Summary: A series of violent rapes and murders targeting long, dark haired, young women have caught the attention of the Hokage. Her plan? Use a qualified, long, dark haired kunoichi as bait. The only one that fits the criteria? Hinata. NaruHina.

Warning: Rated M. Contains violence, rape, cursing, sex and murder.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it. That belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. (However I believe I have a claim to the idea I wrote about).

White Kunai

Chapter 15- Wife

Ino waited for Naruto and Hinata at the gates just as she said she would yesterday. She shivered from the cold. The temperature dropped last night and she frowned at the cloudy sky. How ominous, she thought to herself. Off in the distance she saw a spot of purple and another blotch of orange. She smiled; they all arrived earlier than planned.

"Hey, Hinata," Ino said with a sly glint in her eyes. "You look happy," she said, thinking about what she said to the Hyuga the last time they left the village. "And tired."

Hinata's eyes widened and her entire face went red. "Oh, I-I couldn't sleep," Hinata said, pressing her fingers together. She glanced at the man beside her briefly, hints of nervousness apparent on her face. Her previous happy demeanor seemed to vanish. She was looking at the ground, her hair hiding her face.

"I'm sure you couldn't," Ino said teasingly. She looked at the sulking girl in amusement. "Aw, Hinata. I was just kidding."

Naruto glared at the other blonde who made an apologetic face. Ino noticed his cheeks were dusted lightly with pink too. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Should we head out?" Naruto asked as Hinata looked up from the ground.

"Yea, but first let's go over what we're going to do," she said. "It's really simple actually. Sora will most likely invite us to the main building in the Village of Ash to talk about this entire situation. We go back to the hotel and wait until the killer makes contact."

"Uh," Naruto said, looking unsure. "That doesn't sound very-"

"I know," Ino said with a sigh. "But you heard what he asked. What he threatened. We have more at risk than just our lives. He threatened to murder more women. More than those six."

"He killed those six to get his point across," Hinata piped up. "I don't want their deaths to go to waste."

Ino nodded. "Don't worry. We can handle whatever he throws at us now that we have no restrictions as to how we battle. We'll kick his ass for sure!"

"Yea!" Naruto shouted, getting hyped up. "Whenever he shows his face, we'll bash it in."

Ino laughed. "Sure. Well, no time to waste," she said as they started towards the trees.

When the three arrived to the village they didn't make much of an attempt to be inconspicuous as they did the last time around. They were forced to do nothing as they waited for Sora to call them to his estate or for the killer to make a move. The three headed to their appointed rooms, the same ones they stayed at before.

They'd been doing nothing for a while now and Hinata felt herself nodding off. With a blush, she remembered one of the reasons as to why she was tired. She was laying on the bed beside Naruto whose back was against the headboard and was fiddling with her long, dark hair. Ino was alone in her room but Naruto made sure to tell her to come get them if anything at all seemed out of the ordinary.

Hinata's head rested in Naruto's lap as she felt her eyelids get heavier and heavier. She was still blushing slightly as she stared up at his whiskered face, memories of last night flooding through her head. He was staring off into space, playing with strands of her hair. His eyes met hers and he gave her a gentle smile, which she reciprocated. His hands moving steadily and rhythmically through her hair helped relax her and eventually she nodded off to sleep.

The dark haired woman found herself in a dimly lit room. She felt uncomfortable but not greatly so. She wished it were brighter.

Suddenly the room went white.

Too white.

It hurt.

It was quiet. Not for long. She heard trembling whimpers all around her. She couldn't place who or where…

A light flashed and she saw dots as she blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes.

White. All white.

There was a sickening squishing sound. The whimpers ceased.

The woman's heartbeat quickened. She tried to move away from the never-ending whiteness but she found she couldn't move. She tried taking a step…and did successfully but everything around her didn't change.

She took another step.

She was in the same spot as before.

Another step.

Same place.

It was silent once again.

She wished that she could hear those mysterious whimpers from before. The woman swallowed. She felt as though she weren't alone. Those previous whimpered had proved she wasn't alone but now…but now there was a creeping sensation that someone was watching her with malevolent thoughts in mind.

She tried moving once again but realized her hands were chained above her. What was going on? She pulled at her arms, feeling the cold metal cut into her skin. Then she heard footsteps approach her from all directions. One person, she thought. But she couldn't place where he…she…it…was coming from. Time and space was jumbled and confusing in this sickeningly, endless, white room.

The footsteps stopped.

She held her breath. Maybe the…the thing wouldn't realize she was here. Where was it?

Then she felt hands gripping her arms tightly. She felt fingers run over her cheeks and lips. She struggled and tried to call out. Who was it? Who's doing this? They moved down to her throat and collarbone. She shivered. Why couldn't she see the person?

She blinked. The light was too bright! Too white! Who was touching her?

"Hinata," the voice said. It sounded familiar. So familiar…but not…safe.

The touches stopped for a second. But just as quickly…they returned.

She wanted to say something but for some reason didn't. There was no way she could move and suddenly she felt really tired and lightheaded.

She felt a finger moving across her cheek and the woman flinched, turning away. She wanted to fight back, she did, but her arms were suddenly chained and her legs were trapped.

What's happing? She thought to herself. What's going on?

The fingers continued running down her neck and shoulders. The mysterious mans hands moved down to her waist and she was forced against him. She felt him bury his face into the crook of her neck.

This isn't right, she thought. Who was this man? There was only one person she ever wanted caressing and stroking her. She allowed her lover to touch her like this but…but this wasn't him. This bright white light was painful and void of all color. She was used to a comfortable, warm, yellow and orange light with hints of a beautiful blue. This isn't right!

She didn't realize it but suddenly she felt cold air against her bare skin. She realized too late what was going to happen.

She screamed when she felt him enter her.

Hinata screamed as she jolted awake from her nightmare. She sat up breathing heavily, trying to calm her beating heart as she held her head in her hands.

"Hinata!" Naruto said frantically, scrambling up behind her. "What happened? Bad dream?"

Hinata felt his hand on her back. The weight and warmth from it helped her relax a bit. She closed her eyes and brought her knees to her chest trying to gather herself.

"Hinata?" Naruto pried gently. "Hey, you alright?"

She said nothing at first and then slowly shook her head, her hair hiding her face.

Naruto wrapped his arm around her more securely and pulled her onto his lap, letting her back rest against his chest.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked quietly as she took deep breaths.

Hinata turned her body so she was face to face with Naruto. "I-I think I dreamed about the killer," she said softly.

Naruto didn't look surprised. "Was it…was it like that vision you got about the woman before?" Naruto asked, feeling a sense of dread.

Hinata shook her head. "I hope not," she said. "Because this time the victim was…me."

Naruto tightened his hold on her and clenched his teeth. He pressed his forehead against hers and exhaled slowly. He just wanted to find and take care of this White Kunai Killer. He caused enough trouble. He's haunted them for too long.

"I'm okay though, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, wrapping her arms around him in a loose hug. "I didn't mean to worry you. It was just a dream."

"Yeah…just a dream."

She slid her hands back towards her body but allowed her hands to rest gently against his chest. "I'm sorry…"

"Hinata," Naruto said, giving her a fierce look. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I mean it makes sense you're having these nightmares considering what kind of mission we're on."

"I know…" she said. She was still trembling slightly. "In the dream…I couldn't see him but it was all white," she said. She was speaking quickly now. She just wanted to get it out. "It was so bright, painfully so. He…he was touching me…everywhere. Like you do," she said, blushing slightly. "Only I didn't like it." Naruto maintained eye contact with her, his face hard and his jaw taut. Hinata swallowed. "It was uncomfortable and made me feel dirty. I don't know. It was quick. I woke up when he…when he…" she looked away. "I'm sorry-"

"God damn it, Hinata," Naruto said crossly. "No one will get that far with you. I'll make sure of it. No one will touch you," he gripped her tightly, his heart beating hard against his chest. He didn't want to imagine anyone doing anything to her. He didn't want anyone to hurt her. He didn't want anyone to touch her as he did. Imagining that made his heart ache. "We'll get this murderer," he pulled her into a hug once more, gently rubbing her back. He felt her curl her fingers into his shirt and nuzzle into him. "No one will touch you," he said softly, running his fingers through her smooth hair.

Hinata felt a small smile on her face as a blush graced her cheeks. "I mean…not no one," she said, hiding her face against his chest.

She felt a rumble from Naruto's chest as he laughed. "Well maybe I can be an exception," He said, pulling her face towards his and kissing her passionately, all whilst holding onto her protectively.

Now the entire team was sitting in what was Naruto and Hinata's hotel room before, talking about what they should do.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm getting a bit hungry," Naruto groaned, flopping down on the bed. His head dangled off the edge and he stared at the other two ninjas seated on the bed opposite him.

"Go buy us all food then," Ino said.

Naruto sat up abruptly. "What if the killer comes?"

"Well there's some noodle shop at the end of the block," Ino said patiently. "You shouldn't be gone for more than ten minutes."

Naruto frowned. "I dunno…" Then his stomach made a loud growling sound heard by the other two.

Hinata giggled. "I'm sure you'll hear explosions or something if things go wrong," she said.

Naruto stared at her. He didn't want to hear any explosions. He wanted her to be safe. She gave him a small, reassuring smile. Naruto sighed. "Fine. I'll try and be as quick as I can." He hopped off the bed and stretched. "Anything specific you guys want?" Hinata shook her head but Ino asked for a specific soda. "You want soda?" Naruto asked, surprised. She used to go on and on to Sakura about her figure when they were younger.

"I like to indulge," Ino said, sticking out her tongue.

Naruto laughed. "Alright, that's fine. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere," he joked. He gave Hinata a quick kiss on the lips as he headed towards the door.

"Don't I get one, Naruto-kun?" Ino teased with a smile. She elbowed Hinata who just giggled.

Naruto laughed and rolled his eyes as he shut the door behind him.

Naruto shivered in the cold and walked rapidly towards the brightly lit shop a few minutes walk away from their hotel. A few people exited and entered the shop he was heading too so he hoped the food was good. More people walked the streets than the last week he was here. Maybe they didn't hear about that massacre. He stared up at the cloudy sky. Looks like it's going to rain soon, he thought. He quickened his pace. The faster he got their food the faster he could return to his teammates.

He pushed open the door, a little bell chiming to announce his arrival. It wasn't very crowded but there was a small line to get food. He inwardly groaned. This might end up taking longer than ten minutes.

Three people, he counted. Little kid in the front. That bald man in the middle. Wavy haired woman in front of me. Shouldn't take that long? The little boy would have finished quickly if he didn't drop his ice-cream and start crying. A man Naruto assumed was his father, came from his seat to demand another one. This little tiff between the owner and the father lasted for a few minutes, resulting in the family storming out. The bald headed man took a few minutes deciding what he wanted which Naruto thought was ridiculous because he had the entire time he was waiting in line to think. That wasn't as bad as the brown, wavy haired woman in front of him though.

The woman constantly changed her mind and as soon as Naruto thought she finally decided she would tell the chef to wait and order something else. Once she knocked over the napkins on the counter and wasted some time gathering them up. Naruto assisted and realized she looked really familiar. As he waited for her to finish ordering he concentrated hard thinking about where he saw her before. He only got a quick glance of her face but her voice was ringing a bell too. But for some reason she looked strange. Not strange as in bad or anything…like just strange.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. The lights in the store flickered slightly and the woman's brown hair looked black for a millisecond. Naruto blinked.

It hit him when she finally finished with her order.

"Tsuma, right?" Naruto asked politely as she turned around. She raised her eyebrows in surprise but nodded. She looked nervous. No wonder, Naruto thought. With that weird husband of hers and that killer on the loose? I'd be nervous too.

"Hello," she said nicely. "I'm sorry, you look familiar but I can't quite place where I know you from."

"I came to your ramen shop once," Naruto said as he walked to the counter. She waited silently and patiently as he finished his order.

"Ah, you came with your wife," she said.

Naruto blushed. "Uh, my girlfriend," he corrected nicely.

"Oh, my mistake," Tsuma said apologetically. "She's not with you right now?" the woman asked, looking around the store.

Naruto remembered that she was one of the suspects and stiffened. "Ah, no. She's with a friend," he said vaguely. Tsuma nodded understandingly. They waited for their food in awkward silence for a little while longer before Naruto cleared his throat. He really wanted to return to the hotel right now. "Wait, why are you getting food from here when you own a restaurant?" Naruto asked bluntly.

"Needed a change," she said simply. Naruto nodded and turned to watch the chef cook. "I shouldn't have come here…" she whispered.

Naruto turned and looked at her. She said that so quietly he wasn't even sure she even said anything. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

The wavy, brown haired woman looked up at him, blush on her freckled cheeks. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, shuffling her feet nervously. She kept glancing outside and Naruto watched her curiously. She seemed to be concentrating really hard. Her demeanor was odd and frankly, he was worried for her.

"Are you alright?" he asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine…" she said. Then her order was called and as she went to collect it Naruto glanced outside once again. The streets had started to clear since it was getting late. He sighed. His food was done right after hers and he gathered it quickly. Just before he was about to leave he felt a small tug on his coat. "Um," he turned and saw hazel eyes. "I realize we hardly know each other," Tsuma said uncertainly. "But it's late…" she trailed off and Naruto understood what she was getting at.

"You're scared?" he asked kindly.

She nodded. "My…my husband, Otto, didn't want to come with me to get food," she said tensely.

Inside his head, Naruto screamed. For one thing he didn't want her getting into any trouble on her way home. If he learned something happened to her when he could have stopped it he'd regret it. But he also wanted to return to Hinata and Ino. He grit his teeth. She was looking at him with wide, sad, eyes.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked with a sigh.

She smiled. "Thank you so much! If you wouldn't mind…would you walk me home?"

Naruto opened the door for her. "Do you live far?" he asked a bit warily.

She shook her head. "Only a few blocks from here," she said, a bit happier. "I'll make it up to you," she promised. "You can come by the restaurant whenever you want for free ramen. Bring your girlfriend if you like too!"

Naruto smiled at her. "Oh, don't worry about it," he said. He'd have to be quick about this. He glanced at the hotel they were staying at before they headed out in the opposite direction. He guessed which room was theirs and noticed the light was on. Everything looked fine. He turned away from the building regretfully and walked with Tsuma.

Now the streets looked completely deserted. The duo walked in silence. She kept throwing glances at him, which he pretended not to notice. Naruto wondered how long he was gone. It couldn't have been more than an hour, could it? His train of though was broken when Tsuma spoke up. "Actually," she said, stopping. "I can go home from here."

Naruto looked confused. "But-?"

"I feel bad for troubling you," she said, shaking her head. "I noticed you got several different food items to eat. You probably have someone to go back to and the food might get cold." Naruto said nothing. "But thank you so much!" she said happily, her voice a bit strained.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked sincerely. "I've walked you this far-"

"This is far enough," she said, now starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. "Thank you."

Naruto realized their conversation was over. "…Okay," he said. "Well, you have a good night," he said with a small smile.

She looked at the ground. "You too," she said softly before pivoting on the spot and walking briskly away.

Strange, Naruto thought. He watched her fade into the darkness and turned quickly, heading back to the hotel. The clouds in the sky looked threatening and he could have swore he felt a raindrop. Walking is so slow, he thought with a groan. Wait. This isn't covert anymore. He grinned to himself and ran through the streets.

The hotel loomed closer and he slowed down to a hurried walk. He pushed his way through the main entrance and bound up the stairs. He navigated through the halls which were completely empty and knocked on the door to his and Hinata's room.

Silence.

Naruto furrowed his brow. He didn't hear neither Hinata nor Ino say a word inside. He felt his heart beat faster. He cursed and placed the bags of food haphazardly on the ground and quickly pulled out keys. He contemplated just breaking down the door but pushed the thought away. It would have saved a second or so but he didn't think about it too much. He pushed open the door and his eyes darted rapidly around the bright room.

The bright, empty, room.

"Hinata?" he called, taking the bags of food to the small table in the room. He was trying his hardest to stay calm. He walked cautiously towards the bathroom. "Ino?" Naruto was ready to burst. His heart was beating out of his chest and he was breathing hard. He shut his eyes in concentration. Where could they go? He walked out into the hall and banged on Ino's hotel room door, not really believing they were in there but hoping he was wrong.

Silence.

He cursed and went back to his room. He looked around for anything unusual. There was nothing out of place. There didn't seem to be any signs of a struggle. What could have happened? They wouldn't just up and leave… Something happened. He could come to that much of a conclusion.

"DAMN IT!" he yelled, slamming his fists on the table, knocking over the food. That's it, he thought to himself, determined. I'm doing this my way.

He opened and jumped out of the window recklessly, climbing to the roof of the hotel. There he summoned about a hundred or so shadow clones. He stared out into the city, eyes hard.

"Find Hinata," he commanded. "Find Ino." He swallowed, trying to keep himself calm and under control. Hinata… "Find them. Find them now!"

Dozens of different Naruto's dispersed from the roof of the hotel. . The snow had been melting away and the roads were surprisingly clean. Unfortunately there were no footsteps to follow. The clones spread out everywhere but most headed towards the lowest district of the village. The district where Tsuma and Otto's shop is. The part of town where they fought Okami. The area where the six women were found murdered.

Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he watched his clones run off into the distance. One sat down on the roof, legs crossed, just as the clouds broke and rain began to fall. The clone sat there, getting soaked, trying to meditate. Naruto headed off downtown as he left his clone to gather up energy. I'll find them, he vowed to himself. I'LL FIND THEM.

-Magma E.

Up Next: Betrayal

"He was masked and dressed completely in white. Hinata's eyes widened in recognition."