. Unfortunately, he was something of an enigma, and the things known about him weren't exactly helpful.

One: he was never alone. He always had someone with him, which made it harder to sneak up on him and just kidnap him for a bit to ask questions. Usually, it was believed, he never had less than three around him. Apparently he didn't have a love life.

Two: There was a scar on his right cheek, jagged and shaped like a single ocean wave. That was a little more useful, but that was it. No eye color, hair color, age, other aliases, anything. Distinctive as the scar would be, Sakura knew it would be no great task to just cover it up.

With Naruto

After Hinata had told him what time the celebration started, Naruto decided he still had time to train. He had promised he would be back in two hours to pick her up, and then he'd left.

He wasn't really paying attention to much, and therefore he didn't see the root that tripped him. He fell flat on his face with a thump, getting dirt in his mouth which he hastily spat out.

Before he got up, he looked straight ahead and got one of the larger surprises of his life.

Sasuke was sitting on the ground, not moving. He hadn't changed much since childhood, remaining infuriatingly taller than Naruto. He had matured into a young man that was at once less feminine and more attractive than the pretty boy had been. The Uchiha jacket had been replaced by a Chuunin vest and a loose navy blue t-shirt, the shorts he had worn as a boy replaced by infinitely-pocketed white pants.

Naruto didn't move, studying the Uchiha. Long moments passed, and nothing happened. He's trying to trap me again, I know it. This is a trick. It has to be a ruse…Still nothing.

Patience had never been a quality Naruto acquired by any means. He stood up and stalked over to Sasuke, hiding himself perfectly. Poised over the head of his quarry, he took a moment to congratulate himself on finally succeeding in outsmarting the stuck-up rival.

"BOO!"

Nothing. No reaction from the raven-haired boy.

That took the fun out of it. Deflated, Naruto relaxed from his 'scary-attack' stance to stand, scratching his head, looking down at the unresponsive Sasuke. He appeared literally lost in his thoughts. Eyes glazed, breathing shallow but even. Brows furrowed. Naruto poked him experimentally. Stiff and tense. Amused, Naruto poked him again. And again. Poke. Poke. Po—

"Gyaarg!" Sasuke's hand had come up faster than Naruto's eyes could follow, slapping him away and causing him to yelp. Suddenly the blonde was pinned facedown on the ground, with even more dirt in his mouth than the first time. "Dammit Sasuke, what's your problem!" he yelled complainingly as he spit violently to rid himself of the earthy taste.

There was a pause, a moment of silence above him. Then Sasuke moved away. "Don't surprise me like that," he said flatly.

"If you would pay attention, I wouldn't have to," grumbled Naruto, rubbing his very sore hand. Sasuke didn't reply. Without another word, the raven-haired boy turned and left.

Naruto was completely confused by now. He's being weirder than usual. He looked back to where he'd been sitting. There was nothing to show Sasuke hadn't been there all night. In fact, the only area of ground not still covered in dew was where the Uchiha had crouched. Why would he sit there all night?

Naruto felt decidedly odd. There was something not quite right going on, but he didn't know what it was. Suddenly uneasy, he decided that he could put off training until after the Festival. Right now, he didn't feel like being alone.

With Hinata (one hout later)

Hinata stood uncertainly in front of her closet, trying desperately to pick something to wear. She had a few different choices, but as she went over each one in her mind she kept finding reasons why something wasn't good enough. She kept deciding she didn't like this or that, or that something else was better. Why did this have to be so hard?


I wish Sakura was here—she has no problems with things like this! Or Ino. She always looks pretty, and she never even seems to try. Even TenTen would be better at this than me!

Hinata desperately discarded several dresses, quite a few pairs of pants or skirts, and a white kimono. Nothing seemed right! As soon as she decided one on thing, she held it up to herself and suddenly it seemed ugly. The moment she picked out an item, something else was a hundred times better.

I don't want to dress up too much; I don't think Naruto will be, she thought, biting her lip as she pulled out and laid out a floral, slightly frilly dress. But I don't want to look like I do every day either! She tossed aside a pair of loose, flexible and comfortable jeans that were almost identical to the ones she wore. Why does this have to be so confusing?

She was getting increasingly anxious, desperate to find the right thing to wear. Finally she just closed her eyes and released her tattered lip. I'll just reach out and grab something. Just out…and grab… Nervously, she did so, her fingers touching something silky.

Quickly tugging it out before she could change her mind, Hinata hesitantly cracked an eye and glanced down at what she had chosen.

It was a dark, purplish-indigo obi, the same color as her tousled hair. Its sleek, silken shine made her think of dark deep water.

Now that she had something to start with, choosing everything else seemed just a little easier. Only slightly easier since she was still fretting, but at least she had something to coordinate with now. She picked up again and re-discarded the heavy white kimono, feeling it wasn't right somehow. Hinata bit her lip again, brows furrowing slightly, and burrowed deeper into her dresser, which was increasingly easy to do as more things were pulled out and strewn over various pieces of furniture or her bed.

Reaching all the way to the back, she tugged on something light-colored that had caught her eye. Held delicately in her slender fingers was now a pale kimono. It was light blue, like a robin's delicate egg, and lightweight. It was nowhere near as heavy as the white one she had already rejected.

When she held up the obi and kimono together, Hinata smiled to herself. The two different shades of blue were perfect together, and the dark one-inch band that formed the border of the kimono was the same deep hue as the obi. Studying the kimono up and down, she noticed that on the left side of the robe there was a little design embroidered there, one she hadn't noticed until now. A small, intricate design of delicate indigo vines made a graceful swirl near the corner, pretty and complimenting without being too noticeable or gaudy at all.

Laying the silk clothing carefully aside, Hinata left and went into the bathroom to tackle the next problem—her hair.

(half an hour later)

Hinata clasped her hands tightly together to keep from poking her fingers together. Having given up on fixing her hair herself, she now stood next to an increasingly annoyed Yumi, who was muttering to herself vehemently.

"Come on, flower…jes' git in there an' stay put!" The stubborn woman fumed. She was intent on making a small white lily nestle in Hinata's dark hair above her right ear. The flower was hardly bigger than her small round ear even with its petals completely unfurled.

With a few more grumbled words, a small twist of silky hair, and a tiny hairpin, Yumi managed to make the delicate flower stay in place.

She stepped back with her hands on her hips to glare at—uh that is, survey—her handiwork. Her intimidating demeanor softened slightly as she met Hinata's wide eyes.

The kimono fit Hinata perfectly, hugging the contours and curves that had only been toned by training rather than diminished. Her obi exactly matched her purple-indigo hair and the borders of the kimono, and the exquisite vine designs brought out the single white lily.

When she moved even slightly, the silk shh-ed softly like water or wind through reeds, sliding smoothly against her porcelain skin. The pale blue brought a slightly blush to her cheeks, dusting her light face. Her sandaled feet made no noise on the carpet underneath them as she turned slightly to look out the ornamented window at the road, which was slightly visible from where she stood.

Naruto wasn't there yet. Of course, she told herself firmly. He really wouldn't be here half an hour early…I shouldn't expect him to be. Maybe he'll even be here late. Stop worrying, she urged herself. It didn't work, of course. But it had been worth a shot.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata called on the patience she knew she had in herself somewhere. To her immense surprise, it actually came. Gradually she calmed herself down as she headed outside and sat on the porch. She still watched the front gate, but now it was with an alert sort of shy serenity, instead of the anxious nerves she'd been burning up until then.

She even managed to not poke her fingers together while she waited. Hinata did have a large attention span, no longer easily distracted at all. She hardly blinked, just watched the gate. After fifteen minutes, Yumi stuck her head out and said gruffly "Where is that boy?"

"It's still early, Yumi-san," stammered Hinata softly. "He…might not be here for a while."

"If that boy is late, he's gonna get it," warned Yumi, glaring scarily at the gate. Hinata licked her lower lip, tongue barely flicking out.

"Don't blame Naruto-kun…he loses track of things…" she trailed off; Yumi wasn't listening anymore, having noticed the little cobweb in the corner of the doorway.

Cursing the tiny spider that perched obliviously in the glittering silver filaments, the maid went back inside to get a rag, intending to clean its home and its unsuspecting self out of the prized little corner.

The minutes passed. Hinata glanced at the little ornamental garden-clock in the yard, which conveniently perched amid the trimmed, abundant greenery that decorated most of the property.

Two minutes to go. Where are you, Naruto-kun?

She could almost feel sorry for the little spider about to lose its home.

One minute. Did you forget?

Poor thing, never even seeing the approaching doom that would spell its end.

Thirty seconds…

With Sakura

Sakura sighed as she opened the front door to the hotel, blowing some of her longer bangs out of her eye. And then suddenly she stopped, frozen with the door half-open.

There was a group of four people sitting at one of the tables. They were the only ones in the common room. One woman and three men were eating the hotel's over-priced food and playing cards at the same time. All of them had the lean, dangerous grace of killers, and something in their eyes let Sakura know they were all shinobi. Even without any kind of identification, it was obvious they had seen death and been the cause of most of it—well, obvious to her at least.

And as one man pulled aside his face mask to eat, a wave-shaped scar was revealed on his right cheek.

Ok that's it for now! I'm in kind of a hurry (I keep getting booted off the net) so the replies will be short, but I think I got everyone...go ahead and skip to the end if you haven't reviewed since obviously then I wouldn't be saying anything to you...
Yokaigirl-san:
Gaara kind of thing? Never thought about that, but I like that idea. I'm going to werite something with him in it next I think...soon as I finish this one...

cocoa-latte-san:
Thanks.

Magus Black-san:
Whoops does that mean I'm being too negative? -sweatdrop- I'm kind of hard on myself...um.

understar-san:
Oh ok! I think that scene was my favorite too...very fun to write.

Sasuke-Is-Mine
That is IT! All of your reviews are now REMOVED. No one should ever be able to just click a link and read what you wrote! Do you realize that there are KIDS here? If you think this sucks, fine, stop reading it! I'm tired of you flaming me for no damn reason! Take your sorry, Sasuke-obsessed self to some other story that you like, and LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!

Dagorwen of Ithilien-san:
Ok, here it is!

neu chi no nai u-san:
I had intended o make her shut him up a little longer, but I ran out of insults (I was in a hurry) -embarrassed sweatdrop-

Bevy-chan:
Thanks for the thumbs-up

Silver dark rose-san:
Yeah I know...I was wondering that myself, since really I don't think a self-respecting criminal would rob flower shop... Behold the products of 3am writing...

Shiroi Hikari-san:
Why can't you log in? Is there something wrong with your account? (panics: oh no what if it gets ME?)

mad-killer-bunnies-alert-san:
Yes, let's kick his self-centered butt to another anime! –evil cackle-

SilverMoons BlackWings-san:
Part of that will already happen –grins- such a good idea...I'm going to have to fit that in somehow.

Umino Ayame-chan:
No you can NOT stab him now. He's still necessary. (Everybody applaud Ayame for sticking it out, she really can't stand the main characters of this fic) Thank you, that would make her 13. Perfect, cool.

Hao'sAnjul-san:
Yep, I updated! I too have three oreight updates to read...haven't been checking my mail.

Alrighty! Off to write the next chapter! I can't give you an estimate as to when I'll be posting, I have exams all next week and I will have very little time...which I will spend sleeping. -insomniac-

Thank you toEVERYONE for reading, you rock!

Kage