Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto! I do not get any profit from this fiction. I only write for fun and to improve my creativity.

Chapter Four

Death hangs over you,

While you live,

While it is in your power,

Be good

Marcus Aurelius

Hinata was being followed. She had known for a while now. Her pursuer was keeping a good distance from her, which only proved he knew she was a Hyūga. The person most likely understood the mechanisms of how her blood limit worked.

At some point, she had used her Byakugan a few times to check the perimeter, and although she hadn't seen the person's face, she did see a shadow belonging to someone. She had no doubt that whoever was following her it wasn't a Leaf Shinobi. Had it being a shinobi from Konoha, they would have showed up before her from the very beginning, but the person had been hiding among the shadows for hours while still following her.

Hinata knew it couldn't be someone from a neighboring village either. Konoha and the rest of the other villages had signed an agreement, a peace treaty, that guaranteed and promoted good relationships among each other. It was signed after the war, where every single one of the villages fought alongside to save the shinobi world from Madara. That peace treaty foreboded villages from attacking one another, which meant that Hinata's pursuer was most likely a rouge nin. But why were they taking so long to attack her? Were they waiting for reinforcements? If that was the case, she didn't want to find out.

Hinata knew that if she wanted to discover her pursuer, she had to come with a plan. But what? She had searched the perimeter in more than one occasion, and every time she had failed to see who they were. Was it possible that the person knew of her blind spot? Seeing that she had no other option, she came to a stop. It was better to confront them now than to wait for the reinforcements to arrive. She could handle a one on one fight, but not an ambush.

"W-who's there?" She mentally cursed her stutter. She had wanted to sound more confident and threating. "Come out!"

After a few moments of absolute and nerve-wracking silence, she caught movements from the shadows. Holding her breath, she waited for whoever it was to show themselves. The figure of a young man emerged. Hinata wasn't sure what she had expected to see emerging from the shadows, but it wasn't this person. Of all the people in the world it had to be him to find her.

"Sasuke-san" She gasped.

"Hyūga Hinata" He said without a hint of emotion.

"W-what are y-you doing h-here?" Wide lavender eyes stared back at mismatched eyes, one onyx and one purple grey.

"I could ask you the same thing."

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Neither said anything; neither moved. Understanding he was not going to say anything, Hinata took the initiative.

"I… I am on a m-mission" She lied and prayed he hadn't noticed.

"What kind of mission?"

"I-it's c-c-classified."

"Hn"

A second silence followed, but this one was much shorter; this time it was Sasuke that broke it.

"Where were you going?"

"I'm s-sorry Sasuke-kun, but I c-cannot t-tell y-you." She said looking down, avoiding his piercing eyes. "B-besides, I am in a h-hurry."

"Are you?" He smirked remembering how she had taken her sweet time while shopping at the previous town.

"Y-yes" She said raising her head to look at him through her bangs; she was surprised to see him smirking.

"Hn"

In what seemed like a fraction of seconds, Sasuke had lunged toward Hinata, and in a swift movement she couldn't even see, he held his sword against her neck. Hinata squealed.

"Do not lie to me, Hyūga!" Sasuke seethed. "Where are you going?"

"I… I… I…" Hinata looked at him terrified. Was he going to kill her? She didn't know, but the dark aura he emanated was suffocating her.

"Spit it out!" He demanded.

"I…" Hinata tried not to focus on the man before her. She could see the killing intent written in his eyes, and she started to fear for her life. "I…"

It came to her attention that she no longer could feel her legs or arms, and her vision became blurry. Am I dying?

The last thing she saw before losing consciousness were spinning tomoe.

Two Days Later.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

What on earth…

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted a second time barging inside the Hokage's office.

The Sixth Hokage rubbed his temples and sighed in exhaustion. Whatever it was that Naruto wanted, he was certain it would give him a headache.

"What do you want, Naruto?"

"Kakashi-sensei" he said gasping. "Where is Hinata-chan and why is Sasuke-teme asking about her?"

Hatake Kakashi looked at his former student with a look of confusion. Hinata and Sasuke? Why on earth is Sasuke asking questions about the former heiress? Did he find her? Is she with him? Had they eloped together? No that's absurd! This is not one of those icha icha stories.

"I'm waiting" Naruto said anxiously snapping Kakashi from his reverie.

Taking a minute to gather his thoughts, the Sixth Hokage addressed the future Hokage.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Naruto-kun."

"Don't act like you don't know!" Naruto shouted making Kakashi sigh in defeat.

"Hinata-chan is on a mission." He figured it was best to avoid telling Naruto the truth. "And as for your last question, I don't have an answer to that."

"Are you sure you're not lying!?" Naruto gave him an incredulous look.

"I am positive."

"I don't know. It's kind of weird that Sasuke is asking about her."

"May I see the note?" Kakashi said extending his arm expectantly.

After a few seconds of considering whether or not to give the note to his former sensei, Naruto comply.

"Ah, I see" Kakashi smirked underneath his mask. He folded the note after reading it and gave it back to Naruto. "You should give him an answer as soon as possible. Also, keep me updated." He said dismissing Naruto with his hand.

"That's it!?" Naruto gaped at him "You're not even curious as to why he asked about her?"

Kakashi was curious, but he wasn't about to tell him that. "What's there to be curious about? What's so strange about a young man asking about a young woman?" He said innocently.

"I don't know! The fact that he wants to know about her it's weird." Naruto frowned.

"Perhaps he finds her attractive?" Kakashi teased, but decided to add something else at Naruto's death glare. "Or perhaps he is just curious?"

Naruto didn't like the look on his former sensei's face... Or more like half his face.

Could it be that Sasuke likes her?

Naruto tried to dismiss that thought, it was almost laughable to think Sasuke would like someone.

"What will you say?" Kakashi smirked under his mask.

"I don't know." Naruto pouted like a petulant child and the Copy-nin wondered how on earth was this boy becoming Hokage soon. "Hinata-chan is my friend, but there isn't much I know about her."

"Let's see, you could start by saying that she is no longer the heiress of the Hyūga clan."

"WHAT!?" Naruto asked shocked.

"Naruto, you really have to stop screaming everything."

"When did this happen sensei?"

"I was informed a few days ago."

"She must be really sad." Naruto said gloomily.

"Let's focus on answering Sasuke's note first."

"Right" Naruto said "What else?"

"Well, you could say that Hinata is a great kunoichi, and…" Kakashi paused for a moment and studied Naruto's confused expression before continuing. "You really don't know anything about her do you?" Kakashi sighed in defeat.

"Eh… No, not really?" Naruto didn't like where this conversation with his former sensei was heading. It sounded like Kakashi knew something he didn't.

"Just tell him whatever you want." Kakashi said giving up.

"Eh!?" Naruto scratched his head. "I guess... This will be hard. Do you really think I should tell him she is no longer the heiress of the clan?"

"You don't have to tell him if you don't want to."

"Hai..."

"Have a good day, Naruto-kun." Kakashi said smiling under his mask and dismissed him.

"Thanks sensei! Bye." And with a wave he left the Hokage's office.

The sixth Hokage knew precisely what he was doing. If he knew his former student well, things would go according to the plan he had been formulating during his conversation with the future Hokage. He had seen Naruto's expression to his earlier comments, and the Kyuubi's vessel had not liked what he had said. If the Sixth Hokage knew Naruto well, his former student would most likely not tell Sasuke anything about Hinata. Even though the future Hokage didn't have feelings for the former heiress, Sasuke was his rival. Naruto wouldn't give Sasuke any information willingly. Not because Naruto was jealous, but because Hyūga Hinata was the only girl that had ever loved him genuinely, unlike the rest of the female population in Konoha that dreamed of marrying Sasuke. It's not like Naruto didn't want her to be happy, Kakashi was sure Naruto did want her happiness. However, the Hokage doubted he'd want it to be his childhood rival.

Hatake Kakashi knew these things, or at least he hoped he did. If he was right, and he was almost sure he was, Naruto wouldn't give Sasuke any reliable information. Now, Uchiha Sasuke was another world entirely. Kakashi hoped that Naruto's lack of information would prompt the former Avenger to come back bringing Hinata with him. Sasuke didn't trust people; he was the best example as to why it was difficult to trust them. The Uchiha had betrayed his village and tried to annihilate their people. If the Sixth Hokage knew his former students like he thought he did, his plan would be successful in the end.

Calling an ANBU, Kakashi asked them to send a message to Hinata's search team.

"Tell them to come back. The search is no longer necessary."

"Hai!" The ANBU said and disappeared.

It was a risky move, for Sasuke could always decide to let her go and continue with his travels. But if Hatake Kakashi knew the former avenger, the last Uchiha would return to Konoha with Hinata.

Do not disappointment me, Sasuke.

Where am I?

Opening her eyes, Hinata was met with darkness. Whatever this dark place was, it felt moist, and it smelled like dirt and humidity. She wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping, but it felt like an awful lot. Her body felt rested but sore. She was hungry, so much she thought she would starve. When was the last time she had something to eat? She reminded herself that it wasn't important. What she needed to find out was her location, and how did she get here.

Suddenly, she remembered her encounter with the Uchiha. Did Konoha send him to retrieve her? She didn't think her village would go to such extremes for her, but it was a possibility she could not disregard yet. Where was he now? Activating her byakugan, she looked around, assessing her surroundings. She was in what seemed like the inside of a cave. The place was dark, but in the distance, she could perceive what looked like the faintest of illumination, but just when she was getting ready to investigate where was the light coming from, she heard someone approaching her. Getting into a fighting stance, she waited for her pursuer.

"Hyūga" Said a familiar voice.

"W-where a-are we?" She asked nervously when she found the Uchiha, but didn't leave her fighting stance.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked uninterested. "We are inside a cave."

"T-that m-much is o-obvious, b-b-but where?" She said blushing faintly.

"Hn"

She knew he had noticed her fighting stance, but didn't care to acknowledge it.

"Are you hungry?" He asked coldly.

For a moment she blinked at him owlishly. Of all the things he could have said, this was not what she expected.

He had sat on the floor across from her as if he didn't care she was ready for a fight. As if he knew with a certainty that she wouldn't be able to hurt him, not because she wouldn't actually attempt to do it, but because it was obvious she was below him in strength, speed, and skill. And Hinata could attest to that.

Hinata felt ill as realization came over her. There was no way she'd be able to win a fight against the Uchiha. He could obliterate her if he wanted to. Understanding her situation, she relaxed a bit and took a sit across from him. If she wanted to escape she would have to change her strategy.

"Y-yes" she finally answered and was thankful her stomach didn't growl in anticipation. She didn't need the embarrassment.

"Hn" He said handing her a bento box.

"A-arigato, Sasuke-san" She whispered bowing slightly.

They ate in silence. Neither one of them attempted a conversation. The silence would be deafening if it wasn't for the noises they made eating. Hinata had wanted to know what would happen next, what was he going to do to her, why were they hiding in a cave and not on their way back to Konoha like she had feared they would be, but she dismissed the idea.

It occurred to her that, perhaps, Uchiha Sasuke had not being sent to search for her, and that he had only found her by chance. How unlucky could she be!? Of all people, she had to encounter the Uchiha, one of the most powerful shinobis in history.

"We will wait here." He said making her jump.

"W-wait for w-what?" She asked attempting to look at him.

"For Naruto."

She looked at him with eyes wide as saucers. "W-waiting f-for h-h-him?"

"I'm waiting..." He looked at her intently, making her feel uneasy. "For his note"

At his revelation, she relaxed a little, but not enough. She waited for him to elaborate but when he didn't say anything else she asked him about the note.

"I requested information" He had said.

"A-about w-what?"

"You."

Author's Note: Hello guys! Again, thank you all so much for your reviews and follows!

I don't know how many times I've edited this chapter, but this is the final version. It didn't turn exactly how I wanted it, but it's decent enough.

I am taking Sasuke and Hinata's encounter slowly because writing Sasuke is hella hard, and I don't want to rush him. Rushed Sasuke always sounds ooc to me, and I am trying to avoid that as much as possible. Just so you know, this story is a slow burn.

Answer to reviews:

DAngel7: I wish could tell you, but I would be ruining the story for you. Don't worry, soon you'll begin to understand Hinata's reasons. Although, I did mention her reasons on the first chapter.

LB Cat: I'm glad you like it so far. I love Naruto to the moon and back, and though I was cheering for Hinata the whole way and wanted her to be with Naruto in canon, I didn't like how their relationship came to be. I feel like the way Naruto 'realized' he loved her in canon was… forced. Having said that, SasuHina is still my otp.

See you guys next week!