Ice
Chapter Ten
Sasuke walked into Hinata's office right on the dot, startling her out of her work.
"S-Sasuke-san?"
He let a stack of at least ten books drop onto her desk, sighing heavily. "All the information I could find on different groups going against larger clans. Maybe we can wean important information out of them."
Hinata merely nodded, nearly gaping at the books.
"I… I-I, um, spoke with my father earlier this week. He said that when I was small, he thought he'd destroyed the last of the group. The Chrono Assembly, they were called. Sent letters to my grandfather and father that they were a ticking time bomb and would go off any second. The group was disbanded by my father and his allies, but they seem to have come back."
She sighed. "He said the only thing he knows is that they're much more powerful and intelligent than the previous group, and their name: The Mirage."
Sasuke leaned back, a thoughtful frown gracing his lips. He really was handsome, but in a dark, broody way. She could see either side of the equation: being head over heels for him, or despising him like Hanayo did. She must be laying in the middle ground. The thought somehow made her giggle, like it was only one extreme or the other for the rest of the population.
"Hinata."
She glanced up, trying to brush off the smile that lingered on her lips. "My apologies, Sasuke-san."
His eyes went over her face, nothing being betrayed in his expression. "Hn. I don't remember hearing anything about the group while with Orochimaru."
"Maybe… he was not involved."
"It seems a bit odd, though. I recognized some of the names as scientists, why would they not include Orochimaru? He definitely wouldn't have minded taking some Hyuuga members from their beds."
Hinata shuddered, getting sick at the thought of such a thing happening.
"Anyway," she sighed. "The group's intentions may be to study the Byakugan. The members they chose are very specific, and-"
Hanayo cut herself off, remembering the look of Hanayo's name on one of the lines. "I mean… mine was there… and one of the men there, he has a discolored Byakugan."
"What about the others? Hanayo?"
Hinata flinched, guilt turning in her stomach as she remembered browsing through Hanayo's file while the woman was still in the room.
"She, um… She actually had one of her eyes taken out when she was twelve. It was put back in, but it hasn't worked properly since."
Sasuke actually looked surprised at that, but the expression was gone as quick as it had come. "Hm. That would give them plenty of reason to-"
The man cut himself off and his head jerked up. Holding out a hand to the woman, he rose. She blinked, but stayed silent, getting more and more tense as he headed towards a cabinet.
She drew a breath with the soft hiss of him unsheathing his sword, and held it as he moved to unlock and open the cabinet.
It flew open just as Sasuke reached for the handle and the figure that stepped out burst into light, a loud crack accompanying it. Both the nin were startled, but Sasuke hissed, "Outside the door!"
With that, they were both out of the room, chasing the figure down the hallway and through a left turn, another left, right. They pushed startled people out of the way.
Sasuke tailed them with ferocity, Sharingan activated and on the crazed runaway. At the end of the hallway, right before the exit, Hinata spotted a very familiar face.
"HANAYO! STOP HIM!"
She glanced up from her file and dropped it, activating her Byakugan without a second thought. The figure slid to a halt and glanced behind, seeing the Uchiha heir and Hyuuga leader still in hot pursuit. Hanayo, at the other end of the hallway, started making hand signs as the figure started running towards her again.
"HAN-"
Before Hinata could call out again, a bright blue light erupted from the other side of the hallway. Hinata came to a halt beside Sasuke and covered her eyes, only to open them and see what appeared to be a giant blade coming straight for them.
Panicking, she grabbed Sasuke's collar from the back and pulled him down with her. Both of them landed with a thump and Hinata felt a breeze pass over their bodies, then the unmistakable sound of chopped wood.
When they both glanced towards Hanayo, she merely blinked back. The lack of blood in the hallway along with the branch member's expression made it obvious.
They got away.
Double Digits whooooaaaaa and I drew the cover myself double whoooooaaa
Thought I'd entertain you kids with my specialty: badly written action scenes. This plot it getting so murky and thick I can't even move, send help-
Oh boy oh boy school starts soon can't wait to be tired all the time—
Review, love others, breathe, touch butts