I am sincerely sorry about the delay everyone I was just busy with a few festivities. This one is especially for my reviewers Angelo, Demi and you too blazing stars
Hope you enjoy.
Plz RnR!
CHAPTER#:3 "Regroup"
He slowly opened his baby blue eyes. The picture in front of him seemed blurry. He was unable to identify it.
The first thing he felt was the unbridled pain in his wounds, which left his body shrouded in a rivulet of blood. He tried to move his legs but the pain was far too immense for him to swallow.
Now he heard two strange voices around him but he couldn't make any sense out of them.
He closed his eyes unable to stand the pain, full of replete, that prevailed him for now.
After a few seconds he slowly opened his eyes again.
The voices were still there. He could hear them clearer now, someone was calling out to him. His lips trembled to speak but no voice came out of them.
He saw someone coming towards him and then everything went dark for him.
He was grousing in pain for the past half hour now.
Ten-ten looked perplexed watching him carping like that.
He appeared to be very pale and flimsy.
"Eeeaaahhhhhh!'" Neji screamed this time unable to withstand the pain now.
"Neji!'"Ten-ten shrieked.
He closed his eyes, everything was fading. He felt as if he's losing his sight.
"Neji! Neji!" unbidden tears filled her eyes.
The last thing he saw was the expression on Ten-ten's face, her brunette eyes speckled in trepidation and fret.
He found himself sucked up in some kind of hurricane. He relentlessly tried to escape but there wasn't a way out for him to getaway.
"That guy!"
"We've been looking for him for hours now and still we haven't got a clue to where he might be" Kiba muttered.
"Kiba! Kiba! "Ino called him.
"Hmm, yeah, what is it Ino?" Kiba asked as he came towards her.
"Look here," Ino bent down to the ground.
"This is blood" Kiba said pointing towards the ground.
"Yeah I know, may be Akamaru can pick up the scent. I wonder if its Naruto's" Ino looked perplexed, she was worried about Naruto.
"I get the idea"
"Akamaru!" Kiba gave him the signal.
Akamaru sniffed the blood and shook his head giving the sign of not picking up any scent.
"Urgh! What now?" Kiba exclaimed in anger.
"Now we head back to the Head quarters and report this. I don't think it'd be of any use even if we stick around for long."
"Hmm you're right. Let's go"
He nodded.
"Neji is out cold and we haven't found Naruto yet. Shikamaru isn't here. Sasuke and Sakura should be back today. Ten-ten must be exhausted too looking after Neji all this time. So far we have just got me and Ino and we're almost out of chakra too. We are in no condition to attack the Takatsuki at this rate.
Kiba scrutinized as he and Ino swayed along the tree trunks.
They stopped at the entrance of the QUEST association.
"Huh?" "Isn't that Shikamaru?" Ino asked Kiba.
"You're right. So he's here now" Kiba grumbled.
"Hey Shikamaru!" Ino called him.
He turned around and looked at Ino.
'This is troublesome" Shikamaru muttered.
"You're here now. Where the hell were you until now" Kiba growled at him.
"Home" He remained calm as ever.
"Home?" Kiba shoved closer to hit him.
"Kiba!" Ino stopped him.
"So what's the snitch? Shikamaru asked.
"First lets go inside we'll explain everything there" Ino interrupted.
He opened his eyes again.
"Finally you're up" Kiba said bizarrely.
"We were getting worried about you Neji-senpai" Ino added.
"Neji! Your wound has opened again" Ten-ten said as she approached his forehead.
He caught her hand and pushed her back to the other side.
She fell as she hit the wall.
"What was that for?" Kiba stood up.
"Are you ok Senpai?" Ino asked Ten-ten as she helped her get up.
"Ye-ah I'm fine" She said painfully.
"All of you just leave me alone!" Neji shrieked.
Everyone exchanged glances and nodded.
"Ok! We'll leave but you better rest or else your wounds won't heal up" Kiba said as he moved towards the door to leave.
Ino followed him to the door as he walked out.
Ten-ten glanced at Neji's face. His tinted grey eyes were dejected and carried something unusual in them.
"He's just stressed that's all" She consoled herself as she walked out and slammed the door behind her.
He slowly opened his eyes again.
An old lady was standing in front of him.
"Oh! You're finally awake" The old lady cried.
"I was getting worried about you now"
"Where am I?
"And who are you?" Naruto asked.
"I am Susa-me and you're at my home"
"I found you lying unconscious on the road side so my son and I picked you up and brought you home. You were quite injured. Did you have an accident or something?" she inquired.
"I can't disclose my identity to her" he thought to him self.
"Yeah, I had an accident, a strange one" he muttered the last part to himself.
"Well, you must be starving now. Here I have cooked up some curry for you to regain your strength" she placed a tray beside him with a steaming hot bowl of curry and a drink.
"Hmmmh! It smells great. Thanks Oba-chan"
"Not at all dear" she replied as she went back into the kitchen.
"Hinata!" He muttered in discontent.
"Oba-chan! Thanks for the curry. I am leaving now" He got up from the bed.
"Oh! But you should rest for now your wounds haven't…" she came inside but Naruto had already left the place.
"What a boy!" She remarked.
"I wonder how everyone is doing back at QUEST"
"Ahhhh!" he moaned.
"My wounds still haven't recovered. May be I should have some rest first and go there in the evening" he thought and headed home.
I wonder how Naruto is doing over there. He probably misses us a lot" This was Sakura's voice.
"Humph, may be he's on a mission too right now. Its such a busy routine now-a-days" a familiar voice answered.
"Yeah may be you're right Sasuke-kun. But it's been such a long time since we've been on a mission together, we rarely see each other now. I kinda miss his silly jokes" she replied.
"You don't need to worry. We'll be meeting him so enough"
He consoled her.
"Hmm" she nodded.
He slowly walked into the door.
The corridor seemed to be empty. Some voices rose from the other direction. He moved towards there and entered the hallway.
"Naruto! You're here" Sakura greeted him with a hug.
"Hmph" Sasuke gave them a glare.
"Sakura-chan, Sasuke you're back"
"Where have you been Naruto? Everyone was getting worried about you. This was Ino's voice.
"I… I was at Susa-me Oba-Chan's home. She said she picked me up the road side while I laid there wounded and unconscious"
"Huh?" "You too?" Ino asked.
"What do you mean you too?" Naruto got confused.
"Same thing happened to Neji after that Hinata girl's attack. He seemed to be acting weird though unlike you." Ten-ten replied instead.
"Neji? Where is he now?" Naruto asked desperately
"He is resting inside" Kiba informed him.
"I am going to him" he moved towards the door.
"No! Naruto you shouldn't go there, not right now, Please!" Ten-ten blocked his way.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Just please don't" She pleaded.
"Ok! If you say so' he looked at her downcast face, he was sure there were tears in them.
"We have to attack the Takatsuki hide out now. Things don't exactly seem to be going according to our plan" Naruto gave his opinion.
'but we can't leave Neji here alone, someone has to stay with him" This was ten-ten's frail voice.
"But who will stay with him?" Kiba asked looking at everyone's faces.
"I will stay" Shikamaru spoke up who was silent until now.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah this mission is too troublesome for me anyway" He answered with the regular composure.
"Ok!" Naruto got all excited.
"Neji! I promise to help you as soon as all this is over" Ten-ten muttered.
"Well let's go then what are we all waiting for?" Kiba stared at everyone.
"Who will lead the mission since Neji-senpai is out of the picture?" this was Sakura.
"I will!" ten-ten replied.
"Ten-ten senpai!" Sakura repeated.
"But you are already quite exhausted don't you think we should let Sasuke-kun or may be Naruto lead this one?" She suggested.
"Sakura! I'm senior than all of you and after all whenever Neji is not here I lead the missions so what if I lead this one too?"
"Yeah you're right. I am sorry" She smiled lightly.
"Ok! Everyone giddy up" she said in a commanding tone.
"Yes!" They all said in unison.