"Naruto-kun"

Naruto moaned and turned over in his sleep.

"Naruto-kun. Help."

"Hinata-chan?"Naruto mumbled.

"I need you, Naruto-Kun. Please, help."

"Where are you, Hinata-chan?"

There was the sound of a sword being drawn. Hinata screamed. There was the sound of steel meeting flesh and the gut wrenching sound of blood splattering.

"Hinata-chan!"

Naruto woke up screaming again. This time, he woke up his entire team. Kiba moaned and turned over, burying his head in his pillow. Akamaru yawned and snuggled closer to his master. Sakura mumbled and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Kakashi merely sat up and looked at Naruto. Naruto was sweating heavily. He looked at the ground with a look of sheer terror in his eyes.

"A dream? Just another dream? But...it was so real." he said awestruck.

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto jumped at the sound of Sakura's voice. He looked over to see a very worried looking Sakura staring at him.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Naruto looked at Sakura, his eyes wide. Then he looked at the ground.

"She's in trouble."

Sakura sighed.

"Naruto-kun, It's just a dream. She's-"

"This was different!" Naruto objected.

Sakura shrunk back a bit at his harshness. He looked at her, a mixture of rage and pain on his face. Tears welled in his eyes. Kakashi stood.

"Alright then, time to go."

Sakura and Naruto looked at him surprised. He started folding up his sleeping bag.

"The Akatsuki member is obviously not around anymore. Besides, Naruto-kun's too distracted to be of any help." he said plainly.

Kakashi kicked Kiba. He flailed around like a dying bird.

"What's the big idea?" he demanded.

"Get up, we're going home." Kakashi said.

Kiba grumbled to himself.

'Can't we wait until morning at least?."

He looked over at Naruto.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" he asked.

Naruto started taking his shirt off.

"Hinata-chan's in trouble." he said flatly.

Kiba blinked. Then he got up and started changing as well. Sakura sat staring, dumbfounded.

"B-but, what about the mission?" she asked.

Kakashi shrugged.

"Tsunade-sama's just going to have to send someone else out. We didn't find anything."

Sakura sighed. Why do I get the feeling this was just another giant waste of time? She looked over at Naruto. He was aggressively folding up his sleeping bag and packing it away. His eyes were intense and focused. He looked so tense. Naruto-kun.

"Hey, are you going to change?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura looked down at herself. That's right, I'm the only one still in pajamas.

"Yeah, I'll change." she said.

She got up and started to take her shirt of. Then she remembered she was in a tent with three guys. Her face turned red. She slapped Kakashi.

"WHAT'S THE IDEA TRYING TO GET ME TO TAKE OFF MY SHIRT IN FRONT OF YOU? " she screamed.

Kakashi's eyes sparkled and he rubbed his cheek. She was taking her shirt off? Why didn't I pay better attention? Sakura tossed Kakashi, Kiba, and Naruto out of the tent and zipped it behind them. Naruto rubbed his head.

"What's her problem? We changed in front of her." he grumbled.

Kakashi shook his head. You just don't get it.

When Hanabi heard the news, she came into Hinata's bedroom and cried. The sisters cried together until night. Rather than go back to her own room, Hanabi climbed in with Hinata when it was time for bed. Hinata didn't sleep. She stayed up all night thinking over things in her head. One week. One week until she either died or her family went to war. Neither option was favorable, obviously. She could have been thinking of a million things at that moment. If she died, what would she miss? Kurenai's baby? Hanabi growing up? Becoming the head of the Hyuuga clan? Becoming a Jonnin? But the one subject that bounced around in her mind the most was Naruto. When would he be back? When he got back, would she be there? Would they ever get to go on that date? If he made it in time, would he try and take her away? If her family went to war, would he fight with them? If he couldn't save her, what would he do? A few silent tears slid onto Hinata's pillow. One week. So much could happen in a week. But, right now, it seemed like an awfully short time.

Tsunade was slumped over her desk as the sun began to climb over the horizon. A beam of sunlight streamed across her rosy face and she groaned. Three empty bottles of Sake lay scattered on her desk. She felt like crap. She sat up and stretched and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Hiashi had told her the day before that their plan was to hold off making a definite decision until the last possible moment. In other words, they had no idea what they were going to do and they needed the whole week to decide. Meanwhile, Hinata's life hung in the balance.

"Damn. I was hoping that had all been a dream. " she mumbled.

Shizune came in then. Tsunade looked up and was shocked. Shizune was a mess. There were rings under her red, puffy eyes. Her hair was haphazardly brushed and her clothes were disheveled. She looked at Tsunade and gave a weak smiled.

"I have some papers for you to go through." she said as she came in.

Her voice was raspy and quiet. She put the papers on Tsunade's desk. Tsunade smiled sadly.

"You're worried about her too, aren't you." Tsunade said, knowingly.

Shizune's lip quivered a little.

"Sometimes I think these kids know too much pain." she said in a choked voice.

Tsunade sighed.

"I know what you mean."

Naruto charged ahead of his team, despite Kakashi's countless warnings to stay close. All he knew was that he had to get to Hinata as soon as possible. They had been out for almost a week, but they were only a day away from the village. Naruto's heart raced. Hinata-chan. I'm coming. Whatever's wrong, I'll fix it. I promise!

Sakura shook her head.

"He going to drive himself crazy." she commented.

Kakashi shrugged.

"Well, as soon as he finds out that she's alright, he'll relax. He's just got to get used to being away from her and trusting that things are going to be alright."

Sakura half smiled. If only someone cared for her that much. She glanced over to find Kiba looking at her. When their eyes met, he quickly turned away, embarrassed.

"What?" Sakura asked him.

Kiba shook his head.

"Nothing. You look a little upset or something." he said nonchalantly.

Sakura shrugged.

'I just get worried about him, is all. He's been like an annoying little brother to me, you know?"

Kiba chuckled and gave a half smile.

"I know how it is. Shino-kun and I feel the same about Hinata-chan. Haha, only she gives more reason for concern!"

Kiba looked at Naruto.

"That guy can pretty much hold his own. He just needs someone to cool him down every once in a while. But Hinata."

Kiba looked down, suddenly seeming frustrated.

"She just doesn't believe in herself. She is more talented than she thinks."

Sakura looked at Naruto.

"Yin and Yang." she observed.

"Exactly." Kakashi confirmed.

Sakura looked at him, annoyed.

"Sensei, have you been listening this whole time?" she questioned.

Kakashi shrugged.

"On and off." he said playfully.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She looked at Naruto. She's lucky.

Hinata lay in bed all day. Hanabi and Neji popped in on her every once in a while. They always had the same thing to say. Nothing's decided yet. A maid brought food but Hinata didn't touch it. She just stayed in bed thinking about how radically her life had been changed. At around suppertime, she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in." she said hoarsely.

Kurenai opened the door and rushed over to Hinata. She lowered herself onto the bed and gathered Hinata up in her arms. Hinata threw her arms around her loving sensei and the two women cried softly together. After a few minutes, the crying stopped and Kurenai managed to get Hinata to eat some rice and drink a few cups of soothing tea. It helped but only a little. Kurenai sat with Hinata for a couple of hours. Neither of them said much, but Hinata felt infinitely better having Kurenai around. For as long as she could remember, Kurenai had been like a mother to her. In a time like this, Hinata felt safest when Kurenai was around. Kurenai left after the sun went down but promised to come every day until this whole thing was sorted out. Hinata's heart sank when she left. She curled up in bed, ready for day one of the most stressful week of her life to end.

Team Kakashi got back to the village at around midnight. Tsunade was just getting ready to go to sleep when they checked in. Naruto was the first in. Tsunade was shocked at how beat up he looked. He looked like he hadn't slept since they left. She cringed when he asked:

"How's Hinata-chan? Is she alright."

Tsunade sighed.

"Naruto-kun, sit down and try to be calm." she pleaded.

All of Naruto's muscles tensed, but he did as he was told. Tsunade rummaged around in her desk and pulled out a scroll. She sighed.

"We got this message two days ago." she said as she handed it to him.

Naruto read it. His eyes widened. His jaw dropped. The scroll slipped out of his hands and clattered to the floor. Curious and slightly afraid, Sakura picked t up and read it. She gasped in horror.

"Tsunade-sama...don't tell me they-"

"They haven't done anything about it, no. But they must do something before the week is up."

Kiba took the scroll from Sakura and read it. He ground his teeth.

"Shit. This is bad." he growled.

Finally, Kakashi read it. His eyes widened in surprise.

'Well, this is certainly a big problem." he said gravely.

Naruto clenched the edge of his seat so tight that the wood began to break.

"So, what are their plans?" he growled low.

Tsunade shook her head.

"Not even they know."

Naruto stood up and glared at Tsunade.

"What is there to consider? The answer is 'No', right?" he fumed.

Tsunade stood up.

"We are on the brink of war, Naruto-san! Now I realize that the alternative is unspeakable, but we may have no choice!"

Tears streamed down Tsunade's face. She slumped down into her chair and put a hand on her head.

"We don't know who these people are allies with. If we are not careful, this thing will turn into much more than a clan war. For all we know this could be what re-sparks the war between all the nations." she said frustratedly.

She looked at Naruto. He was shocked by how vulnerable she looked. Her eyes were full of pain.

"There are so many people who care about Hinata-sama, Naruto-kun. But if one life will save thousands then that is an option we must consider. " she said sorrowfully.

Naruto clenched his fist and ground his teeth angrily. He stared at the floor. He swore loudly.

"WHY HER?" He demanded.

He collapsed into his chair and buried his head in his hands.

"She's had to struggle all her life! Was that all for nothing?"

Sakura put a hand on his shoulder. He brushed her off, got up and went out. Sakura was hurt, but she didn't say anything. Naruto ran to Hinata's house. He burst through the front door and went straight into her room.

"N-Naruto-ku-"

Naruto grabbed Hinata up in his arms and pressed his lips passionately against hers. Hinata threw her arms around Naruto's neck. Tears streamed down their faces as they embraced eachother. They were both overwhelmingly happy and sad at the same time. Naruto slowly lowered Hinata onto her bed. Without really thinking about it, Hinata started to unzip his jacket. Naruto grabbed her hand and gently pulled away. He shook his head.

"No, Hinata-chan. Not like this." he said , his voice full of pain.

Hinata looked up at him through blurry tears. Her lip quivered.

"I-I'm not afraid anymore, Naruto-kun." she whispered.

Naruto looked at her tenderly.

"You've never been afraid, Hinata-chan. Not you. You're ready for anything."

He kissed her gently and pulled away.

"But I don't want to take you like this. Not because we feel rushed or because you're vulnerable."

He caressed her cheek.

"I want you. Not you like this. I want Hinata-chan, not her emotions." he whispered.

Hinata broke into sobs. Naruto lay beside her and cradled her in his arms.