Okay the last chapter was kind of funny. I am warning you now that this chapter isn't like the last one. It is more of a serious chapter that will help a few things pan out. I would like to thank all of my readers while I am talking. I love reading your reviews! I do not by the way own anything Naruto related.
Hinata felt the sudden need to back away from the two girls in front of her. They both had very evil looks upon their faces while their eyes glinted with what could only be the eye of the beast. Their aura radiated the betrayal off of them. They had been betrayed by the sweet innocent Hinata who was supposed to be their best friend.
"Hinata-chan." Ten-Ten started out sweetly. Hinata had a sneaky feeling that Ino was to shocked or angry to speak at the current moment. "Why didn't you tell us that you were dating Sasuke?"
As Hiashi entered his office he noted the presence waiting outside his door not two seconds later. Sighing to himself loudly he opened his door. The messenger had one fist raised ready to knock. Seeing Hiashi he lowered it and opened his mouth getting ready to speak. Immediately Hiashi held up one finger telling him to hold on. The messenger snapped his mouth shut watching Hiashi.
"Tell them that I will be there in a few minutes." Hiashi told him tensely. "And not to start without me." He added as the messenger nodded, turning away to go tell the council of Elders. Hiashi didn't know what the Elders wanted at this time but he would go talk to them simply to hear what they had to say and make sure they didn't make anymore rash decisions. Locking his office back up quickly he headed down to the meeting room where the Elders sat waiting. None of them looked to happy to be waiting on him either. A fact that Hiashi felt like smirking at. He would take hours if he wanted to and they would wait.
"Hiashi-sama, I am glad to see that you received our message." Honako said non to kindly. Honako was the council President and usually he was the only person who spoke during the meeting's save for Hiashi himself. He spoke on the behalf of the council. Hiashi nodded to him taking his normal seat across the room from them.
"Tell me Honako what is it that this meeting is about? I would like to end it as quickly as possible and get to bed." Hiashi told him getting straight down to business. Hiashi hoped that this wouldn't be about Hinata again. He was still sour about the council making Hinata get married before she was ready. Who did that to a 19 year old girl? It was just wrong. Honako sighed seeing that Hiashi was still angry with them. Once upon a time the two of them had been friends. Then Hiashi had become the new head and Honako part of the council. After that their friendship just seemed to fall apart.
"As you know we have recently interviewed three men of respectable clans that would be potential husbands for your daughter as well as compatible." Hiashi tightened his hands into fists unnoticeably. They were talking about it as if they were going to hire someone to be Hinata's husband. He would just be another employee not someone who was going to spend the rest of his life with his daughter making her happy to the best of his abilities.
"What about these three? Don't tell me you have already put someone into a contract. She still has awhile now until you have to choose for her." Hiashi said coldly while Honako only shook his head at him.
"No, no, it's not that we have just narrowed it down. Our choices are between a Hyuuga member of course, and one of the more qualified men that we looked at and tested." Hiashi nodded as he listened to him. This was his daughter's future and they were toying around with it. Surely they would never force any of their daughters to do this but they would make his do it simply because they feared not having an heir if anything was to happen to Hinata or him for that matter.
"And what is it that you need with me? What do you want me to do? Pick which one I would prefer my daughter to spend her life with if she doesn't choose a husband before her days are up?" Hiashi asked his mouth tight. He feared the answer.
"We would like your opinion on the matter yes, seeing as how you are the girl's father we thought it would be more appropriate. " Honako spoke. Hiashi sighed as a deep crease settling in his forehead making him look years older than he really was. The clan had taken so many things away from his family. His wife had died for the clan, his brother had as well, his nephew had given up all hopes of freedom for the clan, and now his daughter was giving away a chance at love for the clan. He had hopes though, that his daughter would be the one to change all that.
"Tell me who they are and what you know about them." He said simply. Honako nodded opening a folder beside him. He understood and sympathized with Hiashi. He had a daughter of his own. She was two years younger than Hinata and he could never dream of forcing her to get married.
"Ten-Ten, what you have to understand here is that Sasuke isn't really dating me, not like that anyway." Hinata gasped out as Ten-Ten sat on top of her pushing for information. They had been like this for a good ten minutes now because neither girl was satisfied with the answer's that Hinata had been giving them. In other words, they didn't believe her because it didn't have enough drama in it and the thoughts in their heads seemed so much better. Ino pulled the flashlight out of Hinata's face they had added for suspense and looked up at Ten-Ten. They gave each other 'the nod' and pulled away from Hinata altogether.
"So, if you aren't dating, dating, you don't like Sasuke, Sasuke doesn't like you, and he's not your choice for a future husband then why are y'all going to the festival together?" Ino asked as Hinata sat up coughing a little before she began to fix her now messy hair from being thrown on the floor and sat on. Ten-Ten was heavier than she looked and much stronger.
"I already told you! We are going together because I figured my father would have wanted Neji to go with me and I didn't want to go to the festival with him. I wanted to go and enjoy myself. So, I asked Sasuke to go with me." Hinata told them. She was really telling them the truth in a sense. That had been the reason she had said she was going with Sasuke originally. She herself was clueless as to why Sasuke had said they were dating….
Sasuke didn't know whether or not to be irritated or feel very smug. He was leaning more towards the smugness. He would have of course caused drama for Hinata but tomorrow he was going to have to sit through a five hour long ceremony because of it. Was his joy in making both she and the older Hyuuga seethe in rage worth it? Sasuke smirked as the smugness settled in. In his mind, it was.
"What are you looking so happy about teme?" Naruto asked stepping up next to him from no where. Sasuke looked at him for a moment before turning away as he kept walking. Maybe that would let him know that he wasn't really in the talking mood. Though Sasuke never was so of course Naruto didn't catch his drift. "Tell me what it is." Naruto persisted.
"That is none of your concern dobe. What are you doing out here anyway? You're not following me are you?" Sasuke asked shooting him a dark look. Naruto just chuckled.
"No, I am not following you Sasuke, though if I was you would have known about it before now." Naruto said honestly. Sasuke thought about it and agreed. No one snuck up on Sasuke when his guard was up and his guard was always up. He wasn't foolish enough to let it slip not even in his sleep. He had never been comfortable around someone enough to let it down.
"So what do you want then dobe? I already ate and I'm not in the mood to pay for seventeen bowls of ramen for you." Sasuke told him rudely. He couldn't eat anything right now anyway. That soup had made him icky. Just thinking about food made his stomach queasy in protest. Naruto just chuckled some more. It was beginning to irritate Sasuke. It felt like Naruto was making a silent joke about him.
"Well I had heard what happened between you and Kiba." Naruto's face suddenly hardened as he looked at Sasuke. "Was he really there with Sakura? Did you honestly catch them together doing…that?" Naruto's asked his jaw tight. His emotions oddly enough weren't showing in his eyes.
"Yes, I did." Sasuke didn't know why but he felt the urge to say it. "I apologize." He told him though Naruto held up a hand.
"Don't. I knew how Sakura was getting and even though I'm not in love with her anymore she is still my friend. I just didn't' want to admit that she was actually being such a …" Naruto didn't have to finish his sentence. They both knew what he was thinking and they both knew that he couldn't finish it no matter how hard he tried or how mad he ever got at Sakura. Some wounds like a first love never truly healed.
"I would say I know what you mean but Sakura doesn't exactly hold my friendship anymore." Sasuke said with a hint of resentment in his voice. Naruto had been speaking in a quiet voice the whole time. It was quiet different for him. It was mature.
"When you abandon your friends is the time when they almost always need you the most to be there for them." Naruto retorted quickly taking Sasuke aback. His eyes were wide as he looked at Naruto. Where did all this maturity and intelligence suddenly spring up from, had it always been there? Sasuke wondered. He wasn't sure what to say to Naruto in return so he simply remained quiet. "Maybe Sasuke, you should rearrange your priorities and see where they lie. To those who have awaited your arrival home for years or someone who slapped you." Naruto added before turning away and heading home. Sasuke didn't know how but Naruto knew about what had happened between Hinata and him. It also seemed to Sasuke, that Naruto didn't like it when they hung out together, Hinata and himself.
"Is he right? Is it possible that I've been the stupid one this time?" Sasuke asked himself aloud. Sasuke mulled it over in his head as he headed towards his house. It was quickly getting dark seeing as the sun had faded in the sky and Sasuke didn't feel like being out in the dark with thoughts such as these.
"You are promising me, Hinata-chan, that you don't like Sasuke and that you're going to tell me before you choose someone to marry?" Ino asked on her way out the door. Hinata laughed a little and gave her a sweet smile nodding.
"Yes, of course I will Ino-chan you know I will. You are my best friend why wouldn't I tell you?" Hinata inquired making Ino feel a little dumb. Of course Hinata would tell her. She was a good friend like that and wasn't one to keep secrets though she didn't often have them. Saying their goodbye's Hinata shut the door softly. Ten-Ten had left a few minutes before and now she was all alone for which she was glad about. It wasn't that she didn't love her best friends but sometimes they thought something more was going on than what it was. Simple things were always made complex with them.
Heading to her room Hinata shut her door quickly before throwing her window open and crawling out of it. She hadn't trained in a couple of ands needed to if she was going to make jounin. The lightning that flashed worried her a little but she tried to ignore it. Running towards a patch of forest that was close enough to her home but far away enough that no Hyuuga could heard her Hinata got the eerie feeling that she was being watched. Scanning the area around her she shrugged it off. She began to train waiting to get as much in before the rain came and ruined it all. Slamming her fists into the truck of the tree over and over again Hinata let loose. All of her worries and fears were slipping away from her. Training took all of it away. She didn't have to think about the up and coming jounin test or having to find a husband. She was free to just be her and not prove herself to anyone.
After a good hour or so the watched feeling was back. Silently activating her Byakugan she scanned the area behind her. She was both relieved and surprised to see that no one was behind her in the least. Turning her attention back to the free in front of her Hinata gasped in surprise. There was a boy in front of her smiling, it was a bone chilling smile.
"Boo Hyuuga-sama." He said as 9 more of him appeared and the rain began to fall. Each had chakra in them Hinata saw and they didn't look like clones she had even seen before.
"What do you want?" Hinata asked glad she hadn't stuttered and glad that she was already prepared to fight because she had been training. The boys giggled girlishly at her the 10 of them made it sound louder than it was.
"Not much Hyuuga-sama just revenge." The main boy replied before Hinata found herself overwhelmed with clones that she feared wouldn't be poofing away anytime soon. As she slammed her fist into one of their noses she gasped seeing blood. They were real.
"That's not nice Hyuuga-sama." They said together bringing out kunai. Hinata's screams of pain could be heard by only one person. The same said person who was dealing with one of his own clones 2 of which were already down. Hearing Hinata's scream Sasuke's blood froze in his veins.
"You didn't!" He said growling at the clone he was holding by the neck up in the air. The boy smiled sadistically nodding. Snapping his neck Sasuke hurried out his door towards where he had heard the screams coming from. He had long scratches on various places on him but over all he was fine. AS he ran Sasuke's dread began to grow. The screaming had stopped. He would rather be hearing a scream at this point. That would let him know that Hinata was still alive, silence wasn't as promising. As he came upon the scene Sasuke stopped abruptly. There was a massive amount of blood on the ground and Sasuke counted no less than eight bodies soaking in said blood none of which, he noted were Hinata. He was both thankful and worried about that. If they had taken her he would hunt them down and kill them slowly.
"Hinata!" Sasuke yelled out his eyes red as he scanned everywhere. His stomach dropped when he didn't see her. Then he heard it a very faint groan of pain then he spotted her. She was trying to crawl out from beneath for bodies. Quickly throwing them off of her Sasuke gulped. Had he been a weaker man he would have cried or vomited.
"Sasuke?" Hinata chocked out through blood coated lips. She was covered in bleeding scratches that seemed to cover her body. Lifting her up slowly in his arms Sasuke swallowed hard hearing her let out another groan of pain this one from him.
"I'll save you Hinata, this I promise." Sasuke mumbled running towards the Hokage's' office as fast as he could. If anyone could save her it would be Tsunade. The only light on in Tsunade's office was the dim one on her desk because she was getting ready to go home for the night. When Sasuke burst through the door it took her quite by surprise. She could barely tell it was him.
"Sasuke! What are you doing here so late?" Tsunade asked sternly. It was to dark to tell much but she knew he was holding something.
"Save her!" Sasuke demanded savagely stepping into the light. Tsunade's eyes widened with horror as she looked at what appeared to be a dying Hinata in his arms. Gently Sasuke put her door on the ground in front of her desk before repeating himself. Not giving it a second though she yelled for Shizune. She would need the combined healing powers of the both of them for this.
As Shizune rushed in hearing Tsunade scream for her the two of them worked on the more crucial cuts along her torso and back. Sasuke watched with a close look to agony on his face. He paced back and forth watching as the cut slowly disappeared. It still looked back though because of all the blood on her. He wanted to ask if she was going to be okay half way through but he didn't want to break their concentration.
Three hours later, after they had moved Hinata to the hospital and Shizune had kicked Sasuke out of the room, Tsunade came out looking very tired. She had Hinata's blood all down the front of her. It made Sasuke sick with disgust seeing it. Those monsters had done that to Hinata.
"She is alright. The cut's weren't deep but something was on the blades that cut her making them heal slower and there was so many of them. No major veins were hit either. Though she does have a odd looking bruise on her arm as if someone grabbed her roughly." Sasuke felt something hit him hard when Tsunade said this. He knew that the bruise was because of him. "Tell me what happened." Tsunade said sinking into a chair across from Sasuke in a very un-Hokage like fashion. Sasuke explained as best he could what happened with him. He was guessing it was the same for Hinata because it was the same clone that attacked them though they couldn't be sure until she woke p.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune said as Sasuke finished. "She is awake and well more than a little angry. She wishes to speak with you right away." Sasuke and Tsunade both stood up hearing this.
"I want to go in and see her." Sasuke announced. HE didn't know what he would say to her but he had to see her had to see with his own eyes that she was indeed alright.
"I'm sorry Sasuke but I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Tsunade said opening the door. Sasuke glared at her stepping forward.
"And why not?" He asked dangerously through clenched teeth. They didn't still think he was dangerous did they? He had brought her here for crying out loud. If it hadn't been for him Hinata would have still been out in the rain probably already dead! She couldn't have healed herself! She couldn't even move when he found her.
"A family member has asked for her not to see anyone until she is ready and in this case the family is who get's to decide." She told him with what looked like pity on her face. Pity for him, he knew but he didn't need he pity or anyone else's.
"Who said that? Who ordered it? Was it Hiashi?" Sasuke asked her. He wanted some answers.
"No," Neji's voice came from behind him. "I did. Once I heard it was you who brought her here I assume you had done it and were simply feeling guilty. So I spoke on Hiashi's behalf because he was unavailable and ordered no one outside family to see her." He told Sasuke who growled wanting to attack him. Had Tsunade not been there he would have.
"That would be hard for me to do considering I don't feel anything including guilt. Besides that, I was being attacked as well, by the same men.." Sasuke replied as Tsunade shut and locked them out of the room for the time being.
"Then why, tell me why, were you the only person that heard Hinata scream when other's were closer?" Neji asked concern edging his voice. He didn't want who ever these people were to be able to get at Hinata again. Sasuke was ready to come back with a snappy answer when he realized that he didn't have one simply put. Which for a moment left Sasuke dumbstruck.
"I'm not sure why I was the only one who heard it but those guys 3 came at me and at least 8 of them came to her. She killed all of those eight." Sasuke told him pride edging his voice. Neji's face had the same expression that Sasuke's had after he thought about it. Pure shock. She had killed 8 and still had that much damage. Hinata had fought hard.
"You say that you were attacked as well. By the same people?" Neji asked his face darkening quickly. Sasuke nodded as it clicked in Neji's head. Sasuke knew what was coming. It was most likely all Sasuke's fault. Something that he did before he came back had followed him here. Before he got back nothing like this had ever happened. Neji's fist clenched tightly and his jaw stiffened. Sasuke stood still. He deserved what Neji was about to do. Hinata was hurt because of him. Much to his surprise Neji sighed and unclenched his fists though it was clear that he really didn't want to.
"Hinata would not want us to fight regardless as to if you deserve it or not." Neji explained at Sasuke's look. Sasuke barely noticed that Neji had dropped her honorific title. He wasn't even sure that Neji knew he had dropped it.
"No, I wouldn't want you to fight and I would like to thank the two of you. Sasuke thank you for saving my life and Neji thank you for being so considerate of my feelings." Hinata said appearing out of the room. Her voice was like a slice of heaven. Sasuke hadn't realized how much he had actually missed it. He had been so strung out waiting to see Hinata again. She was smiling a little through a cut lip. Her arms had some bandages on them and her forehead had a huge Band-Aid on it. The two of them nodded stiffly looking her over carefully. Hinata was in a tank top to not bug her bandages and Sasuke could clearly see his hand print a dark purple on her white skin. Guilt panged his stomach making it clench. He had done that to her. He had bruised her and she hadn't ever said a think hadn't held it over his head. It was so like her.
"Hinata, the guys who attacked you, what did they say to you if they said anything at all?" Sasuke asked quickly. He need to know. Hinata looked at him curiously before answering.
"They said that they were there for…revenge. I'm not sure what about exactly though." Sasuke mentally cursed. They had said the same thing to him and it just didn't make any sense. Why would someone want to take revenge on him and Hinata? Him he could understand he had done a lot of well evil things while he was gone but Hinata? They hadn't done anything together that would cause the need to have revenge taken upon them. Questions ran through Sasuke's head like a whirl wind each went unanswered.
"Tsunade- sama told me that you were attacked as well." Hinata said to him. "I hope that you weren't seriously hurt like I was." Sasuke was shocked hearing this. She was worried about him? After everything she had just been through she couldn't take one minute to be selfish she had to be so fucking perfect and worry about him?
"I am perfectly fine Hinata." Sasuke said feeling the need to use her first name. "My question is are you okay? You looked pretty bad when I brought you here." Sasuke added softly. Hinata looked at him for a few minutes a smile tugging on her lips that to Sasuke looked perfectly shaped except the cut marring one of them.
"Yes, I am fine. Tsunade and Shizune healed all the crucial area's then they healed as much as they could. I am truly grateful for it." She told him. The two boys were immediately relieved to heat this. The bandages made it look bad but if Hinata said she was fine then she most likely was. Neither of them thought she would lie about something like that.
"You need to come back tomorrow Hinata and let us check the bandages again." Shizune reminded her and she Tsunade and Kakashi stepped out of the room Hinata had been in. Sasuke's mind drew up a big question mark seeing Kakashi. Why was he there?
"Get lots of rest Hyuuga-san you will need it being a jounin now." Kakashi spoke up handing Hinata a green vest. Everyone was flabbergasted save for Tsunade. Kakashi and she had obviously talked it over already.
"A jounin?" Hinata asked with awe taking the vest from him. Kakashi appeared to smile underneath his mask as he nodded.
"Tsunade-sama and I talked it over after we knew you would make a full recovery and if you can beat and kill 8 s-rank nin while 10 are coming at you then you deserve to be a jounin." Kakashi said as Tsunade smiled warmly, for her, at Hinata.
"He was s-rank?" Neji interjected. Sasuke had wanted to say the same thing but he didn't want to take away from Hinata's moment. She had been training hard, sense before he helped her, to be a jounin. Tsunade looked at Neji and nodded gravely.
"He was, not one of the strongest but when Sasuke's and Hinata's description of him we realized that it was Minato Habuwaski. A Village of the Rain nin who killed their kage 5 years back." She told them all. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He hadn't noticed a Hidden Village of the Rain forehead protector on the boy. Then again he hadn't really been looking. He had been busy fighting.
"How could be multiply himself like that?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi had been studying him for awhile now. Sasuke hadn't wanted to talk to Kakashi sense he got back. The bloody pervert was always trying to be serious with him. He didn't know which was more annoying the serious or the perversion.
"We don't know and I'm not going to talk about it anymore. I am going home to sleep which is what I order you all to do." Tsunade said sternly glaring at them all. "Now go!" She added Shizune and Kakashi were already walking away. Sasuke looked at them for a moment before turning to Hinata.
"I'll walk home with you." He told her leaving no room for objection. Neji glared at him.
"I can handle it Uchiha." He said to the other boy coldly. Sasuke looked up at him returning his glare. Hinata sighed in between them muttering something about stupid boys before she walked away. The two of them didn't notice until she was a few feet away from them getting ready to go out the doors. Snapping out of their glare fest Neji walked after her as Sasuke sighed. He wasn't going to argue. He knew that Neji would take good care of his Hinata.
Okay so this was a very intense chapter I know. I hope everyone enjoys it. Read and Review! Hoping to have the next chapter up by Wednesday.