Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hyūga Hinata was exhausted, but having worked a full shift and then two extra hours of covering someone else's would do that to a person. She couldn't remember the last time she'd sat down or even had enough time to take a deep breath, but she liked the way being a medic-nin kept you on your toes and constantly challenged you. Not to mention the added knowledge and the added ability to be able to further help her squad now that she knew the ropes of medical jutsu. She was no Tsunade, or Haruno Sakura, for that matter, but she was used to being overshadowed by prodigies and had never had a problem working under them. She lived with Neji, worked constantly with Sakura, had seen the way Yamanaka Ino could interrogate, and she knew first hand with each of them that they each had their specific prodigious talents. She didn't even have to mention Naruto and all his powerful idiosyncrasies, because that was a given.

But Hinata was good enough to save lives and every now and again impress Sakura with how quickly she picked things up and succeeded, mostly due to her amazing manipulation of chakra and her ability to see it and know it, thanks in large part to her Kekkei Genkai. She had a special talent in sealing techniques but it was nothing to brag or boast about, to be true. She was simply another dedicated med-nin of Konoha, now dedicated mostly to those who injured themselves on missions or around the border, though she took turns switching between this gig and the one that allowed med-nin to walk around the village offering immediate aid to those with heat exhaustion or dehydration or construction accidents as they worked to rebuild Konoha. She didn't really have a preference between the two but the added benefit of being outside in the cool breeze of Konoha's seemingly perfect weather was always a bonus, especially when the alternative was the hospital's constant smells of anesthetic, chakra exhaustion and the dying.

"Hinata! Room 312, immediately!" a fellow medic demanded as she approached at a jog, gesturing for Hinata to follow. Instantly Hinata was with her, following her until they came to a room already bustling with personnel. The nurse beside her briefed them without pause, informing of a wounded ANBU squadron that had been ambushed. Hinata had a split second of fear for Neji before she entered the room and saw that it was not his squadron, before she noted that Sakura was already in the corner, hair tied up in a tail and hands glowing green. She was working on the worst of them, a young man who had almost been cut clean in half by a blade claimed to be bigger than he was, not to mention his fractured cheekbone, broken jaw, and broken tibia.

The patient Hinata immediately came to heal had two broken arms and internal bleeding from a ruptured kidney. Her hands glowed a shade reminiscent of Sakura's own eyes and she quickly set to work on the internal healing, keeping her Byakugan activated so as to better understand what she was working with. She could feel the edges of her chakra pulling the pieces together, working as invisible sutures, but the process was long drawn and draining and she had already been at the hospital for more than she was officially supposed to have been, which would certainly result in a scolding from their Lady Hokage should Sakura choose to tell her, which she wouldn't—it was clear that Sakura was guilty of the same misdemeanor just from the bags under her eyes and the levels of her finely tuned chakra. It was all too easy to tell when people like Hinata and Sakura were abusing themselves work-wise, because they were so good at chakra control that any source of it low enough to be dangerous meant they weren't taking proper care of themselves. Punishment enough was the certainty that both Neji-nii-san and Naruto-kun would without a doubt be chastising their respective teammates for their carelessness.

It took hours just to get the internal organ to stop bleeding. Her patient had been unconscious the moment she came into the room and she was thankful for it, since any movement of his arms would've been detrimental to her healing and yet she didn't have the time to tend to them just yet. She could hear Sakura grumbling curses to her patient albeit under her breath, threatening his life if he didn't just live, which at any other time would've made Hinata laugh if she didn't think the action would result in her lying unconscious on the tile.

Hours and way too much chakra spent later, Hinata finally felt the last of her healing chakra withdraw back into her as she straightened. She looked over her patient with a critical but weary eye, suddenly realizing that it was silent in the room. Where had everyone gone? Just a second ago the room had been filled to bursting, hadn't it? She turned to look over her shoulder and after a brief dizzy spell caused by her dwindling supply of chakra, she noticed that Sakura was gone too, though the pinkette's patient was lying still under a suit of bandages, the beeping of a heart monitor promising life. Hearing something in the doorway, Hinata looked up to see Sakura approaching, looking exactly how Hinata felt, but with a small smile still etched on her face.

"You did well, Hinata. Your patient has stabilized. I'm going to double-check his kidney real quick," she informed before resting her hands just above the injury, her face screwing up into one of concentration. Hinata swayed where she was standing and waited for Sakura to give her the go-ahead. Sakura straightened, cracking her back at the same time, and smiled at Hinata.

"Well done. I've sent for someone who actually obeyed the one-shift-per-medic rule to heal Kimchi-san's arms, since you and I are dangerously low on chakra. Now I'll be the pot and you can be the kettle: this behavior is unacceptable and dangerous. No more of this, understood?" Sakura smiled once more and accepted Hinata's nod.

"Hai, Sakura-san. You did well today." She added, glancing back at the team leader in sympathy. When she looked back to the pinkette, the other woman was shaking her head.

"Fool," she whispered, bringing her verdant eyes back to pale lavender ones. "He should've seen the ambush coming, especially since they were in Mist's territory. I don't know what Tsunade-shishou was thinking sending them over there." Then she sighed, as if the world and all its problems had been trying to settle over her but she refused to let them, turning towards the door with Hinata close behind. The violet clad woman held back a yawn as she gently shut the door behind her, feeling her lungs expand around a huge sigh for the first time all night. After checking the clock and noting that her half-shift was now officially past over, she bowed her head politely and wished Sakura a good night.

"Eat something before you go to sleep, Hinata." Sakura called out after her, and without turning Hinata knew that her hands would be fisted on her hips, a stern expression on her face.

"Hai, Sakura-san!" she called out with a raised hand, still not turning. She didn't want to cause the dizziness to return again, and it seemed even slow turns made her a bit woozy. She reached a hand over her body to rub her arm up and down in a soothing motion, wishing she had the energy to massage the muscles there. After writing her last reports and filing them away, she walked out into the cold night and was glad for her lavender jacket to shield her from the cold air. Sometimes after her shifts she'd randomly find Neji waiting outside, leaning against the building as if he was supposed to be there. He liked to walk her home at night, worrying over her health and scolding her for her carelessness the entire way back to the compound. If she had ever wanted for an older brother when she was a child, she needn't do so anymore.

Tonight, however, she knew he would not be there because he was on a mission with his squad, though she knew not where or why or when he was due to return. All she knew was that they hadn't had time for any sparring sessions like she'd hoped they would—he'd had to leave the same night he was given the mission. Carefully covering her mouth around a yawn, she shuffled her feet through the dirt road and wondered what she would eat before she went to sleep. She'd need to be rejuvenated for the next day since she had a training session scheduled with Kiba and Shino. Kurenai was still busy taking care of her little girl who looked curiously the perfect mix of the woman and her deceased lover. Hinata often dropped by to play with the child, finding she was actually quite happy to babysit and even sleep over should Kurenai need some 'quality time' as she liked to call it. Chewing on her lip, Hinata decided after training she'd drop by and pay Ame-chan a quick visit.

She was going to have to talk to Neji about speed consistency. She ducked low as three shuriken sped through the air her head had just been occupying, breathing in as she shot forward without leaving time for Kiba to fix his stance. Her hands were quick and deadly—just one hit and he could be incapacitated. But Kiba and Shino knew her better than anyone and her moves almost had a rhythm one could trace once she fell into it. He rolled away from her, escaping her dangerous digits just as Shino's bugs crowded around him, blocking him from sight like a cloud of smoke. Not having the time to see if Kiba could attack her from behind, Hinata pushed the offending kick away from her, watching Shino spin with the momentum of the toss only to bring his foot all the way around to swipe under her feet. She leapt into the air, somersaulting and crashing the back of her foot down on his head.

He threw up an arm and deflected her kick with too much ease, she thought as she stumbled back, crossing her arms in front of her face as he came at her with a deadly taijutsu combination of punches and kicks. It was a blend she'd never seen from him before, making it that much harder to block and deflect. Kiba cursed behind her but sounded too close for comfort, so without further thought she latched on to Shino's next punch and managed to grasp his wrist in her delicate hands. That was all she needed.

Within a second his wrist was useless, the pain from shutting down the chakra centers there the equivalent to her breaking those bones, though he made no sound. Her heart clenched but she told herself this was how it had to be, this was how she had to be if she wanted to keep up with her rapidly strengthening teammates. She would not be left behind. She had to prove to them that she was strong and that she could keep up with them. He leapt away, his dark glasses flashing in the sunlight, his hand dangling lifelessly at his side. That single moment of distraction was all Kiba needed to reinsert himself into the spar, and he took it with a sharp-nailed jab into her side, breaking skin. She couldn't help the soft sound of pain as her body folded around the blow, but she quickly used his momentum against him and in an instant he, too, was without the use of one of his arms. He, however, had been close enough for her to shut down an entire arm, rather than just a hand, as she had with Shino.

Buzzing sounded in her ear and she knew she could only hear it because Shino allowed it, and so she became as still as the trunks of the trees around them, her hair mirroring the movement of the canopies in the wind. She concentrated her chakra just under the surface of her skin and then all at once emitted a tiny blast from every pore, listening and hearing nothing, though her nose told her otherwise. There was the faintest smell of charred extract in the air and she knew that the bugs too tiny for even her eyes to see that had landed on her skin had been burnt away. She would have to apologize later to Shino for that one, though he should have known better than to underestimate her mind in battle-mode.

She looked over to see Kiba in the midst of a giant Getsuga and had a split second to realize that Akamaru was not with him, which meant…and sure enough the moment she flattened herself to the ground a massive white dog flew overhead, saliva dripping from open jowls. He quickly turned back to her, growling like a fiend, and charged before leaping into his own Getsuga. Already in mid-spin, Hinata displayed a perfect Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven and easily deflected the Getsuga, which Akamaru brilliantly shifted from a failed move to a swift attack towards a defenseless Shino. Slowing to a stop from her spin, Hinata looked up in time to see Shino's clone pop after being assaulted by Akamaru, which in turn disoriented the big animal for a brief period. The dog leapt for the real Shino just as Kiba's fist came into contact with Hinata's cheek, sending her sprawling down into the ground. She pushed herself up and bounded a few feet away, her hands still in defensive position. As Shino and Kiba both sent an arsenal of kunai her way, their aim true to very vulnerable parts of her body, she found herself already spinning in another Revolving Heaven, listening as every blade was deflected and she remained untouched.

Without waiting for an opening to make her vulnerable, she pushed off from her spin and dove towards her two fighting teammates, and together all three of them began their own vicious sets of taijutsu, being that they were too close together for much else. The boys seemed to silently agree and turn against her, since hers were the most dangerous hands up close. She didn't mind, in fact, this was greatly improving her defenses by forcing her to continue to be offensive towards more than one foe, whilst remaining untouched by their damning fists. Shino landed a chop upon the top of her shoulder that hurt like hell, but his downswing left him within reach of her left hand and she wasted no time in disabling the entire arm of which his already useless hand belonged. She spun to attempt the same on Kiba and subsequently underestimated Shino's vivacity—a dire mistake.

Before she could turn back to him, her Byakugan eyes widened and her mouth opened around the pain of a fist pounding into her stomach, sending her flying. The wind was instantly knocked out of her, as she rolled, rolled, rolled and crashed into the trunk of a tree, her spine feeling as though it'd snapped in half. She tried to regain her breath and not panic, knowing what had happened to her and dealing with not being able to breathe two entirely different matters. When she finally sucked in some air, she looked up to see Shino pulling Kiba up off the ground and Akamaru trotting over to her, tongue lolling out. Kiba was bleeding from the leg and had a cut across his cheek but looked relatively unscathed. Shino looked completely untouched but then again it was always hard to tell with him since he was so completely covered. She was absolutely positive she'd need to fix that arm of his, though she wasn't sure yet if that was the least of his worries. As Akamaru came over and licked her face in apology for any wrongdoing he might've done to her, Hinata reached up and scratched the scruffy fur of his neck. Doing a quick self-examination from the ground she laid on, Hinata guessed that she had a broken rib or two, a few cuts, and several bruises. Sighing, she accepted that she'd still lost this round, though there was never really a distinct loser or victor.

"Hinata-chaaaaan!" Kiba called as he and Shino walked over to her. The dog lover was obviously favoring his right leg and Shino was equally obvious about his arm being uncomfortable, though neither of them looked upset. Quite the opposite, actually.

"That was a decent spar, ne?" Kiba questioned as they came up beside her, reaching down to pet his massive dog and congratulating him on an excellently delivered Getsuga. Shino reached down and waited for Hinata to grasp his outstretched hand, pulling her up to her feet when their hands came together. She dusted herself off before hissing at the pain it caused, one hand reaching up to grasp the area that ailed her. Kiba looked her over, concerned, not wanting to touch her.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Her ribs." Shino answered, not looking away from her. She smiled sheepishly up at him, nodding her head.

"That was a powerful punch, Shino-kun." She congratulated him, smiling even when every breath felt like a blade between her ribs. Kiba seemed to finally understand and pushed at Shino's shoulder angrily, growling between his elongated teeth.

"Shino you idiot! You broke some of her ribs!"

"Kiba." Shino warned, not looking at him. Instead, he nodded to her injury and without much effort grunted, "Heal it." She nodded her head, her eyes scrunching as she smiled. She felt exhilarated and very happy to have been able to spar with them after so long. Usually uncomfortable around everyone, her boys always made her feel relaxed and at home, even when they were beating the snot out of her. They were a very close-knit team, and Hinata thanked her lucky stars day in and day out that she'd been blessed with them. She could remember when she'd been placed with them, being so worried because she was used to training in the back of all the girls whereas now she was the only girl, not to mention that she'd have to grow up with these two boys around all the time. But she had to admit, growing up with two boys around had done wonders for her confidence, even if many people couldn't tell. She was able to change in front of them and joke with them and be apart of their lives like a little sister, and they treated her with respect and the over-protectiveness she'd come to expect from Neji.

She wondered if they were even aware that she didn't need such protection. It was a frustrating but logical situation she often felt from the clan's perspective: they suffocated her with personal assistants and even a bodyguard when she was already a highly skilled Jounin and medic. She knew they did so because she was an heiress, and a frail looking one at that, but it still hurt and fueled the small voice in her head that whispered weak. Kiba and Neji did the same thing, though they had much purer intentions she was sure. Even Shino to some extent exuded a protective air when around her; though he was most forthcoming about her need to branch out and do her own thing, walk her own path. Sometimes she thought it was more for their sakes than hers, if she was being completely honest. The thought made her smile as she lifted her hands to heal her broken ribs, finding three that had cracked. What a powerful punch that had been! She'd have to remember to steer clear of Shino's left hand.

"Ah, well." Kiba sighed, stretching with his hands tied behind his head, a loud groan escaping him as his back realigned with a few cracks. "We should get something to eat!"

"Hinata?" Shino asked, given that it was her turn to pick the cuisine. Between the three of them, they had very different tastes for food. Shino preferred salads and any form of vegetables, Kiba preferred anything meaty or that included beef jerky, and Hinata loved zenzai and delighted in cinnamon rolls. Obviously they had trouble agreeing when it came to meals, though Hinata was okay with everything though Shino never let her settle and Kiba often felt bad for always choosing things that seemed to fill her up so quickly. Eventually an exasperated Kurenai had suggested they take turns choosing, and from that point on they always had. Hinata had learned, however, the few places that they could all agree on, and amongst them was a place she embarrassingly chose often for hope of seeing a certain someone.

Shyly, because she knew how they felt about her crush on a certain Kyuubi container, Hinata looked up through her lashes and posed, "Ichiraku?" in a small, uncertain voice. Surprisingly, Kiba was quick to shrug and agree. Shino nodded his head once and just like that, it was decided. Before any of them made to move, Hinata ushered them close and healed Kiba's leg and a hidden laceration on Shino's back that had come from a kunai she'd thrown his way. She also opened their blocked chakra channels and grinned sheepishly when they stretched their arms with obvious relief. Finally, after all the healing was finished, they turned and headed towards Naruto's favorite restaurant, with Kiba's endless chatter keeping them occupied.

Usually it took many minutes of teasing and attempts to understand what she saw in that blonde-haired idiot before Kiba would let her be, cheeks blazing and hands shaking. Shino always stayed silent but seemed interested in the conversation, as if he didn't want to look like an idiot like Kiba did, but was equally as interested in an answer. As they started walking, Kiba slightly taller on her right and Shino towering over her on her left, they all listened as Kiba jumped into a detailed summary of the night before where he had, in his words, scored some tail.

When they got to Ichiraku Ramen, the place was crowded but there was no sign of one Uzumaki Naruto. Hinata felt mild disappointment but also was able to relax a bit more given that she wouldn't have to worry about being in his presence. Shino, having seen her shoulders wilt and her frame relax, glanced over her head at a smirking Kiba, who in turn shook his head. They were seated rather quickly for how crowded the place was, and within the first moment of silence after ordering, Kiba turned to Hinata and said, "So."

"Kiba-kun?" she posed, unsure of why he was looking at her like that. She looked back at Shino to see him giving her the same look but in his own way, which really made her curious. She knew that had she been anyone else she wouldn't have been able to tell a difference in Shino, but because she knew him better than anyone besides Kiba, she could distinguish his minimal facial expressions. She quite likened it to the way Naruto and Sakura had been able to read their brooding Uchiha teammate when they were Genin.

"Bummed that Naruto-baka isn't here?" Kiba continued, slurping his drink in a way she was sure he thought was smooth, but really just looked sloppy. She almost laughed. She could hear the sigh Shino let out behind her, as if he was exasperated with Kiba's lack of tact before she felt his knee nudge her to answer.

"I-I'm sad I don't get to see him, sure. But he's probably off on an important mission, and I know he'd be h-happy with that. So I'm happy." She explained, taking a delicate sip of her water in an attempt to distract them from her slight stuttering. She had gotten much better than when she was young and stuttered in every conversation; terrified of the criticism and expectation of everyone she came across. She'd gained enough confidence to hold her own in a fight and she'd realized long ago that if she could do that much, she could strengthen herself in everyday social matters, too. It'd taken even longer than her physical training to actually admit to herself that she was proud of herself, proud enough to speak with certainty about things she'd never been certain of. It seemed, now, the only person who could make her stutter—whether just as the topic of conversation or as the point of focus before her—was Uzumaki Naruto. Her teammates had fast caught on to that and had for years relentlessly been hassling her about it. She knew they were just curious, but sometimes it was hard to put into words just why Naruto made her so nervous. Mostly because she felt like a crazy person with the thoughts that bubbled to the surface when she thought of her golden-haired hero. How embarrassing it'd be for them to know her most personal thoughts on the matter.

"Uh-huh." Kiba hummed, brow rising. He glanced at Shino and at the same moment the bug man opened his mouth to speak. Surprised, Hinata turned fully to face him, wondering what he was going to add to the conversation.

"I hope this time they don't burn my ramen." He said, utterly serious. Hinata breathed an unexpected laugh, smiling at him with apparent affection as she heard something in Kiba's direction that sounded suspiciously like his head dropping onto the counter. When she looked back over to him she found that that was exactly what had happened, and that he was glaring at Shino with eyes that promised retribution. Shino merely took a dainty sip of his lemonade through a bendy straw.

"Anyways," Kiba cleared his throat, locking his animalistic eyes back onto Hinata with determination anew. She wondered if he was going to be more forward because he felt he was in this alone now that Shino was clearly more taken with the status of his food.

"Hinata just make this easy on us, 'kay? What is it you see in that baka? It can't be his looks." At that moment their food arrived before them and Hinata had never been more thankful for a distraction in her life. Kiba was never anything but forward when he was curious, but this was a whole new level of forward even he had never touched before. She listened as he slurped his ramen and played with her chopsticks, pushing her noodles around listlessly for a second before setting them down on the table, suddenly so nervous she didn't want to eat. Though they'd only been there for a few minutes, they'd come at a time not many people chose to eat and so the place had cleared out until there were only a couple people besides them within the restaurant. Hinata was glad for that, too.

"Well," she whispered, not able to look into either Kiba's eyes or Shino's glasses for fear of fainting. She stared into her ramen bowl, her lips quivering in anxiety. They parted around the beginning of a long winded explanation that would probably shine a light on many aspects of herself she didn't necessarily want known, but she was willing to do so if it would put her boys at ease.

"About Naruto-kun, it's just that he's—"

"What about Naruto?" a feminine voice interrupted, loud and lively and soon after followed by someone heaving a life-suffering sigh. Hinata turned, red as a tomato to see Yamanaka Ino in all her beauty followed closely by one Nara Shikamaru. Hinata waited for the third member of their team but it seemed that they were alone for the moment as they slid into two open booths next to Shino. Kiba glared at Ino as if he could kill her on the spot, obviously ruffled that she'd ruined any chance of him getting such long-awaited answers. Hinata felt her temperature was much higher than it was healthily supposed to be, but remained silent, embarrassed at having been caught with Naruto's name in her mouth. Shino turned to the two newcomers and inclined his head, though even that gesture seemed a little icy. Was he upset for the same reason as Kiba? Honestly, Hinata mentally sighed.

"We were just saying that we haven't seen that moron in a while." Kiba saved, his voice as rough as gravel. A whining noise came from around the corner and without blinking or changing expression Kiba grabbed a small handful of his ramen and tossed it around the corner behind him, smooth as silver. The sounds of something decidedly large devouring something decidedly delicious could be heard around the corner, and from the suspicious look the owner cast Kiba's way it wasn't a stretch to guess he was on to Akamaru's presence.

"Well obviously," Ino said, shaking out her long tail of hair before adjusting the bit that hung in front of her eye. Behind her, Hinata could see Shikamaru sleeping on his crossed arms on the counter, not even trying to hide his snores. Ino casually elbowed him in the side as she lifted her arms to stretch, puffing out her chest before she casting a disdainful look in Kiba's direction.

"He's a village hero, sure, but he's also one of the strongest ninja we've got. Why wouldn't Tsunade use him on the big boy missions? Those always take forever. Plus, Sakura has been put on full hospital duty, and Kakashi-sensei is in the hospital—we'll see how long that actually lasts—which means his team is out of commission for the time being. So of course we haven't seen him, he's off being bigger and badder than all of us, go figure."

"You save one village," Kiba muttered sarcastically, shaking his head. He dipped back into his ramen and started eating with a renewed hunger, ignoring the sudden influx of whines from around the corner. Hinata caught Ino's eye and smiled knowingly, shaking her head even as Ino's turquoise eye narrowed on her, too knowing for the violet's own good.

"So, Hina-chan, what have you been up to in Naruto's absence? Forehead tells me you're doing great work at the hospital."

"Oh," Hinata gasped, unsure how to respond to the compliment. She blushed, nodding her head once in acceptance and hoping she didn't look too awkward. "I've been well, just training. What about you, Ino-san? I've also heard you're doing well in the hospital, though I haven't seen you. Are you on construction detail?"

"I had been, until that damn ambush happened. They managed to bring back a few of the attackers and I've been playing 20 questions with them down in the dungeons for the past week. They're surprisingly…resistant." She shrugged, as if she hadn't just subconsciously admitted to mentally interrogating and torturing several S-class shinobi underground. Hinata really had to admire Ino's confidence though she couldn't help but worry for the state of her sanity in the long run.

"But no one can escape this ingrained talent of being a know-it-all." She concluded, tapping her temple twice with her pointer and middle finger. Her food arrived in front of her but she slid it towards Shikamaru with her elbow, not even looking to see if he was awake to receive it. He hadn't been, but once it touched his sleeve he sat up and yawned into the bowl, snapping his chopsticks in one hand as the other smoothed over his spiked ponytail.

"I'm happy you're doing so well, truly, Ino-san. I could never do what you do," she admitted, smiling gently to let the blonde know she wasn't looking down on her actions in any way. In fact, she greatly admired the confidence one had to have in order to delve into the depths of other peoples' minds in order to pull up the truth. It certainly took a particular kind of ninja to skillfully do that without causing irreparable damage, though Hinata was not naïve enough to think such damage never occurred, or was ordered to occur.

Ino flapped a hand in the air as if being able to pull out memories from 30 years ago buried under mental barriers stronger than any known substance in the world was nothing. She leaned over Shino, uncaring that she was interfering with his meal, and whispered "Wanna know what I've heard about Naruto lately?" Hinata stared blankly at her, trying to will the blush away from her cheeks. Gradually, she allowed a single dip of her chin.

Ino sat back with a snide smile on her face, folding her arms over her chest in such a way that her smaller bust looked bigger and more in your face.

"I heard from one little birdie that he's been in Mist for weeks, infiltrating and getting information. But then another birdie squawked and said that's actually not true, because he was spotted in between Amegakure and Earth Country. And then a few other birdies told me my sources were shit, because he'd been meeting with Gaara in Suna not three days ago."

"If no one knows what the hell they're talking about, how is this in anyway useful?" Kiba muttered from his corner, suspiciously without his bowl of ramen even though Hinata knew for a fact neither the owner nor serving girl had taken it from him. Ino shot him a look that could very likely kill, shaking out her ponytail once more; always aware of how she looked. In response, Kiba seemed to focus on how her body moved with the motion before shaking himself.

"Oh you sweet, sweet simpleton. All those conflicting stories mean that our dear sweet Naruto-kun is actually in none of those places." Kiba's expectant expression dropped, his scowl distracting no one from his twitching eyelid.

"Then where the fuck is he?" he growled, his sharp nails digging into the counter.

"Kiba-kun," Hinata whispered soothingly, and watched in satisfaction as he released the counter in favor of fisting his hands, even though his nails would surely pierce his skin. Reaching out, she settled one hand over his and waited for his muscles to relax, and only when they had did she bring her hand back to rest in her lap. Ino watched the exchange with bored eyes before continuing on to explain her reasoning.

"Well obviously those were all rumors spread by people who don't have a clue where he is. They believed them because most of those places are close together, so he could've been anywhere along those lines. But he's not." And she was certain, her arms still crossed over her chest as she flicked a gaze at a still slowly eating Shikamaru. Now that Hinata looked a little closer at the genius ninja, he looked incredibly tired, definitely close to exhaustion. Then she put two and two together and realized why exactly Ino had dragged him straight here, for ramen, which was almost entirely carbohydrates.

"Well then, smart one, where is he?" Kiba snapped, pulling a piece of beef jerky from his pocket to shred it with his teeth. A high keening noise came from around the corner and before Ino could continue Kiba growled, "Oh fine, here! Take it! You bloody thief." And he threw the beef jerky clear across the street, not even looking to watch the big white dog chase it down. Hinata heard Shino sigh again.

"My guess?" Ino said, raising her brows. She shrugged her dainty, unclothed shoulders. "He's here." At that, Shino cast a strange look at her, as did Kiba and Hinata both.

"H-here?" Hinata whispered, heart racing. Ino nodded her head, not caving to the strange looks she was getting.

"In fire country?" Kiba asked, disbelieving.

"In the village."

"And how do you figure?" Ino shrugged again.

"Just a feeling."

"That's how you know? Just a feeling?" Nodding, Ino watched as Kiba laughed in her face, turning away as if dismissing her completely. "That's a load of shit." He harrumphed, clicking his nails against the counter as he rested his chin in the palm of his other hand. Hinata shook her head, mulling over the possibilities. Carefully, she activated her Byakugan and began searching over the village, curious to see if Ino was right after all. She ignored the banter around her, pushing it to the background as her gaze looked over and through numerous estates and residences, stretching out so far she could even see the front gate.

"You can't know something like that based on a feeling."

"We're ninja what the hell do you expect us to act upon in life or death situations?"

"Our skills."

"Our gut reactions, you moron."

"Bitch."

"Mutt." Ino hissed, smirking as he bared his teeth at her. At precisely the same time, both Shino and Shikamaru sighed. Hinata, still searching the parts of the village she could see suddenly froze, her body going rigid in its seat.

"She's right," Hinata whispered, focus entirely on the front gate.

"She's what?"

"I'm right?" Ino didn't waste a second disbelieving Hinata's activated Kekkei Genkai, and instantly stuck her tongue out at a glaring Kiba. She may have even childishly said 'I told you so' but Hinata was too busy drinking in the sight of Uzumaki Naruto as he strode into the village, looking clean and safe and content. Her heart swelled at the sight of him, filled to bursting with emotions that embarrassed her but made her feel strong. He was carrying a knapsack around him, and with a more focused look Hinata swallowed at the knowledge of what he was carrying.

"Where is he, Hinata?" Shino spoke up, turning to face her and studying the veins that lifted on her skin. She tilted her head to the side and bit her lip, worrying it a little before speaking.

"He's just now coming in."

"Holy shit, Hinata, can you see the front gates from here?" Ino chimed in, her expression stunned and thoroughly impressed. Hinata nodded her head; blush rising at the unspoken tribute to her visual range. Shikamaru made a grunting noise that seemed to be a compliment all its own.

Her tablemates all started to verbally wonder what kind of mission he'd been on, how he was doing, where all he'd been, if any of the rumors had truth, and when they'd be able to see him. Though Hinata was equally curious about all of those things, she had more pressing matters to focus on. She tuned them out and for once felt no guilt about doing so. She was much more concerned with what her Byakugan eyes were telling her, and what it would mean for the fate of Konoha.

For what kind of mission had Lady Tsunade sent Naruto on that would require him to return with a severed head in his pack?

A/N: Hello again, and thank you for those who provided reviews/criticism, I greatly appreciate it! I didn't want to put too much in my first chapter's A/N for ~reasons~ so I'll explain a bit more here :). This is totally my!verse, which means I will follow canon as much as I want to and I will stray away from it just as much as I want to, as well. Basically I'm writing this story for me, so whatever I want, goes :). So I've opened the possibility for Hinata to have sealing skills, which I might come into play in the future (we'll see!), and I've made her an efficient medic, because that was too delicious to ignore. I also just wanted to state here that I am very inclined to writing details and details and details on top of details, because I need to know where a character is standing, what he or she is seeing/smelling/feeling/hearing, and I want the readers to be so immersed that they could actually be that character. I like to think of it as my writing style: just highly descriptive. Some people like it, others abhor it. So this is me giving everyone a friendly heads up: every chapter will be immersed in details and description. Every single one. So if that bothers you or isn't your thing, totally fine with me, but you probably will get irritated with my writing. Also, as you have probably noticed, I did end up switching the rating of my story from T to M like I mentioned I might in the previous A/N, because I have a sailor's mouth and I like to lend it to my characters...and also because I'm picturing sweet lemony goodness between our leading lady and some lucky lad in the far-away future :). So again, if that ain't your thing, this is me forewarning you now! I think that's all I wanted to mention, so keep your questions and comments coming if you have them, and take care!