CHAPTER FIVE
A/N: Chapter five is up!
Sorry it's taken so long. I'm in my last year of Uni and out of the million things I should be doing right now this is absolutely not one of them. But I jumped on my computer and got this up anyway – I was feeling inspired (and up for some procrastination).
I'll try and not leave it this long again. Sorry for the wait!
We're also getting into the gritty end of this story. Let me know what you think about it.
Edited: Uploaded funny again today. Shout out to Rose for letting me know so quickly. I should check as soon as I upload a chapter that it works. Anyway, thanks for having my back guys!
_FURY_
Naruto sprinted across the village, jumping from roof to roof trying to catch a lead on those old chakra signatures he felt from Ino's jutsu. He couldn't sense them anywhere, and knew the signatures were vague from time passing but that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to pick up on the intruders if he ran into them. Surely, he'd be able to recognise them if they came across his path. He couldn't- wouldn't… He needed to find Hinata.
His clones were everywhere. Searching across Konoha, out in the forests surrounding the village – hell, he'd even sent some toward Suna and Rice country just in case. He was probably overusing his chakra, but he kept feeling like he wasn't doing enough to find her. Hell, he was the Hokage! He should be doing more. He should be able to do more.
But he had very little information to go on. Two decaying chakra signatures from a jutsu and memories that scarred him more than anything. Watching Hinata struggle… unable to use chakra because of the baby… his baby… his son and his wife.
Missing.
He thought back to the last moments the intruders had in his house. Reaching out and punching the frame of him and Hinata on their wedding day. There was anger in that punch. The intruder had no need to punch the picture on his way out of their house. Was it personal? Was this a vengeance plot? Because he had done something to wrong to someones family, or killed someone they loved? Was Hinata captured because of him?
Or was he punching the image of Hinata because she had done something to wrong him?
A wave of anger-induced adrenaline overcoming him as the thought struck him. If they wanted Hinata for revenge, and they got her… they didn't need to keep her alive. She wouldn't be used as a bargaining tool, or kept alive as insurance that they could get Naruto to do anything they wanted….
He stopped suddenly, breath coming short in his lungs.
He couldn't breathe. Naruto didn't know where he was. He'd been running aimlessly. This wasn't helping Hinata! All these clones. He was freaking out. He wasn't thinking straight. He couldn't help Hinata like this. She was. Gone.
He needed…
Naruto fisted his fingers into his hair, yelling into the sky as he tried to open up his lungs and take a breath. He was not coping with this very well at all.
Tears formed in the corners of his eyes at the emotion he could not control. "I can't… I can't-" do this. The thought choked him again. He couldn't let it overwhelm him. He had to do something.
He needed direction.
He needed to twist his pain and his fear and his worry into something productive. He didn't need to be aimlessly searching for his wife. He needed to stop worrying about what Hinata was dealing with – she could handle herself. He needed to stop worrying and focus solely on how he could find her. He needed… he needed to ignore the pain, the fear, the worry. He needed to cut out everything that was holding him back.
Red eyes deepened to almost black.
He needed rage.
_FURY_
When Hinata woke her head was spinning and her body aching. It took her more than a few moments to bring herself out of the darkness of slumber to realise that she shouldn't be feeling this way.
The baby!
Hinata reached down for her stomach, finding comfort in the large bump that was still there. As if feeling his mother worry, he punched at her hand, and relief washed over her. Quickly, she risked some chakra to check for any other abnormalities Sakura kept telling her to keep an eye on, bruising around the stomach, bleeding or pains that could have affected her boy. Everything seemed okay.
It was only after she checked her belly thoroughly once again – and received another kick in reply – that she checked on her personal state. Her head was throbbing, a concussion, no broken bones, but the aches weren't making her feel any better about herself.
This was not exactly where she wanted to be for her eighth month of pregnancy, Naruto would- Oh, God! Hinata sat up quickly, her concussion forcing a wave of dizziness over her. Naruto! Hinata knew he would be freaking out about this. She had to get back to him. Fast. She tried to stand, legs shaky underneath her.
She didn't know how long she'd been out for, but that didn't matter. She knew her husband would not be in the best space until he saw her again. And the baby. He would be so worried about her and their little boy. She needed to get out of here.
Hinata finally stabilised her legs, and looked up at her surroundings before freezing in shock.
Where am I?
_FURY_
Sakura, Choji and Ino had split up the moment Naruto went missing. They knew they weren't going to find him anytime soon, but they needed to help in any way they could.
Instead, they searched for any of their fellow ninja that they could, and ordered them to head straight toward the Hokage's building, preparing for a village-wide announcement. They needed as many hands as they could on the case.
Over a hundred ninja stood awkwardly outside the Hokage building, asking each other questions but getting confusion in response. Voices overlapped each other as people asked for answers, confused why they were all gathered there.
"We have a Code Black."
The crowd froze simultaneously, turning before Shikamaru who stood before them. He had been notified by Choji and Ino earlier, and as the advisor to the Hokage decided to be the one to alert the masses in Naruto's place.
The silence was deafening. The crowd too shocked to ask any questions, simply waiting for a reply. Shikamaru took a moment to assess the crowd before continuing.
The roads surrounding the face of the Hokage building was congested with ninja of different ages, strengths and weaknesses. They wore a variety of colours, had a variety of skin tones, heights, hairstyles. Konoha was proud of its ability to accept those from outside nations, travellers, friends, tourists and turn them into family. Everyone standing in front of the Hokage building had different DNA running through their veins, even the traditionally long-standing Konoha families such as the Akamichi and the Inuzuka, and the hierarchy within the ninja had broken down since Naruto's rise to power. The only thing in common between all the people present were the sleek marking on the silver headbands, scratched with use and shined with pride. They were on foreheads, arms, waists, legs and around necks, showcasing to the world the importance of that tiny carving on the silver plaque.
These people were all here because they wanted to be. Because they loved this place.
Because of Naruto.
Shikamaru sighed, he hated some parts of his job. And he knew the confused faces of the ninja would become terrified once they knew the truth. And he was the one that had to tell them the truth.
Shikamaru took a deep breath, "Lady Hinata is missing."
The shocked silence immediately turned thick with tension. Where the ninja were too shocked to speak before, and were too afraid to move now.
"Where's Naruto-Kun?" Rock Lee's quiet voice broke the silence. He was standing beside his mentor, tears appearing in the corners of his eyes.
Lee had always been very emotional, and he couldn't believe what he had heard. What sort of monster would take someone to precious from Konoha? He couldn't believe it. He couldn't even comprehend the pain he was feeling about the situation – let alone how Naruto would be feeling! Was he out seeking vengeance now? Was he comatose in shock? Had he been injured in the fight to save his wife and unborn child… had he been killed in action trying to take on a legion of monsters who tried to take her… WAS SOMEONE..-
"Naruto is out looking for her," Shikamaru's voice broke Lee out of his downward spiral. "We can assume that Naruto will be MIA until this situation is solved, and if any of you see him do not provoke him."
Gasps let out across the area at his words, and Shikamaru cleared his voice to achieve quiet once again. "As you can imagine Naruto may not be in the correct mental state to be dealing with anything other than this current situation right now. I have not been granted permission to speak to you all, and I have not been granted permission to stand before you as your stand-in Hokage, but I ask you to let me rise up to this occasion on behalf of our beloved leader. If you have any fears or worries about this situation or my decision to stand in place of our Hokage please take it up with me and we can vote on the matter."
"However," Shikamary continued, looking out into the crowd, "Our primary objective right now will be ensuring that Hinata-sama is found. Standard missions will be diminished with the exception of those of utmost importance, and I expect every one of you to stand up and help us with this situation. Whether you are helping with academy students, taking D Rank missions to keep this village running or looking for our First Lady yourself we need all hands on deck. I have put all hands in the Hokage office on this so by tomorrow each and every one of you will have your first mission. We will keep this village running while Naruto is gone, we will find Hinata and when she does return to us we will know that this village can survive anything." Shikamaru took a breath. "Am I clear?"
A resounding "Hai!" Shook the walls of the Hokage building and Shikamaru took another deep breath of relief. Thank God.
He caught sight of some of the other Konoha 12 standing shocked at this entire situation, and knew they would be coming for him immediately for information. Rock Lee was now crying whole heartedly and the rest of the jounin were looking just as depressed. Shikamaru knew the feeling – he had barely had time to understand this situation before being forced to make this speech to the village.
But now - he needed to be prepared with missions and jobs for them so they could make some progress on the matter of the missing Hyuuga.
Immediately.
_FURY_
Hanabi left the village -wide meeting feeling shocked. She couldn't believe that Hinata was missing. Her sister was almost invincible; there wasn't a person on this earth that would willingly try and hurt her – especially once they realised who she was.
It was true that they had a lot of enemies – Naruto especially. However what idiot would go after his pregnant wife!
Hanabi took a deep breath. She thought about her little nephew inside her sister's stomach, and couldn't comprehend anything bad happening to that little man. She knew that her sister would do anything to protect him – but Hanabi wasn't sure if that gave her comfort or made her even more worried.
There was only one type of person that would steal a pregnant woman from her home; a monster.
She knew it was true, but she did not want to admit it.
Hanabi took a seat on a nearby bench, restless. She felt she had to do something but was unsure what. This was her sister! While it was true they did not always get along, Hinata had always been there for her. Even when Hanabi hated her like their father did, despised her weakness and lack of confidence. She didn't really understand her hatred then, simply mirroring her father's views toward her elder sister. But that didn't stop her from taking action, insulting, pushing or ignoring Hinata as she walked past her through the compound, isolating her in her own home.
Hanabi knew It was wrong. Even now she cringes at the memories of her childhood, growing up spoiled, stubborn and self-centred while her sister become insipid, quiet and lonely. Lucky for Hinata, she had a drive to become better than everyone expected of her. She fought for her place in the Academy, in the ranks of Konoha genin, chunin, and jounin. It was not until she finally made ANBU that she became accepted back into the ranks of Hyuuga as anything better a flaw within the Hyuuga.
And despite all this, despite everything the Hyuuga or Hanabi herself threw at her, Hinata refused to show anything except honour, politeness and well-wishes toward her family.
Hanabi regretted her actions. She had changed her mind about Hinata far before the Hyuuga, but she still felt she had years of hatred to make up for. Hinata deserved the best, and was only just receiving it. The Hyuuga, Naruto, a family…
Hanabi shook her head, forcing the thoughts away. Thinking about her wasn't going to help any. Hanabi needed to find a way to fix this situation, find Hinata, find her soon to be nephew..
A familiar chakra caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Hanabi paused, spinning on her feet a grabbing a passerby by the collar of his shirt.
"Hey, I know you!"
The man stumbled, trying to catch his feet. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Hanabi glowered at him, "You were going to try and attack me and my team. You saw I was a Hyuuga and got scared, thinking I was my sister." Her Byakugan activated, scaring the purple-haired man. "Did you change your mind? Our Hokage not scary enough for you to stop from kidnapping my sister?"
"We were paid to do it!" He blurted, struggling to keep his voice from shaking, "It was that other guy's fault."
"Shut up Takumi!" The dark-skinned Ran glanced quickly to his friend. "We'll be in worse trouble if he finds ou-."
His voice cut off with a cough and a choke as a hand of cement reached out and wrapped itself around his throat silently.
"If by he you mean me. I have already found out." An angry voice echoed across the room. "And if you want to continue breathing then I think you should start talking." The voice deepened and was almost a growl at the end of the sentence. The two men didn't even need to look to realise who had just arrived.
_FURY_
Done.
Any guesses to what happened to Hinata? Who has her? Why? Send them in – I'm curious to think where you think this is going!
Any feedback is good feedback – let me know what you think!