Hinata lounged around in some trees just a few minutes from their hotel. She could sense Naruto's chakra still and she wasn't going back until he left. Why was she running? Well there was a huge possibility that Naruto would drag her back to the village, her father would then make her marry Neji, and she would live her life in complete misery. Also, she just didn't want to look at him.
She almost couldn't believe that there would ever be a time that she didn't want to look at Naruto. It's amazing how time changes people. Hinata folded her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. It wouldn't be long until Karin would come looking for her out of either worry or boredom.
Her shoulders slumped and she allowed herself to relax as she waited diligently for Naruto to disappear. He seemed to be taking forever, sticking right next to Sasuke.
Hinata was so focused on his chakra that she failed to pick up the disaster that had been closely approaching. She heard a twig snap above her head and she pulled her gaze upward.
She was eyeball to eyeball and nose to nose with a very familiar face. "Think I could talk to you for a minute? Hinata, right?" Her eyes widened and she wanted to jump away but her back was flesh against the rough bark of the tree. "Don't panic, sweetheart, this will only take a minute. I promise, I'll do my best to make it painless."
What can she say? She froze up completely. Fear and panic overtook her as she struggled to fight her temporary paralysis. What was he doing here?
"Aw, I guess I scared you a little too much.." His large hand reached out for her face and as she stared into his eyes she understood exactly what Sasuke meant when he described this man as a monster.
"We have some work to do, to say the very least." Naruto crossed his arms and leaned against the, now closed, bedroom door. "Think you can handle your part by yourself? Or should I lend you some back up?"
"Tch. Keep your anbu."
"Sasuke.."
"I mean it, Naruto. I don't need any of your handouts." Naruto smiled and shook his head, "Why are you always so stubborn?"
"You're one to talk.." A small knock at the door interrupted their brotherly spat, "What?"
"Is Hinata in there?" Suigetsu questioned from the other side of the door. "No." Sasuke crossed his arms and sat at the foot of the bed.
"Guys we have a problem." Karin chimed in, "I don't sense Hinata's chakra anymore."
"She's probably out of your range by now, Naruto scared her off.."
"No, She was sitting very still not far from here and then she just.. disappeared. Something is up, Sasuke, we need to go check on her.." Karin and Suigetsu jumped back when Sasuke yanked the bedroom door open abruptly. "Where was she?"
"U-um, not far.." Karin struggled to keep up with him as they left the hotel and took to the rooftops. "I felt the presence of a familiar chakra for just a second, a very split second, then Hinata's disappeared.. I know I've felt it somewhere before but I'm not sure where.."
As Sasuke and Karin arrived to the spot where Hinata was last thought to be, Sasuke started scanning the area. "Sense anything, Karin?"
"No, nothing.. it's like she wasn't even here.." Suigetsu, Jugo, and Naruto showed up soon after them. "Where is she, Sasuke?" Naruto had the usual worried expression he wore when his friends were in danger. "I don't know, if Karin can't sense her chakra... I'm not sure if anyone could.."
"Oh no.." Karin ran both her hands through her hair, "I knew something was up.. I should have followed her.."
"Tch." Sugietsu shook his head, "Whoever it was probably would've just taken you too.."
"You don't know that! I could've helped her!"
"As if you coul-"
"Shut up, both of you!" Sasuke snapped and they jumped back in shock. "Karin, try harder. Do you sense anything at all?" Karin swallowed hard and walked around for a bit before looking at the trees closest to them. "It's faint, but she must have been standing in the trees.." She took a deep breath and bit her lip, "Yeah, someone took her. I can sense their chakra very faintly. I recognize the chakra..but there isn't enough there to get a trail.."
"What do we do, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, "Who do you think would've taken her?"
"We don't have a trail.. but you said the chakra was familiar to you, so it's someone we know..or someone that you've come into contact with?"
"Oh yeah, definitely. I've felt it before, no doubt about that. I just can't remember who it belongs to.." Suigetsu sighed and shrugged, "Some help you are. Anything you can do?" He turned to Naruto who looked nearly crushed. "'Sasuke, we have to find her.."
"You have to return to the Leaf."
"Not without finding Hinata!"
"Naruto I will figure it out! You're the last person she wants around her, so leave her alone!" The two glared at each other and if Sasuke had the ability to breathe fire like a dragon, not an Uchiha, he would. "You've done enough, just go home."
"You can get mad at me all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that Hinata needs found."
"And I'll find her!" Suigetsu glanced at Karin and then at Jugo. It wasn't very often Sasuke would get so worked up. "Well.. Karin.." Suigetsu began, "We need you to remember who the chakra belongs to..because whoever that is has Hinata.."
"The quicker we move, the better." Jugo added, "We don't really have time to argue. We'll take care of Hinata, like Sasuke said, go on back and take care of your own responsibilities." Naruto arched a brow, "But.."
"Yeah, go on. Hinata is our teammate. Not yours, you guys sort of gave her up so don't worry. We got this." Karin grinned confidently as she continued to walk the area trying to pick up on small details.
Naruto reluctantly agreed to trust the task to them and headed out. Sasuke bit his lip and groaned, "Jugo, Suigetsu, head into the woods. Karin and I will linger here for a bit and then we will catch up." The two men nodded in understanding and headed out.
"I don't understand, it's as if the chakra signatures were erased from this area.. who could do something like that?" Sasuke bolted up into the tree, jumping up from branch to branch. "I don't know, but we've wasted enough time. Start looking for clues." He scaled the tree that Karin thought Hinata was in when she disappeared, but found nothing. He couldn't just blindly go after someone, so what now?
"Find anything up there?"
"No. Nothing." He ran a hand through his dark hair and clenched his jaw tightly. He turned on his heel, deciding to head down, and faced the core of the tree.
There was something on the bark.
Rather, something carved into the bark. Sasuke stepped over and leaned down to get a closer look. Deeply carved, and sloppily, into the bark of the tree was a triangle. Why a triangle? He stared for a moment. It could've been nothing, just some stupid pattern in the tree, or some kids could've done it. However, it was very unlikely to have been kids because of the distance from the ground..
But why a triangle?
"Sasuke, did you find something?"
"A triangle carved into the tree." Karin joined him on the sturdy limb to observe his findings. "Triangle?" She stared for a minute and crossed her arms over her chest. She bit her lip and once she finally forced the light bulb, that was her brain, to work her eyes widened.
"Someone familiar.. Didn't Hinata like..recognize someone when we were on the mountain top?" Sasuke thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, she didn't know anyone."
"Yes, yes she did! That man from her village, the one from the Inuzuka clan! Their clan symbol is similar in shape isn't it?"
"Well there are two of them but... I guess if she were in a hurry she wouldn't have time.." Sasuke and Karin shared a look before heading out to catch up with Suigetsu. This situation was just getting worse by the minute. Sasuke was genuinely worried at this point. He wasn't sure Hinata could last in the company of a man like her captor. "Sasuke, I'm worried.." Karin admitted as they caught up to Jugo and Suigetsu. He glanced back over his shoulder and nodded. "We don't have a lot of time, that's for sure." He was doing his best to force back the nervous butterflies threatening to rise from the pit of his stomach. Sasuke knew this wasn't going to be an easy task, if she was even still alive.