AN: Hello again! It's Sunday, which means a new chapter! There's another brief AN at the end of this chapter, so please read.

Its really cool this story is still gaining more traction. Over 100 people are following it and counting, which is UNREAL!

For those of you who are following and haven't reviewed, it would mean a lot to me if you would let me know your thoughts. I am still trying to improve my writing through this. Not to mention it motivates me to write the next chapters even faster. So a win-win!

Enjoy!

Chapter 11

Sasuke and Sakura traced Shikamaru's chakra back to a building close to the top of the village. It was larger than the other structures surrounding it, but not so large that it stood out upon first glance. They could see the gate where they started their search a ways off. Sakura sighed and cracked her neck.

"Looks like we did all that searching for nothing," she groaned. Sasuke acknowledged her with his usual "hmph" before continuing into the building ahead. Her brow furrowed. It looked like the brief moment of levity she had shared with the Uchiha had passed. Not that she minded as it made it easier to forget about her earlier embarrassment.

She couldn't believe she had slipped up like that and really couldn't believe she had been thinking about Naruto in that way. She was usually cool, calm, and collected on missions, and losing focus was very out of character. Another sigh escaped her lips and she frowned. She really needed to talk to her best friend and figure this out.

Her best friend.

The words echoed in her head and they were loud. He was her best friend. Her best friend by a long shot if she was being honest. These feelings could ruin that if she wasn't careful. They had settled into such comfort and the reality of what her new feelings meant for that hit her hard. It didn't break her resolve, but it certainly rattled it. Her frown deepened as she headed toward the building door. She forced the frown away just as quickly as it had appeared. No matter what, she would always be close to Naruto. Even if it was just as a friend.

As soon as she entered the large building her eyes locked with his and her breath caught in her throat while her stomach flexed in a way she didn't know was even possible.

She didn't want to be his friend. She wanted to be his.

A blush threatened to overtake her face as her mind drifted back to her earlier fantasy. Naruto was the one to break his gaze, looking around the place awkwardly.

Something wasn't right. He was different than when they split up, or at least his mood definitely was. The usual flare he got in his eyes when he saw her was still there but it was mixed together with something else. Hesitation? Regret? Sadness? She couldn't quite place it. It didn't really matter because whatever it was was clearly unpleasant. Sakura found herself wanting to wrap her arms around him and squeeze until it went away.

As she followed Sasuke to rejoin their squad she finally looked around at her surroundings. The building was much bigger on the inside than it looked, and was very different than the homes she had previously searched. It looked more like a temple. She was standing in a large room that took up most of if not all of the structure. Beautiful designs were cut into the glass that formed windows on either side of the room. The ceiling was high and it looked like there were multiple floors that overlooked the ground floor. She saw stairs towards the end of the room that confirmed her suspicion. The room itself was pretty barren, with the exception of a few benches scattered about. The only noteworthy thing was the large statue of a man that stood against the back wall. It was made of marble and shined when the sun reflected off of it. Sakura didn't recognize the figure, although he did remind her of someone she couldn't quite place.

Unbeknownst to her, Naruto was clocking every little movement her face and head made. He didn't know if it was what had happened with Hinata or the remnants of what happened in the cave, but the second she entered the room he couldn't take his eyes off her. It wasn't new to him, he had memorized every expression she made given any situation. Still, it felt more intense somehow. Now that she wasn't looking he had free reign and was taking it.

"Wheres Hinata?" Sasuke asked when he finally reached his friend. He had noticed Naruto's looks at his other teammate and had to resist the urge to say something. If they did end up getting together he was going to have a lot of fun at there expense, he thought to himself.

Shikamaru, who was leaning on the back wall, sighed and pinched his nose between his fingers. He clearly knew the answer to the question and found it quite troublesome.

Naruto frowned and put his hands in his pockets. He looked to Sakura, then back to Sasuke. "We...uh...got into a little disagreement and split up."

Sasuke's eyebrows raised and Sakura tried her very best to not look too phased. That explained the earlier look in his eyes. After remembering the way Hinata had asked to pair with Naruto, Sakura had a vague idea of what might have happened. By the looks of things, it hadn't gone too well for her if her assumption was correct. A small part of her wanted to jump for joy, but she knew that was childish and wrong. She cared for Hinata as a friend and didn't want to see her hurt, even if the reason could be good for her.

'Could be..." she thought to herself. Just because Hinata and Naruto weren't together did not mean she and Naruto would be, she had to keep telling herself. Still, the blonde did look quite sad.

"Are you okay?" She asked a little quieter than usual, and his eyes shot up to her.

"Yea, I'll be alright. Thanks," His eyes flashed in the way they usually did and he sent her a meek but real smile.

The door to the temple opened again, and Hinata slowly walked into the room. Sakura was impressed. If what had happened was as bad as it seemed, Hinata wasn't letting it show. She stood tall and walked over to them while looking around the room. She was holding together well, but Sakura could see that her normally white eyes were a touch bloodshot and her cheeks were flushed in a different way than normal. Instead of looking embarrassed, she looked sad. Sakura also noticed she wasn't looking at Naruto and trying her hardest to not look at her either. She understood Naruto but was confused why she was also being ignored.

"Sorry I'm late. Naruto-kun and I split up to cover more ground. I was...further away." Her voice was more deadpan than usual and she wasn't stuttering or mumbling. Naruto looked at her and was sad she didn't return his gaze. He had expected it and was ready to give her as much space as he could on this mission, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

Shikamaru pushed off the wall and everyone's attention shifted to him. "It's okay. It's not much, but this temple is the only building I could find that wasn't a civilian home. This statue looks a lot like the Sage of Six Paths to me, and I was hoping that maybe Hinata or Sasuke could find something here.

Naruto nodded his head and Sakura realized that Shikamaru was right. The statue looked like the old man they had met during the war, although it clearly wasn't him.

Sasuke stepped forward and activated his Rinnegan. He looked around the room, but nothing happened. He tried the same thing with his Sharingan with the same result. It was when Hinata stepped up and activated her Byakugan that the statue began to glow.

A rush of pain suddenly flooded Hinata's head. Her eyes slammed shut and she fell to her knees. Sakura immediately moved to aid her and Naruto threw his father's kunai he kept strapped to his leg before reappearing in front of the women.

When Hinata reopened her eyes she went to push Sakura's hand away. She didn't want to be touched by her at the moment after everything. She was pretending to be calm but inside she was a wreck. The man who she had loved and obsessed over for the better part of her life had rejected her. Not just rejected, he had more or less dashed any hopes of any sort of future between them. It was an absolute no and rejection wasn't a strong enough word to describe her feelings.

She was surprised that Sakura didn't move at all when being shoved. She looked up and noticed that everyone around her was entirely frozen. Even Shikamaru and Sasuke were statues where they stood.

The atmosphere of the room shifted, and an eerie light mist crept up from the floor. She could still move and panic overtook her as she stood up. Suddenly light exploded out of the now glowing statue, forcing Hinata's eyes closed again. When she opened them, a semi-translucent man stood in front of her.

"Man" was a loose term. He looked more like a mirage. He didn't have any feet at all. His legs sort of just faded away into nothing and he was left floating in the air. He looked old, and his posture was slightly hunched over. He wore a basic white kimono and had long white hair tied behind his head. His eyes looked exactly like hers.

"W...Who are you?" She shouted out as she sunk into her fighting stance. The figure responded by raising a hand and smiling at her.

"Easy Hinata Hyuga, I am not your enemy." At her shocked expression, he continued on. "I am sure you have a lot of questions. I will explain if you will allow me." Hinata looked uneasy for a moment before she slightly lowered her hands.

"Who are you? Are they okay? T...tell me right now!" She asked motioning to her frozen comrades. Her eyes lingered on Naruto's frozen form longer than she would have liked.

"I am only a spirit. An echo of a person long since past. I am known as The Guardian, and it is my sworn duty to protect this temple, and from it...watch over the world. This is a dimension separate from your own, as you have already figured out. Here, the side branch of descendants of Hamura Otsusuki lived. The main branch remained on earth and became the Hyuga Clan as you are already aware. Making us very distantly related." The man smiled again. As she looked closer she couldn't help feeling that he did indeed seem like he would fit right in as a Hyuga. She lowered her guard further, dropping her hands to her sides.

"Why? Why do you live here? Why not remain in our world? And are they okay?" She emphasized the final question as it was the second time she had asked it.

"They are fine. I have simply chosen to talk to you in a space they cannot reach. Since the first sealing of Kaguya Otsutsuki, our destiny has been to silently observe the world, detached from it. Hamura left us the task of deciding whether humanity was worthy of continuing on in the distant future. He trusted humanity less than Haguromo, and we become a safety net, so to speak. If we decided humanity wasn't worthy, we were to use the power of the Tensaigan to erase it and start anew."

"Erase...humanity..." The Guardian nodded and anxiety spread through the Hyuga heiress. She took a deep breath. "Tenseigan? Toneri mentioned that. Um...what is it, exactly?" She was slightly worried she was supposed to have heard of it and was relieved when the figure continued to speak.

"No one other than Hamura had ever awakened the power. It is the final culmination of the Otsusuki's ocular prowess. It's power dwarfs that of the Rinnegan your friend carries. Even one wielder of the Tensaigan would prove to be a force of nature, but with a small clan of them humanities destruction would be all but assured." The spirits eyed Hinata as she gasped softly and put on hand over her mouth before regaining her composure.

Confusion etched into her features and she took a step closer to the Guardian."Why are you telling me this?" She asked.

Pausing, the spirit tiled his head down and sighed. "After the Last Great Shinobi War, our clan decided that Humanity was indeed worthy of continuing on. Over our many years of observation, we had seen terrible things. Truly terrible. Yet, when we saw all differences being cast aside for the greater good, we were shown what humanity could be. We saw hope. Ironically enough, your friend here was instrumental in shifting our hearts." The man nodded his head towards Naruto.

Hinata felt a sting in her chest and she followed his gaze. "He...he has a way of doing that..." The guardian gave her a small nod.

"However...Toneri couldn't accept our decision. He had watched humans for centuries and could not forgive the atrocities he had witnessed. I cannot say that his anger isn't justified, but the clan's decision was final. Unfortunately, as a cruel twist of fate, it was at this time that Toneri awakened his Tensaigan. He wiped out the other members of our clan, sparing no one. After his first use, his Tensaigan became dormant. According to the writings left by Hamura, his eye was corrupted by an impure spirit. The only way for him to repair it is to bond with a willing partner of the Otsusuki bloodline who is has a true spirit. Hinata, you are the one he needs to complete his plans."

The spirit looked back at her seriously and her mouth hung open. She looked to the ground. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. Toneri's proposal matched what this figure was saying. This was far too much to take in and she was overwhelmed. The fate of the world was not a weight she had expected to carry when she woke up this morning.

"In the end, the choice is yours. I understand your turmoil. I also understand some unfortunate circumstances have taken place today." The girl's head shot up. It appeared he has even been watching them today.

"Hinata...Humans can be truly vile," The Guardian took a step closer. "But they can also be truly good." He turned to the frozen Naruto. "They can use their power to unite." He turned to Sakura. "They can use their power to heal." He turned to Sasuke. "They can overcome total darkness." He focused his gaze back to Hinata. "Without you, Toneri will not be able to accomplish his plan. However, he is a man of his word and will spare Hanabi and your family if you consent to bond with him. The end decision is yours, and I have great faith in you. As Toneri said, you are truly kind."

The spirit placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and gave her one last warm smile. His body slowly began to fade away until all that remained were small white fragments floating where he once stood. The atmosphere of the room returned to normal.

Hinata reached out her arm and shouted "Wait!"

Instead of reaching the spirit, her hand came into contact with Sakura's face. Sakura let out a loud yelp before falling back on her behind. Hinata's eyes widened, and Naruto immediately moved in between the girls, anger present on his expression.

"Hinata!" He shouted out. He had never used a tone like this with her, and she could feel fresh tears coming on. She was about to apologize when Sakura grabbed Naruto's ear and pulled on it hard.

"Idiot! She clearly didn't do it on purpose! Think before you speak!" She got up off the floor and turned her attention back to Hinata. "Are you okay? What happened?" Naruto meanwhile rubbed his now sore earlobe with a dejected look on his face.

The Hyuga girl looked around the room and let out a deep sigh. "I...I'm not sure...I think my Byakugan activated something? There was a man, and..." Suddenly, another pain shot through her head and she winced. Sakura put her hand on Hinata's forehead and began to channel healing chakra into it.

Naruto took a step closer to them. "I'm sorry Hinata, I didn't mean to snap like that. Take some time to recover. You can fill us in after that." He sent her a warm smile. She avoided his gaze but nodded. "In the meantime its getting dark. I uh...don't really wanna stay the night here. Let's head out to the forest and find a place to camp out for the night, sound good?"

Shikamaru sighed as he began to walk towards the exit. "Naruto, you're the leader. You don't need to ask our permission." Naruto blinked a few times before a wide grin spread across his face.

"Alright! Then lets head out and make a fire. I'm starving!" The blonde followed Shikamaru, and Sasuke quickly followed him. Sakura let out an amused chuckle before turning her attention back to Hinata.

"Can you walk?" She asked. Hinata nodded her head and got to her feet. "Good, I'll take another look when we get settled." She was about to follow her team when Hinata's hand reach out and grabbed her own.

"Um...Sakura-san?" The medic turned her head to meet a flustered Hinata's gaze. "Thanks for defending me back there. And I'm sorry I pushed you. I...really didn't mean too."

Sakura just smiled and squeezed the girl's hand. "Of course! What are friends for? Besides..." She grinned and punched her open palm with her fist and cracked her knuckles. "Someone's gotta keep that idiot in his place!" She immediately remembered the situation and was relieved when Hinata let out a soft laugh. The two girls smiled at each other before following after Naruto and the rest.

—

The glowing embers of a small campfire danced in the reflection of his blue eyes. The campfire and sleeping mats were a good thirty feet away, but as they were the only light source besides the dim hue of the moon they shined bright in Naruto's eyes. He let out a deep and tired yawn as he rubbed the back of his head before returning his focus to the men in front of him.

They had just finished setting up camp for the night and eating their meal. They had found a solid bit of free land a few miles from the village and had spent the last hour making sure it was safe and gathering firewood.

Hinata hadn't been very helpful. After the pain in her head subsided, she had explained what happened. According to her, an old member of the Otsutsuki clan appeared before her and explained what this realm was. She said she hadn't gained any insight on Toneri or what his goal was, other than that he had slaughtered his own clan. Naruto had noticed the way she had fidgeted and paused during her explanation, and he got the distinct feeling she was leaving something out.

It was for that reason that he, Sasuke, and Shikamaru were now discussing their plan of attack. Hinata had fallen asleep after dinner and Sakura had turned in early as well. The medic was still tired after the events in the cave, and Naruto couldn't blame her for needing rest.

"What do you think?" he asked the group of men. Shikamaru sighed and Sasuke's brow became tense.

"She's clearly lying. Or at least isn't telling us the full story. But if the clan thing is true, it's despicable." Naruto noticed the anguish in his friend's eyes. This was a sensitive subject and he knew his brother was hurting in a way even he couldn't understand. He put his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to reassure him in any way. Sasuke gave him a small nod, before pushing his hand away, "Idiot..." he mumbled with a small smirk.

Shikamaru cracked his neck and looked up at the clouds. "Well, she's asleep now, not much we can do tonight. Let's get some rest and we can figure it out in the morning." He turned and began to head back to the campground.

"You sure your okay taking first watch?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto grinned back.

"I'll be fine, I'm actually pretty awake." He lied, and his friend shook his head. He watched until Sasuke made it back to the campfire before jumping up to a tree branch above him. He leaned against the cold wood and tried to stay awake. Truth be told he was very tired but didn't want to burden his friends with anything else. Sleep was a small sacrifice he was willing to make.

Not fifteen minutes had passed before Naruto heard the sound of a sleeping bag unzipping and leaves rustling under someone's feet. He stood up and turned his attention to the campground. The fire was all but out, but with the last of its light combined with the moonbeams, he could see a small splash of pink in the distance. He watched as Sakura quietly began walking in the opposite direction of him, toward the lakes shore.

'Sakura-Chan...what are you doing' he thought as he admired his silhouetted form. Before he knew it, he had made a shadow clone to take his place as nightguard. He jumped from tree-branch to tree-branch, silently following behind her.

AN: Thanks for reading. I know this chapter wasn't my best, but I had to get some plot differences out of the way in order to make sense of the rest of the arc. I also wanted to give the next chapter its due diligence instead of cramming it into this one. The next chapter is back to NaruSaku...trust me. Still, any constructive criticism would be very welcome. Thanks for bearing with me!