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 18- Wrong

Naruto arrived in front of the ramen shop that he and Hinata went to together that week ago. On his way there he grew more and more restless and jumped to the top of the shop. There was a small apartment situated on the restaurant below. He hopped down onto the ledge near the window and peered in. The jinchuuriki wasn't trying to be polite. No, he was on a time strain and he wasn't feeling very patient.

Inside, the room was dark, but Naruto sensed another person somewhere in the house. It had to be Otto. He considered breaking through the window but the absence of Hinata and Ino's chakra in the home made him hesitate. He was an unpredictable ninja but, right now, he had to try and stay calm and collected.

He slammed his fist on the windowpane several times.

Well, he'll try and stay calm.

Hinata…he thought, her smiling face flashing in his mind. The morning after their special night he had woken up before the Hyuga and had a chance to watch her sleep soundly beside him. The covers discretely showed off her curves and shifted slightly with her steady breaths. She seemed so content…so happy.

Naruto grit his teeth.

Is she happy now?

Naruto knocked louder, the vibrations making the windowpane tremble. He saw a light flick on through the crack of a door and assumed it was the light in the hallway.

Naruto remembered how the light streaming through the window had reflected off Hinata's skin and made her glow that morning. She was lying on her side, facing him and her hair was splayed across the pillow, some draped over her face. He had leaned towards her, propping himself up on an elbow, and gently moved the strands, tucking them gently behind her ear.

A door opened and light streamed into the dark room, illuminating what looked like a small, simple bedroom. There was a bed pushed up against the middle of the room and a vanity table across from it against the other wall. A familiar young man with dirty blond hair entered the room cautiously. He turned his attention to the window and his eyes widened in fright.

Naruto realized he must have looked terrifying. He was soaking wet, angry, and the rain was pelting hard around him.

He was seriously contemplating taking the advice Kurama was yelling at him in his mind. As appealing as the thought was to turn into a raging, red, fox, he didn't think destroying the entire village would turn out well for anyone. What if he accidently hurt his friends? No. But he kept the thought tucked away in the back of his head. Kurama didn't like the choice. He grew fond of the Hyuga vixen, as he liked to call her. He wanted out. He would get the revenge he thought they all deserved.

I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted me to destroy this village, Kurama hissed. In fact, I'm willing to lend you some of my power.

Kurama…

They took the vixen.

I know! I'll find her.

Before anything vile happens to her I hope.

Stop.

If something does…

Kurama, you're not helping!

The fox was silent for a second. I…I have grown…fond…of your mate.

Naruto was too angry and worried to blush. I'm fond of her too, Naruto thought slowly as he watched the man that had entered the room.

The man turned, stumbling over himself, and ran towards the hallway.

"Damn!" Naruto yelled. He tried pushing the window open, and surprisingly it opened easily. The lock was broken. Perks of hunting someone in this part of town…Naruto thought grimly. He hopped inside, soaking the carpeted floor and followed Otto easily.

More memories of Hinata flooded through his mind as he stalked his prey.

With her hair moved away from his intended target, he had leaned over her and placed butterfly kisses down her jaw and neck, his hand resting against the curve of her hip. She had shifted slightly and her eyes fluttered open. He had removed his lips from her skin and grinned at her. He remembered the light blush that had graced her cheeks and how she had whispered a quiet, "Good morning," before tilting her head and giving him a loving kiss.

Naruto huffed angrily as he grabbed hold of the man and pushed him against the wall in the hallway. A few pictures of Otto and Tsuma and people he quickly assumed were their family clattered to the floor. A large crack appeared in one of the frames, distorting the image of Tsuma, but Naruto didn't care. He only had one thing on his mind.

"Where is she?" Naruto snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I- I don't know!" Otto said, trembling. "She-she left a few hours ago and didn't come back-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Otto asked, trying to remove Naruto's strong grip from the front of his shirt.

"You really aren't in the position to be asking questions," Naruto scowled. "You don't remember me? I came to your shop with my girlfriend. A bit shorter then me. Long, black, hair. Now I'll ask again, where is she?"

"How should I know?" Otto exclaimed, struggling. "I was talking about Tsuma!"

"Fine," Naruto said roughly, slamming the man to the wall once more. He retrained himself from giving the man a quick jab in the face. That would be pointless and he didn't want to wait for answers if Otto was in too much pain to speak. "Where's your wife?"

"I said I don't know!" Otto said. "She left to get groceries," he started to ramble. "I told her she shouldn't. It could be dangerous. She had to be careful. She insisted it was only a block or two. Groceries. That was hours ago! He has her. He has to." Unshed tears were glistening in the man's eyes and Naruto felt empathy for him.

He let go of Otto's shirt and lowered him to his feet. They were in the same situation.

"If you care so much about your wife why'd you treat her like trash when Hinata and I came to your shop? Why'd you keep eyeing Hinata?" Naruto asked, thinking back to that day.

"I was envious of the relationship you two shared! Tsuma and mine…was always rocky. We didn't marry because of love. It suited our family. But I love her. I really grew to love her. And I didn't want Tsuma to be working! But she insisted. Maybe I was wrong. She didn't like being stuck at home. She should have been resting…taking care of our baby," his voice cracked and now the tears were running freely down his face. "I just don't know how to express my feelings, okay! She was always hanging out with her friend. With that daughter of Leader Sora's. But I tried. And…and it was finally working…" he took a deep breath and wiped at his face. "But now she hasn't come home!"

Naruto was silent. He watched the agonized man sadly. He believed him.

After Hinata had finished wishing him a good morning they lay in each others arms in tranquil silence. He had whispered a quiet, "I love you," that she reciprocated gladly. His heart was bursting. It still baffled him that he found someone that loved him as much as she did and the feelings he had for her were so strong they scared him. Neither one of them wanted to leave the warmth of the bed but both knew that time was ticking. They had a mission to go on. Naruto remembered mischievously telling her he was going to shower and that she was welcome to join him. Her blush could have lit up the room.

But now Hinata wasn't here. Neither was Ino. Or Tsuma for that matter. And Naruto knew that there was only one other place they could be, wherever the hell that was.

"Damn…" Naruto muttered out loud. Where the hell could the killer be?

NARUTO!

Naruto jumped a bit in shock. That was not Kurama's voice.

Ino? He said, hesitantly, a sliver of hope growing inside him. INO?

Naruto! Oh, thank - this work-.

Ino? Where are you? Where's Hinata? Naruto asked frantically. What's going on? Why can't I hear you properly? I've been going crazy-

Naru- Bad connec- not - chakra-but oh man- -a—stabbed—

WHO? Naruto turned away from Otto and tried to concentrate on Ino. His heart was beating out of his chest.

-No t—We—So—

I don't know what you're saying! Naruto said desperately, walking away from Otto. He paced the hallway, itching to run off on the hunt once more.

Tsu—was—

"Tsuma?" Naruto said aloud.

"Tsuma? What about Tsuma?" Otto asked, pulling at Naruto's sleeve. He had watched the ninja in confusion after pouring his heart out to him. He had seemed to suddenly retreat into his mind.

"I don't know," the jinchuuriki said in exasperation. He pulled his arm away, though, not unkindly.

Ino! He called again. Where are you guys? Where's Hinata?

Sora's!

Naruto's eyes widened in realization. They were searching the wrong district the entire time. Evidence pointed to where he was looking but… Sora's place? The main estate?

Yes! Ino said abruptly. Qui-

Suddenly it went quiet. Ino…? Naruto tried not to panic. Ino? "DAMN IT!" Naruto yelled, stomping his foot. INO! Naruto took a deep breath, closing his eyes in concentration. Then he looked up, eyes hard, a look of determination on his face. He turned and headed towards the direction in which he entered the house.

"Where's my wife?" Otto asked, following the angry ninja.

"At the main building in this city."

"…Leader Sora's?" Otto asked, sounding confused.

Naruto gave him a brief nod, climbing out through the window.

"Save my wife…" Otto whispered quietly from behind Naruto. "Save my baby. Bring them back to me. Please."

Naruto paused, crouching on the windowsill. He knew someone was stabbed. It wasn't Ino. Deep in his heart he knew it had to be either Hinata or Tsuma and it pained him to think this way but he…he would it rather be Tsuma than Hinata. Naruto clenched his jaw. But she was pregnant… He didn't want to think anymore about what could have happened.

"Please…" Otto said softly once again.

Naruto swallowed but said nothing, jumping into the darkness.

He had a new destination in mind.

He was determined. He would end this mission today. He would help his friends.

Hinata…he thought, biting his lip. Ino…he jumped from roof to roof, moving as fast as he could. He would do his best to help Otto's wife too. Wait for me!

Hinata strained to hear anything through the deafening silence. She stared at the ground, unwilling to look at Tsuma's pale corpse. Ino wasn't gone for long. Hinata assumed it had only been a few minutes when she heard a loud bang cut through the silence. She heard sounds of struggle as she picked up her head and stared at the open doorway revealing the darkening hall.

Ino-san…Hinata thought to herself. There was no way she would be able to properly fight and defend with her broken wrists and low chakra.

The sounds got louder and louder and she saw shadows approaching the door.

Yoru walked in, pulling Ino along with him. Trailing behind them was Mizuki. Yoru was holding Ino by her broken wrists and he roughly shoved her hands back into the cuffs hanging from the wall beside Hinata. Ino glanced at Hinata, wincing as Yoru tightened the chains. She didn't look happy but she didn't look completely disheartened either.

Was she able to contact Naruto-kun?

"Breaking your wrists to get out…" Yoru said, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "I don't know how you expected to get away with that. And leaving your friend behind…I didn't expect that from ninjas like you."

He doesn't know what we really meant to do…Hinata thought, hope blooming inside her. Now she only had to believe that Ino was able to accomplish her goal.

Hinata ignored Yoru and looked at Mizuki. She was such a sweet girl. How could she have gotten so corrupt? Mizuki was staring at Hinata with a small smile on her face. She waved nervously as though they were just friends meeting after a long time. As though Hinata wasn't tied up and being held against her will in a damp, dark, prison.

Hinata frowned at the girl and looked away.

"Are you okay, Ino-san?" Hinata asked nicely.

"Guess so," Ino said, sounding a bit angry as she glared at the siblings in front of them. "Everything will get better soon," she said vaguely.

Hinata was unable to hold back a smile. She did it.

"Hi, Hinata," Mizuki said cheerfully, bouncing towards her. Hinata remained silent. "I understand if you're mad at me. But you should know that I told brother here not to do anything to you guys until I came."

"Wow, thanks a lot," Ino said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Our hero."

Mizuki's smile wavered a little but she ignored Ino. "At least no one else will be hurt now," she said.

Hinata furrowed her brow. "What do you mean by that?"

Mizuki shrugged.

"You guys slaughtered several women a few days back," Ino snarled.

"That was me," Yoru said. "Mizuki takes no part in any of this."

"She did that one time…" Hinata said softly. "With that young mother."

"I was curious," Mizuki said bluntly.

"Well, I guess you'll love to see another murdered woman then," Ino said angrily. "'No one else will be hurt' my ass," she said mockingly.

Mizuki looked genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"

"Turn around, Mizuki," Hinata said.

Mizuki looked at the other women curiously and slowly turned. Her eyes met Tsuma's cold dead ones and Mizuki's face fell. She felt her heart skip a beat and the air leave her lungs. "Tsuma…" she said under her breath, eyes wide.

"Just some woman I found on the streets," Yoru explained. "Unimportant."

Mizuki said nothing. She was still staring at the corpse.

Then without any warning there was a loud boom from up above.

Naruto-kun! Hinata thought hopefully. Ino was grinning.

"What the fuck was that?" Yoru asked in shock, whipping around to face the door. "I'll be back, Mizuki. Just watch these two."

Mizuki nodded slowly, her eyes still on Tsuma.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Naruto saw the estate and was moving in fast.

He was angry.

The rain was pelting down hard but the ninja didn't care. Some steam emanated from the jinchuriki as a thin layer of red enveloped his body, shielding him from some of the rain, courtesy of Kurama.

No more being polite. He would go in there and find his friends.

Hinata.

His thoughts went back to that morning when they were getting ready to head out for the mission. She was brushing her long hair with a smile on her face while he dried his with a towel. He was just so happy that morning. He had approached her carefully from behind, aware that she knew because his reflection showed in the mirror. She had looked at him questioningly and he had just given her a grin.

I hope it could be like this all the time, he had thought. Unknown to him, she had similar wishes.

He'd gently taken the brush from her hand and placed it on the dresser, turning her so they were face to face. He remembered the light pink spreading across the bridge of her nose as he held her gently by the waist.

Naruto blinked as droplets of water obscured his vision. He was closing in on the building. If anything happened…if anything happens to her… He'd finally gotten close to someone, physically, emotionally, and mentally. He was not ready to give her up.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata had said, her hands on his bare chest. "We have to get ready."

"I know," Naruto had said, pressing himself to her. "But we have some time, ya know?" She had giggled softly before he took her lips to his tenderly.

Time to make a goddamn entrance, Naruto thought roughly, forming a rasengan in his hand. The large front doors were getting bigger ad bigger as the orange ninja rapidly approached them. All thoughts of the repercussions of his actions vanished from his mind. No, right now he just wanted to release his pent up anger. The doors would have to suffice. He held out the hand with his spinning weapon and burst through the doors with a loud boom, shattering the wood. Dust billowed up in a large cloud as he destroyed the entrance.

Rain splattered around him, wetting the previously elegant and pristine carpeted hallway. Broken pieces of wood splintered the ground and Naruto grinned at the confused and appalled looks on the guard's faces. Some of his anger dissolved, along with the red cloak, as he realized he was close to finding Hinata and Ino.

"Where are my friends?" he asked, weaving around the mess.

The men stood frozen for a second before gathering their wits and attacking him. They had their own orders to follow and in this moment a crazed, brightly lit, angry ninja just burst into their masters home. But the said ninja had his own goal in mind.

"We don't have to do this," Naruto said, easily defending himself from their futile attacks. He was chock full of chakra and yet he still couldn't sense Hinata nor Ino and that slightly worried him. He formed a dozen clones and sent them off to keep the different guardsmen away from him. "I asked, where are my friends?" he bellowed.

His patience was running thin.

Gathering chakra at the bottom of his feet he climbed the wall and walked on the ceiling, easily avoiding the brawls going on below. He could fight them sure, but right now he had higher priorities. He really wanted to shove rasengan up all their asses, he did, but he had no time to spare.

She had made him breakfast that morning.

Naruto clenched his jaw, breaking into a sprint, not really knowing which direction he was heading in.

Would they be in the main hall? He sent a few extra clones to check different rooms. That was where they met with Sora but he doubted that. Probably not. The hallway was wide and the many pictures of the family's long lineage that had previously adorned the wall lay scattered on the ground. Fancy pots and vases that were earlier placed on columns were shattered on the deep red carpet. Instead he turned left and followed the long hallway, past the grand door, gilded with golden designs.

When they entered the kitchen that morning they saw their cold, uneaten food from the night before still on the table. This made Naruto grin, but he remembered that the sight made Hinata light up red as memories flooded back to her. He had laughed and helped her clean up. Winking, he said they should eat dinner together more often. She had mumbled a quiet Naruto-kun, laughing softly.

An arrow whizzed near his ear and he cursed, jumping aside. A few needles lodged themselves into the wooden ceiling and he rolled his eyes. He didn't have time to deal with this. He knew his friends were here somewhere and he had to find them.

Clones or no clones?

From the end of the hall more men started running in. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

Clones. Definitely clones. Don't have time for this.

With that, he summoned another few dozen clones and let them deal with the obstacles as he continued down the brightly lit hallway.

They had washed the dirty dishes together after breakfast. He offered to do them since Hinata cooked, but she insisted she would help. He couldn't help but wonder again how amazing it could be if everyday was like that one.

And then this had to happen.

Naruto grew frustrated when he saw the hallway come to an end and followed it, taking a sharp turn. He saw more guards, less from before, slipping out of a wooden door practically blending into the walls.

Like that's not suspicious.

He let himself drop from the ceiling, right into the center of the group. With a few quick punches, well-aimed kunai, and a couple rasengan's he knocked the men out cold and pulled open the large pair of sturdy, wooden doors and saw it opened into a short, dimly lit hallway.

He was sure he saw a hint of white somewhere in the darkness followed by a echoing thud of what sounded like a closing door.

Naruto growled under his breath and rushed down the hallway, not caring or worrying about potential traps. Fortunately there were none. He reached a large door and pushed it open easily. Naruto glanced in and realized the door led to a series of stone steps going to the underground part of the estate.

"HINATA!" Naruto yelled into the darkness. The killer already knew he was here. This brief burst of impulsivity would make no difference.

He was sure he found the right place. He was sure that hint of white he saw was the White Kunai Killer. And the only reason he would be heading in this direction was if he was hiding Hinata and Ino down here. Damn! What if I'm too late?

He slipped his fingers off the heavy door and allowed it to slam shut behind him as he ran down the stairs into the darkening shadows.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Hinata was relieved that Yoru left and turned her attention to the young woman in front of her. Mizuki was still staring at Tsumas's corpse which was strange and slightly unnerving. She approached the body and crouched down beside her, seeming not to care that her pants were getting stained red and crusted with the drying blood. Gingerly she wrapped her hands around the kunai in the dead woman's chest and pulled it out, painstakingly slow. When she was sure Yoru was not in earshot Hinata spoke up.

"Mizuki?"

The girl flinched and seemed to force herself to tear her gaze away from the dead body. Her grip on the bloodstained weapon was tight. She met Hinata's eyes and Hinata realized there were unshed tears in them.

"Mizuki, are you alright?" Hinata asked gently.

The girl swallowed and stood up. She was trembling slightly and she wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head, staring at the ground. "Tsuma…"

"Did you know her?" Hinata asked. The girl nodded slowly and Hinata glanced at Ino. The other kunoichi looked at her with wide eyes, slightly confused. Neither of them knew what to say.

"She was…she was a close friend of mine…" Mizuki said slowly, looking up at them again. Her bottom lip trembled and then she let out a frustrated yell. "This is all my fault!"

Hinata furrowed her eyebrows. "What-?"

"Tsuma…She wasn't supposed to die," Mizuki seemed to be gathering up some steam now. "I was just supposed to distract your boyfriend," she continued, waving the tightly gripped kunai at Hinata. "If I didn't keep him away from you guys for so long then…then none of this would have happened. Yoru wouldn't killed Tsuma…" her voice cracked and she started pacing the room. "I transformed into Tsuma and that Naruto guy was real sweet…Tsuma didn't deserve this! She wasn't supposed to die! I should have been here! She shouldn't have-she-" The girl burst into tears, her body shaking violently. "He was supposed to get you…Hinata…and that's it. No one else was supposed to get hurt… I don't want to do this anymore!" she exclaimed, wiping her tears and looking at the two chained women with hard eyes. "Yoru-nissan…he's wrong." The woman went silent as she stared down at the kunai in her hands.

"Help us then," Hinata said gently.

Mizuki looked up at them but her expression gave nothing away.

That's when they heard rapid footsteps get louder and louder. Yoru came bursting through the door and headed straight towards Hinata, a white kunai in his hand.

One more chapter to tie everything together and then…who knows?

-Magma E

Up Next: Stay

"The kunai was pressed much deeper this time. She took shaky breaths and realized that the situation could get worse. She felt Yoru's free hand grasp one of her breasts and she shut her eyes."