Oh it was loud.

Frightening.

Intimidating to onlookers whom stepped out of their respective rooms to check on the ruckus.

He was going to die.

Sasuke, anybody, please help...

Hinata stood with one hand on her hip, readily nose and eyes with Naruto. He didn't think she was capable of looking so... mean. He was paralyzed in fear. Afraid to speak, blink, look away, or breathe. His large eyes remained focused on the much smaller, much angrier, form in front of him.

"You left before we could finish our little chat the other day. I have a lot to say to you, Naruto."

"You do?" His voice came out as a squeak from his dry throat. "About what..?"

"Oh I think you know what this is about.." Hinata replied through gritted teeth.

"You look.. umm.. concerned.."

"Concerned? Do I look concerned, Naruto?" Her eyes widened to frightening perimeters as she tilted her head to the side. Naruto hadn't seen Hinata in a while, but she wasn't this crazy when he left. This was definitely Sasuke's doing. Every girl that ever went after Sasuke or dated Sasuke was this way. It must be an Uchiha thing..

"Why is it you've given Sasuke such a shitty deal?"

"This is about Sasuke? Oh thank god, I thought you were going to castrate me and admit your love to me or something." Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. After seeing she wasn't laughing all that much he cleared his throat and nodded. "Sasuke agreed to the deal, I just don't think there is a way I can convince the village elders to let him off like the other three stooges."

"Then it's off. No deal."

"Hinata..!"

"Not until you promise him a pardon." Naruto groaned and shoved his hands in his pockets, "If I were you, I would be worried about my own pardoning. You have no clue how close you are to being labeled a rogue ninja."

"I'm not here to talk about me. My focus is on Sasuke."

"Why? You really think he'll be good to you? You think he'll keep you around and protect you?"

"That doesn't matter."

"It does..! Because you're doing all of this for him and what if he's using you? Then what?"

"You mean like you're using him right now? Look, Sasuke can do whatever he wants and you can think of me as whatever you want but this is my family now and I'm not going to let you offer them some half assed deal. Those are the terms, take it or leave it."

Naruto blew loudly and rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll talk to the elders, but I'm not promising anything. I swear you two are crazy. You want to jump me over him .. he wants to jump me over you.. sheesh.." He ran a hand through his hair, "anything else Uchiha Princess?"

Hinata's eyes widened and her cheeks reddened. If only Naruto would've kept his mouth shut a little longer..

She sent him flying down the hall, screaming the entire way. "What did you call me?!"

After all that commotion, the group was forced to relocate to a smaller inn. Sasuke wasn't all that happy about it, but after having the previous room destroyed, what could he say?

He didn't even ask what she said to Naruto. He probably already knew. He had a way of finding out things that he didn't need to, which was why he was annoying.

Mr. I know everything Uchiha.

Hinata spread a sheet across the small hotel bed and fluffed the pillows. She could hear Karin and Suigetsu arguing two rooms down. Thank god she wasn't bunking with them. She felt sorry for Jugo though..

Sasuke was hogging the tiny bathroom with one of his record long showers. She used his absence to her advantage and changed into some pajamas.

Hinata used her sensory abilities to check the surrounding area one more time before sitting down on the bed and finding a book to read. It was one of Sasuke's ninja tool books that she found hanging out of his pack.

She was bored enough to read an instruction manual..

Sasuke emerged, two hours later, looking paler than ever, but clean. Maybe his tan was really just dirt. Hinata shivered in slight disgust as she made a mental note to force him to bathe more. Her eyelids were growing heavy just as he entered the bedroom in his usual half naked, uncaring state of being with a towel hanging loosely on his hips.

He really needed to learn some manners.

Hinata felt the book fall against her chest as her eyes began to close. She was tired from earlier but not too tired to force herself to wait for him to crawl on the bed, after he found some pants. She didn't have to go to him, he found her and he wrapped her up protectively. His chest was against her back and his lips landed softly against the shell of her ear. He whispered to her as softly as he could, using his bedroom voice. "Tomorrow, I want you and Karin to head somewhere safe for a few days. It's going to get messy and I don't want you right in the middle of it. Listen to me for once, okay?"

Hinata sleepily nodded and fell asleep with a smile on her face when she felt Sasuke kiss the soft spot behind her ear.

So she didn't remember agreeing to any terms the night before. Sasuke swore up and down she agreed to haul herself and Karin to a "safe zone" while the guys took care of business.

She had no recollection of this agreement and was adamantly refusing to leave the guys to fend for themselves. Sasuke didn't feel much like fighting so he let her and Karin stay.

Sasuke took them to an open field, just outside of the village they had been staying in. It was faint, but Hinata could sense Naruto's chakra as well as a few other familiar signatures nearby. "What's the plan, Sasuke?"

"We lure them out."

"We're bait?"

"No, I'm bait. " Well that didn't make matters much better. Hinata sighed and prepared herself next to Karin. "I have a bad feeling about this.." Karin looked worried, with good reason too.

Wait. Hinata felt a surge of familiar chakra entering the playing field. Why now? This meeting had absolutely nothing to do with herself or the Hyuga clan, but man they had the best timing.

"They're approaching..!" Karin called out, but she was referring to the group they were sent to lure out in the first place. Both problems were heading for them from opposite directions.

They would be surrounded.

"Sasuke, I've got some business to take care of! I'll be back, hold down the fort here, Karin!"

"What? You can't go alone! Hinata?!"

"You're a better medical ninja than I am, they will need you more here!" Without further explanation, Hinata took off in the opposite direction of the group. Sasuke called for her, but she ignored him. If she allowed them to be surrounded they wouldn't stand a chance so she had to cut her father off before he got too close.

Yes. Her father. It was really him this time. She knew his chakra anywhere, and he wasn't alone.