Dammit, chapters are gettin longer... I specifically wanted to avoid eating time like this. Oh, well, good news for you!

disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own your soul! Hahahahaha/lame


Hinata had left the compound several hours ago to prepare for the upcoming assault that night. "Good thing I already planned it for tonight," she thought, seeing as how she recently learned the prisoners were to be transported the next morning to a more secure facility.

She was currently executing the next phase in her simple plan: secure a means to enter the base, release the prisoners, and escape with them in tow. She needed a vehicle; but not just any old scrap of junk. She needed something with serious horsepower and a good bit of firepower.

During the last minutes of her 'shift', one of the red-eyes muttered something just audible enough for her to hear.

"The Shade's lenses reflect the crimson light," she turned over the man's cryptic words in her mind. She had heard the name 'Shades' thrown around a few times since entering this country, so she was certain the captive was referring to that particular person.

Exactly who Shades was, though, was an entirely different ball park. From the rumors the white-eyed huntress had heard, this individual was some kind of black market arms dealer operating in this nation as well as some neighboring countries. The only description she had ever heard of the dealer was that he wore heavy-duty goggles during transactions, which were the only times he ever graced his clients with his presence. No one had ever seen his face or even knew if he was, in fact, a 'he' at all, as the dealer spoke with a heavy voice filter.

Surely the red-eyed prisoners knew something more about Shades if they mentioned him. She mulled over the possibilities in her head. "If Shades were far away, then I'd never be able to rendezvous with him in time to bust them out. But then again, are they even aware of their transport tomorrow?" Her mind worked over the evidence in her head. "They most likely don't, but that wouldn't matter. They would want to escape as quickly as possible. Besides, I told them tonight would be the night. So that means…" Her mind concluded when she reached her fourth destination.

She ducked under the gate of a decommissioned arms factory. The place had apparently been converted into an industrial compound that assembled engine and other mechanical devices for civilian use. She glided silently between the rows of workers as if she belonged there.

"Hold on there!" Called a voice. "Who are you and what are you doing here?!"

She turned to face a man in his forties, obviously a foreman of some sort.

"Good," she said with no emotion in her voice, "You saved me the trouble of looking for you."

"Answer the question, woman. You're trespassing, you know that?!"

"I have a good reason. I'm looking for someone here."

"You better have some kind of warrant, or I'm callin' the cops…"

She whipped out a blank slip of paper and flashed it at him. "I'm here on the authority of the local police. I'm with the undercover investigative branch. Now, will you cooperate or do I have to have you arrested before I go on my merry way?

The man stared at the empty paper, easily falling under the simple genjutsu. He nodded. "Alright, looks like you got the right to be here," he said grudgingly. "So who you lookin' for?"

"I only have a vague description of the person. Someone who wears goggles…"

The man burst out in laughter. "Look around you! At least half of the employees here wear goggles, and that's just this factory! It'd take a miracle to find anyone with that description!"

"There was a murder recently," she lied. "An eyewitness claimed the suspect wore industrial goggles. Our criminal psychology department studied the scene of the crime and determined the suspect might be slightly antisocial, avoiding regular human contact in favor of working alone. Is there anyone like that here?"

The manager thought for a moment. "Well… Nelly's kinda quiet. She works over in one of the smaller workspaces."

"Which one?"

"Number eight, right over there."

She rolled up the paper and stuffed it into her coat. "Thank you for your cooperation, sir."

She opened the door to the room and was pleased to see it was empty, save one person. "Good," she thought, "Now we can talk without any interruptions."

"Excuse me," she raised her voice so she could be heard over the blowtorch. When the goggled figure didn't budge, she yelled louder. "Excuse me!!"

"Heard you the first time," replied a feminine voice. "Whaddya want?"

"You Nelly?"

"Yep."

"I need some private work done. I heard you were the best around here, so I figured you'd be the one to ask."

"Nope," she never broke her mirrored gaze from her work. "Go ask someone else, lady."

Hinata found it peculiar how the woman never looked at her. "Don't be like that. There's a lot riding on this offer. I'm willing to offer, oh, let's say… some red lenses for your goggles?" The woman froze for a split second before resuming work, just long enough for Hinata to notice that she hit a nerve.

"Why would I want some red lenses?"

"Because some friends of yours think it would look nice on you."

"Which friends?"

"Just some old pals in a bit of a bind. They hit a rough spot and need a helping hand at the moment."

The woman stopped working and turned towards the blue haired Hyuuga. She lifted her goggles up just high enough for the bounty hunter to note the red glow of her eyes.

"So, miss," Shades continued the encoded conversation with a smile, "What'cha need?"

(flashback)

Hinata ran for her life from her pursuers. Her jacket lay where it was torn off when she initially bolted, and her undershirt was partially shredded from one of the men's strong grip. She had managed to outrun them so far, but she was winded, and they still had the energy to yell.

"Get back here, kid!"

"You ain't gettin' away from us!"

"Come on back and maybe we'll let you live when we're done!"

Her mind literally could not venture into what they would do to her if she was caught. She knew full well the consequences, but it seemed like a distant fact rather than a nearby possibility.

She spotted a small cabin and ran towards it. She slammed into the door and was horrified to find it locked. She started banging as hard as she could against the heavy wooden door.

"Is someone home?! Let me in! Let me in! Please! They'll kill me!" Her mind and voice blurred uncontrollably as her eyes let loose a waterfall of tears upon seeing the men catch up. They slowed and formed a circle around her as they closed the final few yards.

"Hey, look fellas. She even found us some shelter. Ain't that nice?"

"Real considerate of her. We should return the favor…"

"Now you just relax and it'll all be over soon enough."

Hinata's mind went blank from the shock of it all. Here she was, only ten years old, and she was about to loose something she never thought she'd give to anyone except a certain someone…

She looked behind her when she saw the three men suddenly look at the door. She saw the open doorway and a man standing in it, pointing some kind of wood and metal tube at the would-be criminals.

The man cocked his eyebrow when he eyed the half naked girl staring blankly at him on his porch. He turned his attention back to the three men and said, "You're trespassing. Go away."

"Shit!" One of the men pulled out a hunting knife and charged the older man.

An incredible booming noise sounded above Hinata, jarring her back into reality. She saw the knife wielding man fall dead to the ground with a large hole in his chest. She looked back at the older man holding the metal tube and saw smoke wafting from the end. He pulled the piece of wood back then forwards and a hollow cylinder flew from a mechanical device attatched to the back of the tube.

"I said leave," the older man repeated.

The remaining men shook with fear in their eyes. In a flash, they turned tail and ran like there was no tomorrow.

The older man sighed lightly and set his weapon down against the door. He took another look at Hinata and called back into the cabin. "Yumiko! Get a meal going. We've got company." He offered his hand to the blue haired Hyuuga.

-------------------------

Hinata stayed with the older couple for a few days while she got over her shock. The couple seemed to appreciate her company, and lovingly nursed her back to health. Masato, the man who saved her life, and his wife Yumiko sat on the front porch enjoying the warm afternoon when Hinata exited the house to thank them before taking her leave.

"Um…" she fidgeted, "Thank you so much for taking care of me. I promise I'll pay you back some day!" She bowed.

The pair chuckled. "Hinata," Yumiko started in her warm voice, "You don't have to anything for us. We did what we had to do, and we enjoyed having you around."

"Yeah," Masato agreed. "It's been nice to have another body in the house. Just makes it all seem more normal, you know?"

Hinata flustered with her words. The older couple had a son years back that was killed by bandits when he was about her age. She knew the kind saviors still missed him, and that her presence reminded them of him.

"I- I thank you for your hospitality," she said shyly, "But now I have to go. I have something I…" she paused. "Something I need to do."

Masato stood up with a grunt. "Well, we won't stop you. One thing though before you go." He disappeared into the house for a minute. He emerged with a small handheld metal device that had a tube attached to a cylinder with a peculiar handle. He held out the machine in its leather binding towards her. "You should take this," he said.

Hinata accepted the mechanical device and was also handed a small box and a wad of paper currency. She looked quizzically at the metal object.

"Wha- what is this? I haven't seen this before."

"That's a thirty eight caliber revolver; it doesn't have the stopping power of the shotgun, but it'll slow someone down. That little lever there opens up the chamber, and you have about fifty rounds in that box. You need some money too. That should keep you going for a few days." He sat back down in his chair.

The look on her face showed that she was still confused. Yumiko giggled and said, "Masato, I don't think she quite understands what you just gave her."

"Oh! Well, the mountains to the east aren't so high this far south, so more stuff is imported from the west. I guess the mountains north of here keep anything from the west from getting that far."

Hinata understood and tried to refuse the weapon and other items, but the kindly couple just smiled at her. She believed that borrowing a whole set of clothes from their departed son was enough, but the pair insisted that she have them. She bowed and thanked them one last time before walking off while stuffing the new items in her bag.

Masato called out when she was still in earshot. "Hinata, there's a large trade city to the south of here. You might be able to find the person you're looking for there!"

"When did…" Hinata whispered under her breath as she turned her head back.

Yumiko yelled out as well. "We wish you luck, Hinata! May your dreams come true!"

Hinata smiled and waved at them as she finished her statement in her head. "When did I tell them I was looking for someone?"


Haha... psychic paper...