Hey, hey!

Just to address, I have no clue why my story didn't alert you guys. It didn't alert me either, it usually does when I upload a chapter. Apparently when I checked my account, every 6 months I have to update my preference to allow email alerts. Sometimes this site can be so glitchy. Another reason why I wanted to give other sites a shot.

Good news. I had to submit for an AO3 account and today I actually got the email saying I can sign up now. Yay!

Back to the story. I am very happy with how this Naruto is turning out. I try to keep his good hearted nature in while at the same time making him, at the flip of a switch, turn down right evil. Hinata more so keeping her angelic innocence in this story, someone. As angelic as I can make Hinata.

Well, on with the story! Enjoy.

"We barely spoke to them. They obviously had a plan and executed it almost flawlessly. I have no idea what Hinata did down in Cloud village so swiftly, but she destroyed the place within minutes."

Tsunade glared at Kakashi and tapped her nails on her desk, "You speak like you're impressed Kakashi." Her anger wasn't really point at Kakashi, but whether he wanted to admit it or not. Tsunade could see that he was in fact impressed. Shit so was she. Never in a million years did she think she'd hear about Naruto taking down a village with Hinata of all people.

Kakashi arched his brow at Tsunade, "No. Not at all Lady Tsunade. I am more so pointing out that they did in fact plan this whole thing in Cloud village. From start to finish. It took them 30 days to bring a power house village to ruins and they didn't even have to really get physical until the very end. Two people did this."

Tsunade said nothing else as she looked between Sasuke and Kakashi as they continued with their report. People were going to find out about Naruto and Hinata sooner or later. She couldn't protect Naruto's name anymore. Everyone was going to know.

Naruto practically took down a WHOLE village. That villages finances. Water resources. Networks. EVERYTHING was obliterated within Cloud village. At this point there was no Cloud village.

It wasn't like Naruto attacked the village and the ninja's of that village defended it in a glorious way. A way that would build moral and keep the villagers around to cheer on their protectors. No. Naruto took away the spirit of that village. Tore them down piece by piece. What was stopping him from doing this to any other village? To his own village if they weren't on guard enough.

Tsunade let out a heavy sigh and ran her fingers through her hair, "Fuck." This was horrible. Why Naruto? Why?! Everything could have been worked out! If only him and Hinata had stayed. Maybe not entirely for Hinata, punishment would have to be done with her. There was nothing she could do about that, but Naruto's end she could assist in. Hinata was just far too deep. Why couldn't he understand that? "It's over for them. We have to put the word out that it was Naruto. He's fucked."

Kakashi listened intently to Tsunade, "Are we going to send a team out for them?"

Tsunade gave Kakashi a sharp look. Her eyes flickered between him and Sasuke before she spoke, "That will be discussed between me and the higher ups. If any of you are selected to go on said team I will be sure to let you know."

That was a sign saying she still didn't trust them entirely and their cue to leave her office.

Kakashi followed Sasuke back to his apartment that he shared with Sakura. He wasn't surprised to see Sakura waiting for them with concern written all over her face. Ino and Shikamaru were waiting for them as well and that just let Kakashi know that word had already spread like wildfire.

Shikamaru went inside and sat on the recliner lost in thought. Waiting for everyone to get settled and for a mini 'de-brief'. Meanwhile Ino was standing next to Sakura. Ino had a comforting hand rubbing through the troubled cherry blossoms hair and looked at Kakashi and Sasuke waiting for them to speak.

Sasuke shut the front door and look at Sakura. Fishing for the right words to say to her. "They did it. Naruto and Hinata attacked Cloud Village and basically destroyed it." Honestly, there was no easier way to say it.

Shikamaru closed his eyes tiredly. Fucking Naruto would get himself in utter, deep shit. Sakura went into a state of shock. She couldn't believe this. Hinata wouldn't do something like this. Not someone she deemed as a sister. Not someone she valued to protect her. "There's no way Sasuke. I can't. I cannot believe that. HOW?!" Sakura looked at Sasuke with wide overwhelmed eyes that begged for him to be lying.

Ino said nothing as she listened to Sasuke. She looked back at Shikamaru and saw that his eyes were now open and lowered as he just gazed at the ground. He looked slightly annoyed. Like this whole situation was bothersome. Like Naruto just gave him more work to do? What was Shikamaru thinking?

Ino wasn't shocked by this news, really she wasn't. She had a feeling something bad was bound to happen when Hinata notified their chain of command everything happening in the Hyuga clan and nothing happened in return. Just broken promises. Just setting Hinata up for failure.

What did they expect? What did anyone expect?

They expected for Hinata to be the weak person they believed her to be. To just stand down and take being screwed over.

Shikamaru looked up at Kakashi, "Naruto's the muscle I'm assuming." Kakashi looked to be in thought for the right answer to Shikamaru's statement, "That's a little hard to answer. Yes. Naruto was doing majority of the damage, but Hinata was physically in the village causing havoc. I didn't get to see what she was actually doing down there, but from what I heard from the ninja's within the village when it happened it was like an energy ball whizzed passed them and destroyed everything in its path. Some say they swore they were attacked by a 'mystical lion'. Which, to be honest with you I do not recall Hinata's lion fists being that deadly."

Obviously Hinata had been perfecting her techniques. Both her and Naruto, however, the shock value was all Hinata. Kakashi would be the first to say when he first saw Hinata head down into Cloud village. Not only did he not take her into too much consideration, but he figured whatever she was doing at some point she would need Naruto down there in the village with her to assist her. He thought if him and Sasuke distracted Naruto long enough, Hinata wouldn't have been able to do the damage that she did.

Was he wrong. He'd never underestimate Hinata like that ever again.

Shikamaru's tongue clicked against his teeth, "That's the Hyuga's Rotation. I didn't even know she could do that. From what I've heard from Neji, Hinata wasn't able to do a lot of the Hyuga's techniques. She typically had an alternative for them."

Sakura shook her head this time, "No. Hinata's been working on mastering Hyuga clan techniques since she first started Anbu. She's been working on Rotation for some time. She…She was just trying to show her family she could do it. She was trying to gain their approval to gain the title of heir back permanently."

That being said. The last time Sakura remembered Hinata training on her rotation, it was slow, and she couldn't hold it long. She still couldn't make it combative yet. She was still using it as a defense and to not really charge and hurt people because she couldn't gain the chakra reserve for it. When did Hinata gain this ability in such a short time span of being gone?

Sasuke looked at Sakura curiously. She never told him any of Hinata's skills. Sakura barely talked about it, like she didn't know or something. However, it appears Sakura knew just as much as Ino and kept it to herself.

Sakura knew he was going to Cloud Village and there was a chance that Naruto and Hinata were involved with the downfall of the village. Why not tell him about Hinata's capabilities? Just a little hint. Was she really that much in denial it wasn't them?

"What's her elements?"

Kakashi looked at Sasuke when he heard Sasuke ask Sakura this. Ino said nothing and Shikamaru gave Ino the same suspicious look Sasuke was giving Sakura before rolling his eyes. Of course this was another secret from the dynamic trio of Sakura, Ino and Hinata. They were just filled with loads of secrets. Taking 'girl power' to a sickening level.

Sakura looked at Sasuke for a moment in utter silence. Sasuke didn't like this. Sakura NEVER clamped up on him like this. Since Sasuke came back to the village, he was an open book to Sakura. Whatever she wanted to know he would tell her. Whatever she was self-conscious about, he would soothe her worries. Sasuke attempted every day to fix his mistakes he's made with Sakura in the past. Why was she closing up on him now? "Sakura."

"Who are you? You are a very, VERY dear friend of ours. You're our best friend. We need you. We would do anything for you Hinata. Not because we are teammates either. This has nothing to do with us being in Anbu together and everything to do with just us being Sakura, Hinata and Ino."

Sakura zoned out for a moment. A memory playing in her mind before she looked at Ino and then to Sasuke. "Hinata's elements are widely known. She is a Hyuga after all. They are all practically the same."

Sakura looked at Sasuke refusing to lose the stare down the two were having. Sasuke shouldn't feel hurt or anything. He never asked her because he never took Hinata that serious to begin with. It took everything in Sasuke not to glare at Sakura, "You knew. This whole time. You knew this was because of Hinata. You knew she had the capability and you knew together with her and Naruto they could have taken that village down."

Sasuke didn't care about Cloud village. He could care less about the people there, they despised him anyways. Always said rude and snide remarks anytime they saw him in person. The thing that really upset Sasuke was the fact Sakura knew and him not knowing could have gotten him killed out there.

He would never forget Naruto's face. Those poisonous, evil eyes of his. How Naruto's face went from that cocky, immature, childish grin he would always have and morphed into that malicious glare.

Sasuke wasn't scared of Naruto. He wasn't scared to battle Naruto to the end. What bothered him was how this Naruto was different. This Naruto looked as if he would try to preserve his life over Sasuke's in a minute. Then there was that Hyuga woman to think about. She was a major threat that even Kakashi admitted he underestimated. Her and Naruto joined together, including the nine-tails. A cocktail for chaos.

Yes. Sending him and Kakashi with little to no information about the Hyuga and this mentally new Naruto was like sending them to their death.

Sakura crossed her arms and gave Sasuke a sharp gaze, "She…She wasn't going to hurt you Sasuke! I would never put you or Kakashi-sensei in harm's way if I truly believed Hinata was out there. That being said. It's information that you could get from anywhere about Hinata's background."

'You didn't take her serious. You didn't believe that Hinata was a threat. You didn't ASK before YOU went on a mission who your opponents could be. Even after the Hokage told you to be on the lookout for Naruto and Hinata.'

Sasuke knew what Sakura was thinking. What she was implying. He underestimated his mission and he could admit that. He didn't think even if he did run into Naruto and Hinata that it would be the two he saw that night. Still, he felt like she was trying to shift the blame on him. That Hinata was able to take down a village because HE wasn't prepared and didn't do his research.

Sasuke squared his jaw. Now wasn't the time to argue with his significant other, but this conversation wasn't over in the slightest.

Shikamaru rubbed his face in annoyance, "This is such a drag. Look. It doesn't matter if Sasuke knew about Hinata's elements or not. Or if he even knew her abilities. Naruto was there making it rain Rasengan and that alone made it impossible to even focus on what Hinata was doing. From what I've been hearing around the village and from you Sasuke, this was the plan all along. Naruto forging as the muscle while Hinata went in the village and set it up for a massive explosion. It was planned. They planned it. They succeeded because like I've been saying, no one is taking those two seriously. Especially Naruto."

Shikamaru turned to look at Ino and Sakura, "That being said. While Naruto is using people's lack of knowledge of everything between him and Hinata. You two aren't helping by keeping her secrets. I don't know what kind of pack or bond the three of you shared while in Anbu and I get it's hard to break it, but it's over. The moment Hinata deflected the village and murdered her clan. That bond broke. Especially now that a village has been destroyed because of her and Naruto. I get it's hard. It's hard for me when it comes to both Hinata and Naruto as well, but you have to move beyond it."

Everyone in the room didn't know if Shikamaru was trying to convince Ino and Sakura of his words or himself.

Sakura kept her arms crossed and looked off to the side not saying anything else. Kakashi saw that Shikamaru and Ino were about to leave the apartment to give Sasuke and Sakura some space, and took that as his cue to exit next, "I'll take a walk with you Shikamaru and Ino, if you guys don't mind. I'll see you two around." He said the last part to Sasuke and Sakura and exited out the apartment with Ino and Shikamaru. The three of them could obviously see Sasuke was moments away from having a rage about the situation at hand. He wasn't angry at Sakura really. He just didn't appreciate how she was going about this.

Sasuke locked their apartment door and didn't say anything for a moment when he turned around to look at Sakura. She still had her arms crossed and looked to be on the defense. If he said anything negative she would surely take offense and erupt.

Which, by the way was fine with Sasuke. "Whether he believes in his own words or not. I think Shikamaru is right. About everything."

Sakura's eyes immediately snapped over to him, "I know Hinata. She wasn't going to hurt you."

"Naruto attacked us. Naruto was going to hurt us."

Sakura mumbled under her breath at Sasuke's remark, "Well that's Naruto."

For once in what felt like forever to Sasuke, a dark aura filled his senses. The calm personality he was able to keep for almost a year was slowly cracking. "Sakura. Stop it."

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her arms. She could literally feel the chill Sasuke's now cold demeanor was sending her "NO. You stop it Sasuke. You don't know Hinata. You know Naruto."

Sasuke just stood looking at her like she had to be kidding. She couldn't be serious right now. In the back of his mind he was actually shocked at himself right now as well. At how patient and calm he was being right now. He couldn't imagine himself this calm two years ago. Even with his slight temper flaring. In the past it was usually way worse than this.

"You keep speaking like this is everyone's fault except your friend. Even before when you were going through Naruto's apartment. Everything was everyone's fault but Hinata's fault. Why? Like Shikamaru said the bond needs to break."

Sakura was silent for a moment as she averted her gaze from Sasuke, "I'm going back full duty on Anbu. I talked to some people and they know the team Tsunade is going to send to dispatch for Naruto and Hinata and I'm going to jump on board."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked absolutely furious. He was about to walk up closer to Sakura, but stopped himself, "What? Why? Why didn't you TELL me? Answer me. Why can't you put her at fault? What is this THING that you three have that you cannot let go Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head numerous times as she couldn't look at Sasuke, "You can lie for Naruto to Tsunade over a bag of hot food, but I can't. You can stick up for Naruto and buy all this time so he can travel days away so he wouldn't get caught, but I can't withhold just the SLIGHTEST bit of information for Hinata."

Sasuke ran his hands through his hair. His patience dwindling to nothing, "I CLEARLY said Naruto tried to HARM us Sakura. That he was in the wrong. What else do you want me to do? Me trying to protect Naruto is out the window now. He literally sent a Rasengan flying pass me and almost hit me. You didn't see his face Sakura. This is not the Naruto we know."

Sasuke's probing came to a halt when he saw Sakura's shoulders start to shake and noticed she was trying to hold herself together from crying. Fuck. She always got him with this. He was so terrible at reading social cues. "Sakura."

Sakura just kept shaking her head, "No Sasuke. You DON'T understand. Ino and Hinata are ALL I have. I get it. I am blessed. I have parents. I have had a pretty normal life if you really think about it. Yet, as happy as I should have been I was alone. They were there for me when I couldn't be there for myself in my head. When I didn't have you. When I didn't have Naruto. When NO ONE understood I had them. I PUT Hinata in this situation. The path of Anbu. She didn't WANT this. She was my best friend. I told her that I had her back in any situation. That nothing would happen to her. She needs me. She still NEEDS me. I let her down before, I can't do it again!"

She had to go out there. She had to get Hinata. With the reputation Hinata has now, no ninja would try to bring her down with proper respect. Only she could give her the proper respect in a battle.

Tears finally started to fall freely from Sakura's eyes, and they came down like a waterfall, "Don't you think I KNOW Hinata has reached a path of no return?! DON'T YOU!? Ino was right. If Hinata has to be taken down than she should have the honor of it being from a comrade. That's the code. That's how it's done. Hinata deserves that honor. She deserves to finally be free! Not by you. Not by Kakashi. But by her sisters."

Sasuke finally walked up to her and moved the hair that had fallen in her face out the way. He held Sakura in an embrace and finally breathed a sigh of content when she hugged him back. "I worry Naruto won't let you get that far Sakura."

Hinata didn't say anything as she sat in between Konan's legs with her back leaning against Konan. The right hand 'man' for Pain was currently brushing Hinata's hair at their secluded hot springs. Konan was always so invested in Hinata and making sure the young woman she took under her wing was in the right mental mind frame.

Konan wanted Hinata to understand that it was okay being the person she was. Nothing was wrong with being a quiet person in the background. She wanted Hinata to better understand the cruelty of this world and why she shouldn't back down from it.

"Did it hurt? Seeing people from Konoha again?"

Hinata relaxed against Konan and hummed, "It always hurts. Seeing people that you care about disappointed in you. Have you ever felt this way?"

The two dark females were very comfortable around one another. Konan was probably the only person Naruto didn't get upset with touching Hinata. Konan didn't know what it was, but she had this motherly type of urge to just be around and comfort Hinata. She could understand Hinata's feeling. She could relate. Konan didn't want her history to repeat itself within Hinata. She wanted Hinata to be a better version of her.

The better version where Hinata isn't the weak one that holds her lover back. Naruto will not sacrifice himself because Hinata was too weak. Konan needed the two of them strong. She had her own personal plans for them.

"I have Hinata. I feel like a dear friend of mine would be disappointed in me right now if he saw what I've become."

When Konan was done playing in Hinata's hair she placed the brush down and leaned against the ledge of the springs. Hinata sat beside her and the two were in a comfortable silence for a moment before Konan spoke again. "Naruto doesn't feel like you're a disappointment though does he? He loves you whether you are in the right or wrong. I've been both in you and Naruto's position."

Hinata turned her head to Konan. Such a beautiful woman, yet Konan was so damaged. Hinata could relate what it felt like to be damaged. "This world Konan-sama. It's hurt me so bad. The world just knows of me as the Hyuga clan murderer. The demon lover. They don't see what they made me and Naruto into. We were only children when they damaged us. I was only a child when everything was taken from me."

Konan turned to look at Hinata and saw the familiar hollow look in the young Hyuga's eyes. Her own eyes were the same way when she looked in the mirror.

"My father hated me. All the way up until he drew his last breath Konan-sama…and I don't know why. I saw hatred for the first time in my life from my own father at the age of four. Why? I just wanted the violence to stop and I just feel like the world is telling me the only way to stop it is by causing pain, sorrow, misery."

Konan's hand lightly cupped Hinata's cheek as she looked at her, "People ruined this world Hinata. They ruined us. They ruined us and made us this way and then question why we are like this. It's not your job to explain yourself. Don't feel as if you're a disappointment. I won't allow it. Do you understand?"

Hinata looked at Konan like a lost child for a moment before she gave Konan a calm smile, "My friends will be out to kill me now. I think they believe that is what I want. That it will bring me honor and peace. They're wrong. I don't want to die yet. Neither does Naruto."

Konan smiled at Hinata, "Then don't die."

"Good advice."

Konan turned to the voice and saw Naruto enter the private hot springs with Pain. Naruto had a towel wrapped around his bare waist and sat beside Hinata but did not enter fully in the water. He sat on the ledge and put his feet in the relaxing water. He looked at how close Hinata and Konan were and arched a brow at Hinata but smiled at her like he was amused.

Hinata blushed at the silent teasing Naruto was doing and straightened herself up, "Are you two done having your private talk?" Naruto nodded his head at Hinata as she meant the private conversation Naruto was having with Pain. He looked at the water and mentally cursed it for being so steamy and murky. Now he couldn't see her full figure.

He cleared his throat as he felt Konan glaring at him for being a perv, "Yes. Konoha will be last. After the invasion of Cloud, Konoha's anticipating that they'll be next. Teams will be sent out for us Hinata. So going near Konoha's boarders so early while they're not as exhausted and short staffed would be dumb."

Hinata slowly nodded her head in understanding, "Tsunade will keep sending out ninja's to help other villages we attack. They'll grow tired soon and short on ninja's like you said. Maybe…"

Hinata hesitated for a moment and bit her lip to hold her thoughts in. Naruto placed a hand on her head and leaned down to her as she looked up at him. He looked at her deep in her orbs and fought the urge to steal a kiss. "Don't do that. Tell me please. I need you for this. You help me so much with my strategies."

Hinata nodded her head and surprised Naruto by leaning up and stealing a kiss from him. In a bold, rare moment causing a light blush to grace his face, "Maybe we could plant some seeds Naruto-kun."

Naruto knew exactly what she was getting at, "Some mistrust huh. Make the villages turn against one another again. Shouldn't be hard. They barely trust each other anyways. If that works out, this will push your plans to happen a lot quicker Pain-sama."

Hinata had a twinkle in her eye and Naruto knew to ask her about it when they were alone. She wanted something else and at the moment it shouldn't be discussed around Pain or Konan. Naruto had a feeling it had something to do with Sakura and Ino.

It had turned late into the night and Shikamaru had just gotten out of the shower. Ino was sitting on their bed just looking at paperwork that she dug out her closet on previous missions she's done with Hinata. The information they gathered concerning the Hyuga clan.

Shikamaru frowned at the look on Ino's face. She looked miserable. That spark and ambition had faded from his wife the moment Hinata was listed as a murderer. It's like Ino felt betrayed or something. Not by Hinata either, but by her peers. Along with the place they deemed home.

"What are you trying to find? Maybe I can help."

Ino continued to look over paperwork that she's probably seen hundreds of times and shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "I'm not really looking for anything, just torturing myself by looking at these documents over and over again. I'm just annoyed is all. Like just…LOOK. Look at all this information we had Shikamaru. We provided information that the Hyuga clan was doing some foul shit and all I felt like we got in return was the fact Hinata would be safely removed from the village. Which she wasn't. I'm just…annoyed is all. Confused I guess. Like, I just feel like they lied to us. Strung us along so we would continue to cooperate and do what they wanted in regard to the Uchiha brothers."

Shikamaru sat on the bed with Ino after he threw on his pajama pants. He's seen the paperwork a few times when Ino finally decided to stop hiding things. He couldn't lie. It was all messed up. He didn't understand the reason why the higher ups didn't take action with the heavy load of information that was presented to them.

That the Hyuga clan was falling for corruption. That a civil war between the main and branch family was on the verge of happening. That they were planning on sealing Hinata without any true reasoning. They were planning on enslaving her just because and were probably going to activate the seal on her. There was evidence of this and that Hinata was probably going to be murdered by her family and no immediate action was taken.

The only reasoning Shikamaru had for no action being taken was because well, they were the Hyuga's. No one touched them.

He could clearly see this was taking it's toll on Ino's mind frame, "What is confusing you?"

Ino looked hesitant at Shikamaru for a moment and he immediately knew where this was going. Shikamaru knew his wife very well. Since the moment he could form a thought process he knew what Ino was thinking. What Ino was thinking could get her killed. Locked away. Taken from him.

"Ino. You cannot think like that AT ALL. The Hokage already has her doubts of where your loyalty resides. What you're telling me will never go outside these walls, but you CANNOT express these feelings to anyone else. It's treason. They'll kill you."

If they were willing to hem Hinata up, what would stop them from doing the same to Ino. For some reason Konoha was choosing the Hyuga clan over what was right and Shikamaru didn't know why. This stemmed beyond the Hokage. There was some deep rooted injustice here.

Ino brought her knees to her chest and hugged them tight, "I'm beginning not to care Shika. How can they not care for Hinata. She's paying the ultimate sacrifice being their fall girl. It's not FAIR. Nothing in this village is ever FAIR. I just feel like the priorities are all so messed up now. I'm sorry I know I shouldn't be thinking so negatively. I just don't feel protected here anymore."

She was beginning to feel paranoid. That she was branded a traitor the moment Hinata was. All because Hinata and Ino knew about this coverup.

Shikamaru sighed as he leaned over and pulled Ino into his arms. The one place that Ino felt safe lately. "No. Think and say whatever you want around me. Just like I can do the same around you. I don't…I don't think you're wrong Ino. I feel the same way that you do. I just said it's dangerous right now. Everyone is on high alert."

Ino hugged Shikamaru back and slowly nodded her head, "Sakura is gonna go back full force for Anbu. I don't think that's the route I want to go to help Hinata. I just. I just need to see what she saw. I need to go into her memories."

Shikamaru knew at this point it wasn't about trying to exonerate Hinata anymore for the Hyuga massacre. That ship has sailed, and they were on to more critical matters. "Ino. I want to know what she saw too. It'll help that way. Deciding what our next step will be. Somebody is wrong in this. It's either Naruto and Hinata or Konoha and the Hyuga clan. I want to be on the side that's right."

Well, it is in the title of this chapter. Who's side will everyone start to take? Stay tuned for it because Hinata doesn't want to let go of her best friends from Konoha.

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please feel free to tell me what you think. See you next week!