Three days have passed since Kiba last saw Hinata. With Hiashi's critical condition in the hospital, the Hyuga compound was not accepting any visitors for the time being. He became more irritable than ever, arguing with his mother and being entirely unbearable to his coworkers at the police station. He could focus on the job and be in a better mood if he were sure Hinata was okay. After another failed attempt to visit Hinata and being turned away from the Hyuga compound, Kiba was more than annoyed.
As he walked into the station with some items for lunch he'd gotten from the nearby convenience store, he opened the door and headed inside the station. The police station was busy as usual. Men and women work the front counters, taking reports from villagers of occurrences within the village. A duty usually handled by rookie police officers, with someone in a higher rank overseeing them. The Konoha crest hung behind them along with the Uchiha crest in memory of the clan who'd once run the police stations in years past. As Kiba walked to his desk, passing the villagers, he found his wooden cubicle in a group of four, with Choji sitting next to his cubicle.
"Morning, Choji," Kiba muttered, setting his lunch on the table before turning on the computer.
"Morning, what's got you all down in the dumps?" Choji asked as he finished the donut he'd been eating and started looking for the next one he'd eat out of his box.
"I still can't visit Hinata, stupid guards at the front doors." He muttered again and flopped into his seat. He turned his computer on, and his fingers drummed impatiently atop the desk as it booted on completely.
"Good morning, friends!" An overly cheerful voice said.
They both looked up to see Rock Lee taking the cubicle diagonal from Kiba and directly across Choji. He was grinning from ear to ear as usual, the only person fully awake and cheerful at this time of the day. This earned Rock Lee annoyed glances from other men and women in the station as they passed his desk. But none were brave enough to say anything, knowing he could take them all on at once.
"Hey, Lee," Kiba and Choji said in unison.
"It is a fine day, is it not?" Lee asked as he hung his items up in the provided hooks in the cubicle. "I-" he started but immediately interrupted.
"Hold it!" Choji said, pointing a half-eaten donut in Lee's direction. "I don't want to hear nothing about cardio exercise or the power of youth until after my third donut and a second cup of coffee."
Kiba snickered as Lee frowned but nodded, took his seat, and turned on his computer. Mornings at the station were usually slow. It was time to finish the paperwork to be turned in before the deadlines given to them by the captain of the station. As higher-ranking officers, they were often given cases that needed to be handled more discretely but in a different way than the anbu worked. They were also allowed to hit the streets and give villagers reassurance the police were there to protect them whenever they wanted.
Kiba and Lee often went out on patrols together because they weren't given a lot of cases to handle. Choji did most of their paperwork for them as he wasn't leaving the station if he could help it or unless it was for a meal. As Kiba cleared his inbox, he saw his eyes trail off toward the desk phone on his table. An idea came to mind as he picked up the phone and dialed the number to the Hyuga compound.
The phone rang, and Kiba nervously tapped his index finger on his table as he waited. Although he knew Hinata wouldn't be the one to answer the phone. It would be one of the clan members, but he hoped they'd put him through to her. The phone rang twice before it was answered.
"Hello?" A woman's voice that wasn't either Hinata or Hanabi asked.
"Hello, may I speak to Hinata, please?"
It was silent for a couple of moments as Kiba waited. He'd hoped they were getting Hinata.
"I'm sorry, but Miss Hinata is out right now. May I ask who's calling?"
"Kiba, her boyfriend. Where did she go?"
"I'll be sure to relay the information when she returns." The woman replied, avoiding his question. "Have a great day."
The phone went dead like that, and Kiba hung it up. He slumped at his desk and groaned. He understood that Hiashi was unwell. What he couldn't understand was why they were keeping Hinata from him. And why him specifically? He covered his face with both hands and resisted the urge to yell or growl in frustration. After a few moments, he sat forward and began checking his email on his computer.
"Okay, I've had my third donut," Choji announced. "Hit it, Lee."
Lee shot up, standing in his cubicle. His eyes were wide with excitement, and a smile spread from ear to ear. "I did ten laps around the village this morning, walking on my hands alone. Guy Sensei inspired me to continue my training and to use my arms more than I did before. Soon, I will obtain the true power of youth!"
Kiba smiled a little and gave Lee a thumbs up. "Nice, Lee."
Rock Lee frowned, then. "What is the matter, Kiba? Do you need three donuts and coffee as well?"
While Choji shot Lee a look of irritation, Kiba chuckled and shook his head. "No, I had breakfast. I'm having trouble with something else. It's Hinata. Ever since her father had to go to the hospital, I haven't been able to see her. And I just called her house, but they said she's not home."
Choji stood up and grabbed his coffee mug. "It's a fine day for patrol, isn't it?"
Lee blinked a couple of times before understanding what Choji was suggesting. "Yes, it is! Kiba, why don't you and I go patrolling the village? I'm sure we will find a certain young lady to assist!"
Kiba's eyes widened as he sat up in his chair. "You guys are geniuses! Come on, let's get going!" He stood up from his chair and began heading out of the station.
"Right behind you!" Lee called and quickly followed.
Choji sighed and shook his head. "Finally." He said, heading to the break room to visit the vending machine.
While on patrol, Kiba and Lee made their way to the hospital. They figured if Hinata were out of the house, she'd be at the hospital to see about Hiashi. When they reached the main entrance, Kiba asked the receptionist which room Hiashi was in. After getting the room and floor number, the pair traveled to the fifth floor and exited the elevator. At the nursing station was a woman with long, silky black hair and a heart-shaped face dressed in white hospital scrubs. She immediately locked eyes with Rock Lee and smiled before excusing herself from the other nurse and walking toward them.
Rock Lee grinned from ear to ear as he blushed a little. "Hello, my love!"
"Hi, dear!" The woman said before giggling. "Did you come all here the way just to see me?"
"Yes!" Lee answered truthfully. "And to help my partner out. Kiba this is my girlfriend Akane. Sakura introduced us to one another a while back."
Kiba smiled and held his hand out. "Kiba, nice to meet you Akane!"
"You as well, Kiba!" Akane said, taking his hand and shaking it.
After they let each other go, Kiba turned to Lee specifically. "I'll give you two some privacy while I check on that patient we came to see."
Lee nodded, and Kiba began down the hallway. The hospital was as busy as ever, with nurses coming in and out of rooms and call lights going on and off outside the doors. Kiba wondered how Sakura or any other staff stayed sane working here as he continued. When he arrived at Hiashi's room, two members of the Hyuga clan stood outside the door as guards. Both men looked at Kiba indifferently.
"Hey, is Hinata with her father?" Kiba asked, putting his hands in his jacket pockets.
"Lord Hiashi isn't here, and neither is Lady Hinata." One of the men said. "They had to take him to emergency surgery again."
Kiba's eyes widened. "Has his children been notified of this?"
"That is none of your concern." The guard responded again.
Kiba scowled in the direction of the man who had just dismissed him. He stepped forward and was about to grab a handful of the man's shirt and open his mouth to say something when something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. It was a hospital bed, and Hiashi was lying on it. He looked exhausted, covered in multiple blankets and an air mask over his mouth. Kiba's eyes widened at the site of the Hyuga leader, as he'd never seen him in such a condition.
Pushing the bed was a young man dressed in white scrubs who looked up to see them standing at their destination. The main sighed heavily and frowned. "Excuse me, I need to bring Lord Hiashi into his room, please."
The three of them moved out of the way, and the young man began maneuvering the bed into the room. Kiba, being the closest to the bed, looked closer at Hiashi. When their eyes locked onto one another, Hiashi weakly reached toward Kiba. Kiba quickly stepped forward while the hospital worker moved something out of the way of the bed in the room and took his hand. Hiashi quickly mouthed a couple of words.
"Please help me; the clan is…" Hiashi let Kiba go, closed his eyes, and collapsed into the bed.
"Lord Hiashi," One of the men said.
Kiba took a step back, eyes wide. One of the guards grabbed Kiba by the shoulder and turned him around to face him roughly.
"What did he say to you?"
"Look after my daughters." Kiba lied and shook the man off. "I'll be back later."
He quickly turned around and headed back toward Kiba and Akane. He needed to see Sakura as soon as possible. Or whoever was treating Hiashi. When the Hyuga leader asked him for help, he knew something was wrong. As soon as he saw Rock Lee and Akane, he looked directly at Akane, who was still talking to Lee.
"Can you tell me where Haruno Sakura is?" He asked and looked over his shoulder, relieved the guards weren't following him.
"Ah, sure," Akane said, surprised to see Kiba so quickly. "One moment," and went to the nurses sitting at the station. After a quick phone call, Akane came back. "She's in her office. She just finished surgery: seventh floor, east wing, room seven thousand and four."
"Thanks," Kiba said and quickly headed back to the elevators.
When the doors opened, he quickly entered and hit the seventh floor. The doors started to close, but Lee promptly slid into the elevator just before they closed. When it hit the seventh floor, the doors opened, and Kiba quickly exited the elevator and headed toward Sakura's office. The seventh floor mainly was admin offices, and the duo received curious looks as they walked through until Lee held up his police badge. When they arrived at their destination, Kiba knocked loudly on the door to point it, which caught the attention of Sakura's secretary and others passing by.
"Come in," Sakura called. They entered to see her sitting behind her desk, busy typing on the keyboard of her computer, and looked up, surprised to see who'd entered. "Kiba, Lee, what brings you in today?" Sakura asked, standing up.
"Hey, Sakura, I need you to tell me what is happening with Hiashi. It's important!" He said quickly.
Sakura held her hands up. "I'm sorry, Kiba, I can't. Every patient's medical history, especially registered shinobi, must be kept confidential. It's the law. I can't discuss anything with patients besides their next of kin."
Kiba slammed his hand atop her desk, causing her eyes to widen slightly. "You don't understand! I was just over at his room, and he told me to help him!"
Everyone in the room looked a bit shocked at this. Sakura sighed and sat back in her seat. "What else did he say? Is he in danger by the staff or someone else?"
"He said the clan is, and then he fainted after that. But something has to be going on here that isn't right."
"Okay, then I need you to get a police order in legal writing stating this could be the cause of criminal activity. Or, Hinata needs to come here, and I can discuss what is happening with Hiashi. I've been calling the Hyuga compound, and she isn't taking any calls."
Kiba's eyes widened then. "She hasn't been accepting your calls either?"
"No!" Sakura said, slightly annoyed and frowning slightly. "The Hyuga clan is causing enough problems with standing watch at Hiashi's room and questioning my staff. We've contacted the police and the Hokage office to get them out of here!"
Before Kiba could say anything else, Rock Lee grabbed Kiba by the shoulder. "We should head back to the station and begin the process for legal documentation. We can expedite Sakura's request to get the guards out of the hospital. As Sakura said, you won't be able to help Hiashi without that or getting a hold of Hinata."
Kiba frowned but bowed his head to Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura. Sorry to barge in here."
"It's no trouble at all," Sakura said, smiling. "But do me a favor, find out what's going on with Hinata as soon as possible. If either of us can't get through to her, I'm a little concerned…."
He nodded, and he and Lee quickly left the room. When they arrived at the elevators, Kiba pressed the button to go down. When the doors opened, they revealed Naruto holding a pink-clothed lunch bag. He grinned as soon as he saw the both of them.
"Hey, Bushy brows and Kiba, what brings you here, y'know?" Naruto asked curiously.
Kiba ignored the question and entered the elevator while Lee followed him.
"Morning, Naruto!" Lee said, smiling. "Are you bringing Sakura her lunch?"
"Yeah, she forgot it this morning. Ah, where are you two headed?"
"Back to the police station. See you later!" Lee said as the doors closed and the elevator returned to the ground floor.
Kiba crossed his arms and began taping his foot as he waited. Something was happening with Hinata, and he needed to get to it. Otherwise, he feared Hiashi was in danger.
Naruto frowned when the elevator doors closed. He could tell something was going on with Kiba just by the look on his face. Although he wanted to know what was happening, he knew he needed to get Sakura her lunch before she got busy with work. After all, this was just a shadow clone he was using while the real Naruto was at the Hokage's building pretending to look over documents for Kakashi. He quickly began strolling back to Sakura's office and knocked twice.
"You can come in," Sakura called from behind the door.
He opened the door to see her hanging up the phone, and she sighed again. Her expression changed as soon as she looked up into his eyes. She stood up and walked around the desk, smiling.
"Honey! What brings you here?" She asked curiously.
Naruto smiled. "You forgot your lunch at home. I grabbed it on my way out and made a clone to bring it over to you, y'know!"
She looked down and realized he was holding her lunch bag. Blushing a little, she took from his hands and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you. I'm sorry to have made you bring it. Being on call this week is already tiring. So an early morning surgery didn't help." She explained, shaking her head and walking around her desk to begin working again.
He chuckled and took the chair in front of her desk. "It's no problem at all! But what's got you so down? You're not overdoing it again, are you?"
"No, it's not that. I can't get ahold of Hinata. Every time I try to give her a call about her father, she isn't available to take the call. I even tried speaking to Hanabi, but she wasn't available either. She isn't taking Kiba's calls either."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and grabbed his chin with his right index finger and thumb. "Is that what had Kiba in a hurry? He said nothing when I passed him and Bushy brow in the elevator."
"That's Lee," Sakura corrected, knowing he'd continue to call him by his nickname. "And yes, I think he's worried about his girlfriend."
He nodded and stood up. "I know the feeling. I worry about my fiancé when she's overdoing it at her job, y'know."
Sakura sighed, shaking her head. "Being on call is part of the job. I'm fine. It's no need to worry, alright."
"Alright, I better get back to work. I'll be back on my lunch break to check on you!"
"Naruto!"
He winked and held his hands up to dismiss his clone. "Have a good day, work, baby! I'll see you later, y'know!"
Before Sakura could say anything, he'd already dismissed the clone. Naruto's vision refocused on the Hokage building. Suddenly, a stack of papers hit his desk. He looked up to see Shikamaru staring down at him with his arms crossed over his chest and his right eye twining slightly.
"Did you hear anything I just said, or were you with Sakura with one of your clones again?"
Naruto blushed a little and heard the laughter of the other advisors in the office. He began flipping through a couple of pages.
"Ah no I didn't Shikamaru…"
Shikamaru groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lord six needs to see you hurry over to his office."
Naruto quickly stood up from his desk. "Right, I'll get going, y'know!" And promptly hurried over to Kakashi's office without a second thought.
Hinata paced in her bedroom, feeling restless. Her room was like all the others in the main house of the Hyuga compound. There were the traditional wooden slide doors. Tatami flooring and white painted walls with a few plants Hinata kept. There was also her bed and a small table for two; she sat while knitting, and the lantern she lit at night for lighting.
Since Hisashi's sudden illness, the clan elders, specifically Hiroshi, have been insufferable to the entire Hyuga clan, including herself and Hanabi. House rules were more strict now than they ever were before. Members of the branch family were forced to act like guards at the gates of the Hyuga compound. Those who weren't guards did house chores and served the main family and anything asked of them.
Hinata ran a hand through her long blue hair and sighed as she looked out her bedroom window. Boredom was sitting in as she continued to be confined inside her home. She knew Hanabi's safety would be their utmost concern as the current heir. But she, too, was being watched carefully. She longed to see Kiba, as his presence alone would ease her mind. Yet the last couple of times he'd tried to visit her, he was turned away by the elders' orders.
She even tried to sneak out of her room but was immediately caught by security. They pleaded with Hinata to return to her room, as the elders would punish them if they thought something had happened to her. Thus, she stayed in her room or went to the sitting room to see Hanabi for a change of scenery. To make matters worse, she hadn't received an update on Hiashi's health since they left the hospital. She was only told that the hospital was still keeping a careful eye on him, but she didn't know what had caused him to fall ill in the first place.
Hinata stopped pacing, collapsed atop her bed, and covered her eyes. She wondered if fate was against her. It seemed as if all of her plans were slowly slipping through her fingers. And no matter what she tried to do, her actions caused someone she cared about grief. Suddenly, a knock came from the door, and she quickly sat up before allowing them to enter.
It was her temporary ladies' maid. She was a couple of years older than Hinata and was always kind to her. Her name is Ayame Hyuga, and she is a branch family member. She had long brown hair she always kept tied into a neat bun and was dressed in a long-sleeved black dress and a white apron. Her head protector was worn over the marking on her forehead, signifying her placement in the clan.
"Lady Hinata, I brought you some tea and treats. I'll have them ready for you in a moment!" Ayame said, holding a tray of a tea kettle, cups, and a plate of desserts that'd been freshly cooked. She stepped into the room, closed the sliding door, and walked over to the table, setting down the items in her hands.
"Thank you, Ayame," Hinata said, standing up from the bed. When Ayame finished, she moved to sit at the table and grabbed her tea cup. Ayame poured the warm liquid into the cup. "Have you seen Hanabi today, Ayame?"
"Yes! Lady Hanabi seems to be in good spirits."
"Good," Hinata said, smiling. "Have you heard any word about my father?"
Ayame was quiet. Hinata turned to look at her where she was standing. She fiddled with the tray and refused to meet Hinata's eyes.
"Apologies, milady, I have not. However, I wish him all the best."
Hinata briefly looked at Ayame and then back to her tea. She knew something was wrong. Deciding not to press further, she silently finished the rest of her tea and a few desserts and asked Ayame to clear the table. After Ayame left, Hinata knew she needed to leave the compound but wasn't sure how to do it without anyone suffering from her actions.
Kiba was exhausted after everything that had happened. He made sure Sakura's request for the Hyuga family members not to be allowed to stand guard in the hospital by police order was submitted expeditiously. He also submitted his request for an emergency health report on Hiashi due to an investigation. He was still concerned for the Hyuga leader when he asked for help. Before heading home, he went to the hospital again to visit Hiashi, only to be stopped by the guards. Deciding not to pick a fight, he returned home after a long day.
When he arrived home, he checked on Akumaru, who was happy to see him. They were inside a large wooden double-door dog kennel built to house multiple dogs. While Akumaru was useful in missions, his canine companion couldn't accompany him to the office every day. The police used dogs for specific operations like drug stings and searches. Registered police dogs were trained in a particular manner by the Inuzuka clan so that all officers could effectively work with them. Partners like Akumaru were loyal only to their respective partners, making it hard for others to work with them.
Kiba chuckled while he and Akumaru did a round of tug of war with one of Akumaru's favorite toys. With Akumaru's size and strength, Kiba put much effort into holding his own against his partner. He ultimately let Akumaru win the game and rewarded him with belly scratches. While he did this, he didn't miss the sound of someone approaching him from behind.
"There you are!" The sound of his mother's voice caught his attention.
He resisted the urge to groan, knowing it'd only make her mad. "Hi, Mom, I was just about to head in after I finished with Akumaru."
Tsume nodded and turned toward the house. "Sure, but we need to discuss something important. Come in and get washed up for dinner as soon as you're done."
As soon as she was out of earshot, Kiba sighed and returned to Akumaru. He saw that all the other dogs were eating, and food had already been placed in Akumaru's bowl.
"Alright, boy, you enjoy your dinner. I'll come get you when it's time for bed." Kiba said softly.
Akumaru barked twice and trotted over to his bowl to start his dinner. Kiba entered the house and hung his jacket in the front closet. He immediately headed upstairs for a quick shower and changed his clothes. When he finished, he returned to the dining table to find his sister sitting there. They waved at one another while their mother was finishing up in the kitchen.
When dinner was served, Kiba was surprised that it was quiet. It was the first time in a long time he'd come home early enough to join them for dinner. He was expecting some criticism from his mother by now, but she genuinely seemed happy. After swallowing the last bit of food he was chewing, he looked at his mother specifically.
"So what did you want to talk about, Mom?" He asked lightly.
Tsume nodded to Hana, and he turned his attention to his sister. Hana wiped her mouth clean with the napkin she held and then focused her attention on Kiba.
"We've received an official letter from Lord Hiashi. We are to meet with the elders of the Hyuga clan tomorrow to discuss the potential marriage of you and Hinata. He apologized for his absence due to still being in the hospital. But the elder representing him in the meeting is a trusted clan member."
Kiba's eyes widened at the thought of finally seeing Hinata. He began to smile when Tsume cleared her throat loudly, which caused his smile to disappear as he turned his attention back to his mother. "That means you must dress appropriately for the occasion: no stained shirts and ripped pants. You'll be representing the Inuzuka clan. So whatever you do, don't make a fool out of yourself."
It was then that he remembered the documentation he'd submitted. He made arrangements for both of his requested items to be approved to go to the hospital to take care of the guards and get his report.
"I can't go tomorrow morning. I have a big case that I need to work on early in the morning. It's important."
Tsume nodded, smiling. "Good. It's about time you started getting serious about something besides constantly playing around and complaining. Your sister and I will handle marriage talks. Honestly, it's better this way so we can secure the deal!"
Kiba and Hana sighed while Tsume smiled and started eating dinner again. One thing Kiba knew he needed to do was help Hiashi. If he couldn't do that, he wouldn't be able to face Hinata properly again.
The following day at the police station, Kiba sat in his cubicle. He was waiting for the official order to get an emergency health report on Hiashi. He was sure there was nothing that the hospital was doing wrong. But there was something that the clan was doing to Hiashi that was keeping him in there. Besides himself, there weren't members who had arrived at the station already.
After sighing for what seemed to be the hundredth time, he looked up from his computer and saw Choji walking toward him with a folder in hand. He held the folder out for Kiba to take.
"Here are the two items you needed expedited yesterday. The Captain says you're free to pursue the case." Choji said, smiling.
Kiba grinned and took the folder. He opened it to see everything was in order, and he could begin his investigation. "Thanks, Choji. I know it took some strings to get this done. I owe you one!"
"Yes, you do! Treat me to some barbecue soon, and we'll be even."
Kiba stood up and put his jacket on over his shinobi vest. "I will. I gotta head to the hospital. I'll be back soon!"
With the reports in hand, Kiba quickly headed to the hospital and went straight to Sakura's office. When he arrived, she was doing clinical treatment for patients, so her secretary had him wait for her while someone went to get her. He sighed as he tapped his foot, counting the seconds ticking away on the clock hung on the wall. Thirty minutes went by as he sat there waiting restlessly. He understood patient treatment was necessary, but it didn't help him ease his anxiety.
He stood up, ready to ask the secretary for an update, when he saw Sakura walking toward him with a cup of coffee and a young man following behind her. As soon as he locked eyes with her, she stopped in her tracks and waved for him to come and join her as she started heading back from the direction she had come. Kiba quickly jogged after her and walked beside her as they headed to the elevators.
"I got your official police order to remove the guards in front of Hiashi's room; after today, you all shouldn't have any more trouble. If so, call me, and we'll get them back out of here." Kiba said, grinning.
Sakura sighed in relief and pressed the button on the elevator. "Thank you! After we finish this health report, I'll have you kick them out. But first, we're going to go to the lab. I assume you also have an order for an emergency report of Hiashi's health due to an investigation you're doing?"
Kiba nodded, handing her the official document. "That's right; if everything is okay, I'll drop my suspicions on who or why I think Hiashi is in here in the first place. But I have a feeling it's not due to sudden bad health."
"And you'd be right," Sakura answered and took a sip from the coffee she had in her hand. "Because I think I found something troubling."
Kiba's eyes widened as he looked at her just as the doors to the elevator opened. After entering, the doors closed, and she hit the third-level button. When the elevator reached the third floor, they exited it and entered the lab. He followed her into the lab, and the man following them went to the computer and opened Hiashi's patient chart in the electronic medical record system. Above him was a large screen set up, and Hiashi's current health information was displayed before them.
Kiba was confused at all the information he'd seen at the moment. Of course, he recognized things like vital signs and blood pressure. But he had no clue what that all meant in the grand scheme. Sakura turned to him and pointed at the screen.
"Hiashi has been experiencing crippling pain that's been widespread over his body. Think of a heart attack, but the pain is happening everywhere all at once. Yesterday, I had to resuscitate him. That's why you found him returning to his room when you arrived. But this time, I took a blood sample and sent it to the lab to look into."
"What did you find?" Kiba asked curiously, taking a step forward.
The image changed from his chart to a list of things inside the blood sample taken from Hiashi.
"Poison, this poison is a drug that has been given to him without his knowledge or ours at first. Meaning that someone wanted to put him into a critical condition to kill him painfully. Or keep him in here long enough that he can't interfere with something."
Kiba nodded. "Something fishy is going on here. And I'm going to get to the bottom of it. Hiashi said something about the clan and that he needed help. I'll get rid of the guards, then head to the Hyuga compound and continue my investigation there to get some answers. Thank you for looking into this, Sakura."
She nodded. "Of course, and let me know how Hinata is. I'm worried about her if you said someone from the clan might be responsible." She started to cough and then cleared her throat.
"You okay?" Kiba asked concerned.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I think with me being on call this week and needing to come in early multiple times this week is catching up to me. I had to come in last night, too, to handle the ER since one of our doctors needed to have surgery. I better leave early today and get some rest. Otherwise, Naruto will start fussing at me again."
Kiba chuckled. "Naruto fussing at you?"
She laughed. "Yes, if I do something to make him worried or not take care of my health, he lets me have it. I guess I have it coming from time to time."
Kiba laughed at that. He always pictured Sakura needing to keep Naruto in line. But the image of the reverse situation happening was funnier than he imagined.
"Alright, I better get going. I'll let you know when I hear from Hinata."
Sakura coughed again and waved at him. Kiba headed to the door and tried to open it but couldn't. He tried the knob a couple more times when he heard Sakura gasp behind him. Kiba turned around to see the assistant working the computer holding Sakura. Her paper coffee cup lay with the top off, and the liquid spilled on the white tiled floor. The color in her face had drained away, and she was unconscious. The man looked up from her, smiled, and laid her down to the ground.
"What the hell?" Kiba asked.
The man transformed into Kenzo, the man who was Hiashi's attendant. His white-colored eyes narrowed, looking at Kiba. Kenzo smiled and then looked down at Sakura.
"Well, she caught onto me much faster than I thought she would. But you had to stick your nose into business that wasn't your own."
"What the hell did you do to Sakura?" Kiba growled.
"I spiked her coffee to disorient her so taking her out would be much easier. Then, I only needed to strike her stomach to cut off her chakra supply. She'll be out for a day or two now that her chakra has been disrupted. That is if I let her live."
"What the hell do you mean if you let her live?"
"It doesn't matter; the main house of the Hyuga must pay for their sins against the branch house. And once my plans are done, Neji will take his rightful place as the head of our clan. If my plans fail, the two of you will be my contingency plan. But first, I need to take care of you, mongrel."
Kiba charged toward him while Kenzo did the same with the Byakugan activated. They traded blows against each other, Kiba swiping him and cutting his right bicep with his claws. Kiba went to form hand signs when he realized who he was dealing with. His Chakra wouldn't mold or move the way he needed it to. It was then he realized Kenzo had cut off his chakra points. Kenzo kicked him hard in the chest suddenly, and Kiba fell over.
"Still awake. Let me fix that." Kenzo struck Kiba in his stomach just like Sakura, and he faded into unconsciousness.