A/N: And I have finally caught up to whatever advance I had on writing this fic. From now on, the updates will be a little slower coming. Also have finally passed the fic through spellcheck (which did it good because my first language is French and I hate it when it shows). Am revising TSoF as well, a couple of things bothered me about it and I wanted to clean it up. My muses fought me tooth and nail for this chapter. -glares at Kiba especially- Kiba!Muse: Hmph. You put me through hell and force me to grow up and I should be nice to you? -under his breath- you witch.
I love Hinata. I'd marry the girl. (except for the female/female thing, it'd work great) hehehe, enjoy! Oh and do leave a review so that I know people are reading, hmm? Gets lonesome writing for oneself.
The Sound of Pain: Chapter 6
The walk to Kakashi's place is oddly silent and awkward. Everyone is threading on eggshells around everyone. No one wants to ask Kiba about his team and the details of that mission, no one wants to ask Naruto and Sakura how they feel about the present situation, no one wants to ask Shikamaru what Sasuke did to get away from him, no one wants to ask Neji what he thinks about the whole mess. Hinata is drowning in the awkward feelings of others. She aches to comfort Naruto, but doesn't want Kiba to be left alone either. She wants to offer some kind words to Sakura but she can't be the one to break this so thick and ominous silence. It would kill her.
She squeezes Kiba's arm reassuringly and bites at her bottom lip, eyes following Naruto's determined walk. She's been watching him for so long, she's not fooled. The boy is in turmoil. Hinata can see him struggling between anger, sadness and fear. She thinks Naruto fears for himself, he fears being wounded as much as he wants to find Sasuke and make things right. He fears for Sakura and he fears most of all for Sasuke. Hinata would fear for Shino, if it happened to him. She would fear that he wouldn't be the same, that he wouldn't care anymore, that he would be damaged and hurt. That all of his pain couldn't be healed.
Hinata can guess at how confused Naruto is. She wants to offer him a hug and reassure him that whatever comes, he'll come out on top.
She has never been taken with Uchiha Sasuke. Hinata has never really liked him because she's never gotten to know him. He just seemed so intimidating and removed. Much worse than Neji ever was. She feels sad for the boy. She wonders if it would have changed anything, had she befriended him. She wonders if anyone could have helped him if they hadn't idolized him instead of liking him. Hinata feels sympathy for Uchiha Sasuke that she thinks is cheap, because it's too little too late.
What horrible things happened to him in Sound? What terrible torment did he suffer after his family died? Hinata was never concerned with that before. And she only is now because she can tell that Naruto is. Hinata lowers her head, ashamed of herself. She doesn't feel worthy of being out with her idol to look for his lost teammate. She doesn't think she'll be any help, because she won't do anything for Uchiha Sasuke, she'll do it for Uzumaki Naruto's happiness.
Kiba nudges her side and Hinata forces a little smile to her lips. She can see how determined Kiba is and it scares her a little. Kiba won't let his team go unavenged, just like Sasuke wouldn't let his family go unavenged. The little ball of anxiety grows larger still but the girl wonders if she can do for Kiba what she never did for Sasuke.
Hinata whispers for Kiba's sensitive ears only, "I'm with you, Kiba-kun. I'll take care of you, so don't be sad." It's a lot to own up to, but for Kiba, Hinata knows she can do it. He's hers to protect, like her little brother.
That thought gives her another pang of sympathy, thinking of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke. She's soon distracted as she feels two arms close around her in a bear hug. There's a whisper in her ear, "Thank you, Hinata."
The others stop and stare at them when Kiba embraces Hinata out of the blue. The girl blushes bright crimson.
Uncharacteristically, Neji is the one to break the moment with a softly spoken, "If you expect to win over my cousin, Inuzuka, you should at least court her for a year or two."
Kiba laughs, yes, he outright laughs, "I'll... uh... keep that in mind!"
Sakura takes that chance to step closer to Naruto. They've reached the apartment and that means, to Sakura, separating from the only person who really understands what Sasuke means, how conflicted and hurt and important he really is, deep down. Sakura swallows and gathers her courage. She'll be with Neji and Shikamaru, which is similar to being between two blocks of ice. The Hokage had no right to tear apart Team Seven more than it's already been. Sakura quickly calms her anger and takes it upon herself to break the silence, "Well, this is it..."
She can feel Naruto's warm presence near her and she smiles. Everything seems easier when Naruto's warmth is close. "Let's find that Uchiha. Kiba, you and your team can trace the scent from here. Me and my team will be searching the Uchiha compound and we'll cover all the places that give access to medical supplies."
Kiba gives her a more enthusiastic salute than Sakura has seen him do since he came back from that mission. Whatever Hinata did, it's working. Neji and Shikamaru both nod at her, acknowledging her to lead this mission implicitly.
Naruto replies with a so-fake smile, "I love when you get bossy, Sakura-chan! Let's get going guys!"
Akamaru, now too big to ride on top of Kiba's head, trudges up to spot where Sasuke landed and sniffs around. Sakura, Neji and Shikamaru jump up on the roofs, heading to the Uchiha clan sector.
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When Sakura gets to the fence separating the Uchiha precinct from the rest of Konoha, she pauses, standing on one of those pillars that make the area unaccessible. She feels melancholy and the briefest hint of fear. Dropping to the ground floor, Sakura walks down the main street, closely followed by Neji and Shikamaru. She shudders at the feeling that lingers around this place. The dark houses look imposing and Sakura is reminded of those ghost town stories that her parents told her before bed to discourage her from going out alone at night. She thinks she can feel the spirits around this place, angry, sad and intensely protective of their past glory.
She tells herself it's her imagination when she sees a black-haired woman wave her over from the stand of a deserted sushi shop. The woman's smile is large and content. Sakura can see her teeth, sharp and animalistic. She swallows and continues down the street. Just a little way further, she stops a few inches short of stepping onto a black-haired boy with large black eyes lying in the middle of the street. He points an accusing finger at her as if it's her fault that he's dead. Sakura bites through her lip, drawing blood and pain enough so that the little boy fades. Neji is by her side and she feels his presence close. "Did you see that?" She asks quietly.
Neji quietly shakes his head and answers, "I did not. But I can feel the past all around me."
Swallowing, Sakura shuts her eyes. It's impossible for spirits to linger this long around a place, isn't it? She suddenly wishes that she'd actually listened to some of those alleged reports of ghosts. When Sakura next opens her eyes, she takes the lead again in a determined stride. She will find Sasuke. And she will show him a way through the pain and the ghosts and he will be happy.
As they wander deeper in the streets, Sakura notices the Uchiha symbols on the streets, leading her further down the path, like breadcrumbs to the witch's lair. Without even realizing it, she draws closer to Shikamaru and his coldly analytic perception, hoping some of it will rub off and crush her paranoid feelings.
When she sees the large, imposing mansion, she immediately knows she doesn't want to go inside. "That's Sasuke's house, isn't it?" She asks the question uselessly. She can see the stern man sitting in the reclining chair by the entrance door. She can see how much he and Itachi look alike. Sakura can see the graceful woman resting her hand on his shoulder. She observes the soft features and she knows. Sasuke looks like his mother. He has none of the harshness present in both Itachi and his father. Sasuke is as beautiful and graceful as his mother.
"Yes, it is." Neji's cold voice makes the images shift and fade, revealing the feeling of utter loneliness and pain about the unused steps, the half-open door. The Hyuuga prodigy remembers the Uchiha precinct very well. The Uchiha were always known as the most powerful clan of Konoha. Neji remembers aspiring that greatness for the Hyuugas. He remembers visiting this house, seeing the small boy that Sasuke was with his too-kind eyes and too-beautiful face. Neji remembers being introduced to the older brother. He remembers the coldness. He remembers the father, stern but righteous, the mother, so soft and gentle...
Sakura watches Neji quietly for a few seconds. Around the time the Uchihas still lived, she'd only glimpsed Sasuke in class. She shakes her head clear of the memories and is about to ask Neji to use his byakugan to scan the area, but Shikamaru interrupts her. "Who let him keep this?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura is surprised at the Nara. She's surprised that he's the one to voice this opinion.
"Who let an eight year old boy keep alive the ghosts of his clan for so long? Who let him stay here? What did they think would happen?" Shikamaru doesn't look angry or outraged as Sakura thinks he should be. He just looks puzzled.
She answers what she always told herself, "They couldn't stop him. It was his birthright to claim the estate. Out of respect to the clan..."
Neji raises a brow at that. He knows damn well about respect to the clan. "As the only remaining heir, he had the right to demand it, no matter his age."
Sakura sighs under her breath as she walks closer to the rocking chair by the door. She runs a hand along the back of it. "Can you imagine it? Every day seeing the people you care about dying? And when you realize they're already dead, you're all alone." Sakura frowns at how stupid she must've seemed to Sasuke. He'd lived through all this tragedy and she'd always thought she could save him with sweets and false smiles.
She feels cheap for never coming here before. She feels as though she should have faced this before if she claimed to love Sasuke.
Neji answers her questions directly, "It is self-inflicted torment, Haruno-san. The Uchiha is responsible for his own fate. Do not blame his actions on other factors." The Hyuuga genius feels removed from the entire conflict of Sasuke's past and future. He greatly respects the Uchiha clan and as its last remaining member, Sasuke is someone who Neji instinctively grants regard to. But he doesn't like the boy for all that.
Shaking herself, Sakura asks the Hyuuga, "Can you scan the place?"
With a curt nod, Neji activates his byakugan and focuses his attention on the streets surrounding the main Uchiha house.
The veins at the side of his eyes are pulsing as he finds a gathering of chakra. "There's a shield of chakra masking my perception in the basement of the third building to the left. He might be in there, I can't see past that room."
"Okay then, let's go."
This time, Neji walks ahead, showing them to the towering building. It's tastefully decorated and imposing. From the bricks and rocks upholding its foundation, it's also very old. The doors are large and ornaments of the Uchiha clan adorn every inch. It looks very solemn and ritualistic.
"It's a clan temple." Neji is observing the carvings on the doors, the old scrolls floating to the wind at the entrance like so many flags. He feels a strange sense of forbidden as he pushes open the door. Something tells him he'll be desecrating an area where no one is allowed if he steps inside. The traditional symbols that greet him inside the first room tell him he's right.
It's their mission, but it's wrong. Neji doesn't want to be stepping over the secrets of the Uchiha clan, just like he would kill anyone who would do the same to the Hyuuga.
Shikamaru has no such concerns. He walks inside the temple and looks around himself to the austere decoration, the sparse furnishing. Everything is cold and remote. "You said the basement, right?"
Neji's byakugan activates and he spots the chakra lacing the wood at the far end of the large room. "It's over there." He still refuses to walk in.
Sakura hesitantly steps by him and goes to the indicated spot. She doesn't see anything, not even a trace of where the trap might be. Frowning, she crouches and runs her hand over the wooden floor. "There's nothing here, Neji." As much as her eyes can see anyway.
The Hyuuga finally convinces himself to step inside. He gives a quick bow to the Uchiha symbol in respect and regret and walks to the girl now kneeling on the floor. His eyes trace the chakra patterns attentively. "It's a genjutsu. The trap is here." Neji crouches by Sakura and feels the wood. The genjutsu is flawless. Everything he touches feels smooth and straight, looks whole and unmarked. If his byakugan wasn't showing him the chakra pattern in the floor, he would have missed it.
Focusing chakra to the edge of his index and major, Neji strikes a blow to the wooden floor. It hits the center-point focus of chakra and a second later, the small crack in the floor can be seen. "Here." Shikamaru bends by one side and Neji grabs his. Their combined efforts pull open the heavy trap door in the floor. When they're fairly sure it can hold on its own, both boys go back to stand by Sakura, staring at the deep hole in the floor.
"Could Sasuke really have come here? He was injured, remember?" Sakura can't quite keep the worried note out of her tone.
Shikamaru shakes his head, "There's probably an easier way to open it. Sasuke would know. Neji, can you scan ahead?"
Because the Hyuuga is really their best and only asset in this situation. The Uchiha clan have no doubt protected their secrets and only another bloodline has even a chance of finding a weakness.
The Hyuuga genius lightly jumps down the trap, landing flawlessly. His eyes scan the chakra around him and he can see a long corridor at the end of which is an imposing door. That's where the chakra focuses. That's exactly what's preventing Neji from scanning past it. There are small holes on the side of the walls that are pulsing chakra. The obvious traps. "You can come down."
Two thumps answer his comment and just as Sakura is about to walk past him, Neji holds his hand up to stop her. "There are many traps here." He reaches for a kunai in his pouch and throws it across the hall. It doesn't make the five feet mark. Out of the walls, half a dozen fiery projectiles strike it down. The Kunai drops to the floor and the fire disappears as if it was never there.
Shikamaru frowns in thought, "Could we avoid them?"
Neji shakes his head in the negative, "The position of the traps in the walls shifts minutely with every second. I can't predict where they'll be. There's too many of them." Enough of them to use a Hyuuga's only blind spot.
"Troublesome..."
Sakura frowns as well and she asks, "A person with the Sharingan would know where to expect the shifts, right?"
Nodding, Neji adds, "They would also be able to memorize the complex movements of the traps and anticipate the pattern. It would be dangerless to a sharingan-user."
Shikamaru raises a brow at that, "It would be dangerless to a healthy sharingan-user. Sasuke was gravely injured. There's no point in seeing the pattern if your body can't keep up."
"So you don't think he came here, Shikamaru?" Sakura asks as she studies the door at the end of the corridor from afar.
"It doesn't really matter, Sakura. We can't go through this hall without grevious injury. Those walls aren't the only threat, you can be sure of that."
"B... But he might be in there. He might be needing our help."
"Sakura, when I saw him, he could hardly move, much less jump around avoiding traps that use the Sharingan as well. He did not come here. He couldn't have."
Neji interrupts them, "We should still report this possibility to the Hokage. We were instructed not to underestimate him after all."
Both others nod in agreement, but Sakura voices another concern, "This place feels angry... Maybe I'm being superstitious but I don't want to be violating some place sacred."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Neji jumps out of the hole. He's glad Sakura said it, because his pride would never have let him voice the opinion.
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By the time Sasuke gets back to his hideout, he's seeing spots rhythmically pounding with the blood rushing through his body. His head aches with it and his fingers feel too large for their size of skin-wear. He can't remember the name of that symptom, but he knows that he knows it. The husband got home as well, so Sasuke had to do just a little more of crawling on the ceiling to not be spotted.
When Sasuke closes back the trap and steps inside the circle protected by the camouflage jutsu, he just crumbles to the floor and heavily thanks Tsunade for her healing talents. No way in hell would he have been able to do the same trip if Kabuto had been the one to heal him. For that second he thinks of Kabuto's name, Sasuke feels a flash of apprehension, the need to flee so strong it chokes him for a few moments. He remembers the white of the man's labs, the way blood never stained anything it should have.
Removing the (stolen) cloth covering his chest, Sasuke looks down at his wound. His fingers fist on the dark shirt and Sasuke can see the strain forcing a small shake in his hand. It's not pain that tightens his hold on the shirt, it's not pain that brings Sasuke's teeth together in a harsh grind. It's anger, pure fury as he recalls the blade and the man attached to it.
Still and ever not strong enough, little Sasuke. Just watch her die, you can't do any more than commemorate the dead after all.
There's a hitch of Sasuke's shoulders and his eyes are shut tight. It's the only physical signs of the turmoil he's living. Pain is gripping his stomach more firmly, but it's nothing compared to the anguish of his heart.
Don't give in, don't believe him, it's a lie. You can do it. Closer every time until he dies.
Feeding himself such thoughts, Sasuke slowly overwhelms the influence of his brother's whispering. When he feels stable enough, he picks up the alcohol and bandages. He also (thankfully) thought to bring both an analgesic cream and some painkillers that won't fuck with his brain.
Painkillers are quickly swallowed dry and Sasuke gives himself fifteen minutes to metabolize them. His index finger taps the air with the seconds. After those minutes, Sasuke feels marginally better. Everything's duller, the lights, the wood, the pain... Sasuke brings the shirt to his mouth and bites into the cloth to avoid his tongue when his teeth clamp down with the pain that's inevitably coming back.
Sasuke pours some alcohol on the soft, pretty pink dress and uses it to swipe his stomach clean of blood. The stitches holding the wound closed are perfectly even and professional, so Sasuke is careful not to damage them. He's sweating halfway through the process, trembling when he's done. The pain itches all over his body, like a thousand needles. It's especially centered around his shoulders and back, but Sasuke's focus is on trying to clear his darkening vision. The edges are turning black with spots that bring far too much promise of comfort. With a growl, Sasuke blinks them away and despite his balance being so heavily compromised by the lightheaded feel, he manages to finish wrapping up, the numbing cream applied to the edges of the wound, then the entire thing covered with bandages.
After that, Sasuke stuffs the dress over him, using it like a blanket as he settles into a barely conscious state of rest.
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Akamaru's nose is stuck to the ground, attempting to follow the unique smell of the human known as Uchiha Sasuke. The dog has a harder time than usual tracking it. Kiba can sense the trouble his companion is having and he frowns, smelling the air for Sasuke's scent. It's true that the smell is subtler than most humans', but Kiba can't really explain it.
If he had to put it into words, he'd say that most people smell like something. Their essence is a mix of existing smells. Hinata smells of subtle lilac and morning dew. Naruto's scent is sharper, something like spices, apples and warm earth.
Sasuke's scent is more subtle. It has this versatile quality to it that makes differentiating it from others much more difficult than it ought to be. Kiba would say Sasuke smells like pain, if he had to put a label to it.
They've just found the spot where Shikamaru's nightly forest essence mixes with Sasuke's. Examining the area, Kiba points to some dirty, blood-stained bandages half hidden under the cartons and trash in the alley. He picks it up and hands it to Naruto reflexively.
The boy hasn't said a word since he separated from Sakura. He can't believe Sasuke's back, that he's here and somehow escaped Orochimaru. He doesn't know what he wants to do. Doesn't know how to feel, what to say. The only certainty in Naruto's mind at the moment is that he needs to find the other boy. That he will find the Uchiha and confront him. He'll bring Sasuke back home, or he'll give the boy a real reason to leave.
Naruto will show Sasuke that he can't get rid of him so easily, either way. He's still angry, yes, but it's nothing compared to the worry that overwhelms him when he catches sight of the blood-stained bandages that no doubt belong to Sasuke. Okay. He had better be alive. Because if he's not, Naruto will kill him.
Naruto takes the bandages in hand and pockets them. He doesn't know why really, it's the same as with Sasuke's old forehead protector, which is stubbornly kept in Naruto's bottom drawer, an instinct. Naruto sighs under his breath as Kiba straightens and takes off in another direction, walking in the middle of the street. They're retracing Sasuke's steps. Sasuke was here just a little over seven hours ago. It feels unreal, like a bad dream.
Why fight me so hard? Will you never trust me?
What the fuck happened to Kiba's team? Why is Sasuke wounded and why the hell is Tsunade keeping information from them?
In the end, what Naruto feels is too complex to put into words, or even just thoughts, so he focuses on finding Sasuke and he can react and mope and think all he wants when the boy is safely tied to a bed, recuperating, not bleeding to death in some alley out of idiotic stubbornness.
As soon as his focus returns to Kiba and Hinata, he finds them both walking side by side in front of him, Akamaru leading the way. The animal seems to be hesitating a little, shuffling left, then right before continuing ahead. Naruto has seen the dog track often enough to know something isn't right.
"What's wrong with Akamaru? Is he having trouble following Sasuke's scent?"
Kiba scoffs at that, but reluctantly admits, "Kinda. It's easier to track just the faint smell of his blood, but it's been too long to rely just on that. Plus the Uchiha's scent is just... weird."
Weird?
As intelligibly as Naruto can put it, he replies, "Huh?"
"You know, like, he doesn't have a specific and easy smell. It kinda mixes up too easily with the rest. And we are tracking him six hours late, y'know." A second later, Kiba's canines show in an arrogant smirk, "But we'll find'im. Me and Akamaru are the best."
The sun is dimming in the horizon, painting the blue sky orange and pink. Naruto's watching each color compete with the other in brilliance and despite the pink's soft hue, despite the orange's vibrant shine, darkness is coming. Naruto wonders if Sasuke is the darkness now.
But even if he were, Naruto isn't sure he'd be able to give him up. Even now, as the sun slowly steps away from the earth, the moon shows a hesitant glow on the opposite side. Naruto smiles at it reflexively. The moon's cool light is easily the most beautiful thing in the world to the blond boy. Maybe because it's so far. Maybe because man can never catch the moon.
Hinata's gaze is trained on the orange-clad boy's frame as he reaches a hand and makes a fist over the moon, like he's somehow managed to catch it. She smiles when she hears his small, determined whisper, "I'll have you, some day."
The girl always knew Naruto would overcome this. He overcomes everything after all.
The air is cooling and the streets are slowly emptying. For a second, Hinata feels an itch at the back of her neck. She knows it's not due to the cold. It's that edge of danger teasing her senses. They're being watched. A shiver goes through her frame and she tugs on Kiba's sleeve.
The Inuzuka's stance has also changed to something more aware, his nose twitching and his protuberant canines showing even more as his top lip curls up unconsciously. Naruto, as oblivious as he likes to pretend that he is, has straightened up and Hinata can tell he's sensed the presence too.
It doesn't feel evil, but it is foreign. If it somehow managed to slip through the guards and the jutsus holding Konoha safe, then there's reason to be on edge. "Should we... should we alert the guards?" Hinata whispers that question under her breath.
Both males turn to face her at the hesitant inquiry. It's obvious that calling for help has not even occurred to either of them. For a moment, Hinata understands what her teacher always grumbles about under her breath when she whispers that exasperated 'men!'
Before she gets an answer from either of the boys, Hinata spots something moving from the corner of her eyes and she instantly calls the byakugan. She can see past the buildings and the villagers going about their activities to focus on the source of the threat. The chakra pattern is so large that Hinata gasps, "It's a man, this way." She nods quietly towards the shape crouching behind a building, supposedly hidden from all sight. The nervous edge to the girl's words and her stutter have all but disappeared. At this moment, Hinata is all business.
Kiba looks in the direction that Hinata indicates, but even as he does so, a glimpse of gold catches his eyes. Whatever is left of the sunlight shows Kiba the shape of a young girl running away. Recognition dawns and Kiba growls, without second thought taking off after her, Akamaru in toe. It's that girl, she was at the clearing, she saw his team die.
He doesn't hear Hinata's hurried call to him, nor does he hear Naruto's angry shout. All that matters is finding out what that girl knows. He can see the small feet ahead of him. She's dressed in that same white cloth than before and it makes her look almost translucent, white flesh, pale hair and that dress.
Hinata and Naruto are left cursing (well Naruto's cursing, Hinata is frowning and worrying her bottom lip) and wondering if they should run after the Inuzuka. The decision is made for them as a black-clad form jumps away from his hiding place, landing right in front of them.
"You may go no further." The voice and eyes are so cold that Hinata gives a shiver. They don't know the potential of this ninja, but in the middle of Konoha, there's only so much he can do against leaf nins. She's glad to find that she's not scared of what he could do to them, but rather, she's scared of what can happen to a man for him to sound this... dead inside.
Naruto growls after him, "The hell I can't! Get the fuck out of our way if you don't want to get hurt!"
Hinata adds a quiet, "Please do so, sir" at the end that sounds so entirely polite it's almost ridiculous. The unknown nin's head is covered in a tight cloth mask and his dead eyes watch the two children he's faced with.
"I wonder, I wonder..." His voice reaches over the empty street and Naruto takes the insult to heart, leaping at the nin in his usual careless fashion (which is truly meant to test the other's abilities rather than to cause damage as most assume). Hinata follows Naruto's lead more discreetly, advancing to a position where she can defend Naruto.
The man stands motionless where he is, apparently waiting for the blow to come. Naruto's powerful kick slams right in the man's chest, causing him to take precisely one and a half step back. The boy growls at the ineffectiveness of the hit and shifts his position in the air to deliver an elbow to the side of the man's head. The man finally makes a move and catches the elbow. He doesn't block, doesn't dodge, he catches the boy's arm in his large hand and swings Naruto away from him as if he were a mere doll.
Hinata jumps up to aid Naruto and she wraps both arms around the falling boy's waist, straightening both of them for a perfect landing.
The man's dead voice rings in the air again. "You may go no further." It seems there's nothing to be added to that, but as Naruto rubs his arm with a pained exclamation, fiery eyes itching with the urge to fight and suddenly studying the opponent much more sharply, the man speaks again, "Do not force injury upon yourselves, please. I have no wish to harm you and go against..." He stops at that, as if pained by the unmentioned sentence..
Naruto does not acknowledge the man's words as anything but insult and this time he has witnessed the man's close combat resilience. He sneers, "Hey asshole, you may be able to take a blow, but you can't take all of Uzumaki Naruto!"
The man's head cocks at hearing that sentence. It's his only reaction apart from the low words, "So it is you." Even as Naruto plunges towards him, blue chakra enhancing speed and strength, the man nods at Naruto and leaps back and on top of the nearest building, a two stories high residence in this case. From there he just fades in the wind.
Naruto growls in frustration, reaching the spot where the man disappeared a mere second after he vanished. "Damn it! What the hell was that all about? What are the guards doing, huh?"
Hinata frowns in thought as she reviews the entire meeting. "He did not seem evil, Naruto-kun. There were no bad intentions. Maybe that's how he passed the guards?"
At that, the boy seems to calm and he nods, "Yeah, you're right..." He pauses and looks over at Hinata, concern showing in his blue eyes, "You're not... hurt, are you?"
Warmth goes right up the girl's cheeks, reddening her face prettily, "N... No, I'm fine... And... And you?"
Embarrassed laughter rings through the deserted street as Naruto rubs the back of his head, "Well my foot hurts more than anything else!"
Still blushing, Hinata looks away from Naruto. She's suddenly reminded of Kiba's absence at her side and she says nervously, "Naruto-kun? We have to find Kiba."
"And we also have to find that Sasuke-bastard." He sighs and looks so torn for a moment that Hinata knows what she has to do. She did tell Kiba she'd protect him anyhow, "I will find Kiba, Naruto-kun. I made him a promise. You made a promise too, didn't you?"
Naruto swallows painfully at that and nods. His voice is huskier when he speaks, anguish evident in his tone, "Yeah, I did. Will you be okay on your own, Hinata?"
"I have to be strong for Kiba now, not just for me. I'll be fine." There's peace in her voice when she says that. It gives her the strength to smile and wave at Naruto once before she takes off in the direction Kiba went.
tbc...
Those who know who the man is get brownie points. Also, I had a giggle fit at the end of that bit with Sasuke at the thought of the woman going upstairs and saying, "Oh my God! Honey, come quick! There's a half-naked Uchiha with a pink dress squatting our attic!" Oh! And much more than brownie points to those who can guess where Sasuke is.
Some replies:
XxHunter The One and OnlyxX: (so much love for constant commenting, hee) Long live pink dresses! (secretly hates pink)
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