A/N:

I am deeply truly sorry for having dismissed this story in over a half year T___T

And thank you to all of those, who have reviewed! It really means a lot to me.

Btw, the tattoo from chapter 9, which never showed up(?) here’s the link (just delete the spaces, ne?):

http:// ashrey-chan(dot)deviantart (dot) com (slash) art (slash) Dragon-anbu-tattoo-40202779

Btw, I’ve become addicted to the mange “DOGS”!

Go read it on =D the prelude and then “DOGS – bullets and carnage”

WARNING! There’s a lot of talking in this chapter – and I mean a lot! xD

Disclaimer: fuck off, okay? (xD) I own shiat, except Nio, Kia, Cloud and Blood Country

Dedication: My reviewer number 100: The Anime Wolf

Chapter 11

Naruto had never been a patient person, and that hadn’t changed after he grew up. When there was something he wanted, he got it no matter what he had to do. If it meant kicking every ninja in his path, neglecting ramen for a longer period or doing a hula-dance on the Hokage’s desk, then he’d do it.

That being said also meant that he would do anything to get Hyuuga Hinata back from that whatever-it-name-was country she had been taken to. He gritted his teeth as he paced the living room of his small apartment. He couldn’t believe that baa-san had dismissed their question for a rescue.

He stopped pacing and looked out of his window, where he had a clear sight to the statue of the Fourth Hokage’s head. A small smile graced his lips before he leaped out of his window and landed on the street below.

A plan had formed, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to stop him from reaching his goal.

---

Sasuke woke up from a heavy knocking on his door. He groaned and got up from his couch, where he had taken a nap. The pounding continued and a scowl made it’s way to his face, as he knew who it was.

“Stop it already, dobe!” he sneered and opened his door. He raised a perfect black eyebrow and leaned against his doorframe.

“What are you doing here?” Sasuke asked, as he stared at Gaara, Naruto and Shikamaru.

“We’re going to save Hinata!” Naruto proclaimed and hauled him outside. Sasuke glared at him, but didn’t object, when they ran out of Konoha’s gate.

“… troublesome,” was the only thing Shikamaru muttered, but followed anayways, knowing that they would probably get into bigger trouble.

Groaning heavenly from the impact with the water, Nio got up on her hands and knees on the slippery ground beside. She carefully stood up and stumbled up to the harder ground, where she fell down with her back to one of the big trees.

How the hell had she been so careless?!

They were low-classed ninjas and still they managed to have fought her away from the village and down to the river, where they landed one – ONE – hit on her, and she flied in to the water.

“Low-classed bitches with freakin’ dirty chakra hits!” she growled loudly and looked up at the sky. She just needed a few minutes to rest, so her wound in her side could heal, and then could she continue.

“You look exhausted?” a knowing and all too familiar voice asked. She cracked one eyelid open and glared half-heartily at Cloud, who came up to her before he also fell down beside her.

“And that comes from you who can’t even walk straight,” she muttered and poked him in the stomach.

A comfortable silence settled down over them as they stared at the smoke in the horizon, with the setting sun behind it. The village they’d staid at was gone now, just like everything else. It wasn’t even ruins anymore, but destroyed from earth’s surface.

“You think Kia and Hinata-san are okay?” he asked quietly and looked at her through the corner of his eye. She blinked a few times and shrugged.

“Yeah, I think so. Kia’s strong and Hinata’s not stupid.”

“Hmmm…” he nodded but still; he had a feeling of unease that he couldn’t shake of.

“Yo-you … k-killed your l-le-leader?” Hinata stammered shocked. She took a step back, as Kia nodded and looked away.

“Why?” she asked, in a voice that was much more high-pitched, than she would have liked. Her companion heaved a sigh and sat down on the ground while twirling a flower around her finger. It grew taller and larger, as she controlled its spurt.

“Well… to make a long story short; he had become greedy, so to say. His plans in the beginning were wonderful, perfect! A country with average people, no blood-kill and no greed – a land were people lived in peace with each other.”

She paused and looked to her right, lost in thoughts it seemed. Hinata sat down where she stood, not moving any closer to the other.

“We were his protégé,” Kia began again quietly. “The three strongest and most respected ninjas, even though we were very young at that time. We always worked together and we often spent afternoons with our leader.

One day, though, he changed. I know it sounds crazy to say it happened overnight, but that’s actually true. One day he was all smiles and great promises we all knew he could keep; the next day he was moody, dark and pessimistic.

He locked himself in his office and refused to see anyone.”

She stopped again and stretched her legs in front of her. She then leaned forward to get the knacks out of her back. Afterwards she leaned her elbows on her knees and stared at the former Hyuuga with her beautiful eyes.

“Over the months our country fell apart. People killed each other over ridiculous things and it showed us how depended we were on a good kage. But, he didn’t listen to any of us; pushed us away and became more obsessed with moneys and powers,” she laughed dryly.

“What made the final snap was when he destroyed a village simply because they couldn’t pay his crazy taxes.

We all were in it, but Nio took his life in the end – I guess he resembled her too much of herself back before she met us. And she couldn’t stand that.”

“W-why?” Hinata asked still in shock. She couldn’t get how a kage, a KAGE, could do something like that to the people he sworn to protect.

“Why he resembled her so much of herself? That’s her story to tell.

And why she couldn’t stand why he turned out like that? Well, they were lovers,” Kia answered with a shrug. “But that’s also a story, she should tell,” she quickly added.

Hinata stared at her for a few seconds not knowing what to say. She could even comprehend that information logically, as she had never experienced something like that before.

In some way she could understand their actions, but still… what happened to a community when people began taking the law in their own hands? Was this country really the answer on that?

She shivered at the thought of either Konoha or Suna being left in ruins and hatred like Blood Country was.

Gaara.

She looked up at the sky, which had become darker and a few early stars could be seen through the grey clouds. Where are you? She thought and blushed slightly. She hoped he was okay, that he was happy; she wanted him to be.

A sudden sense of sadness overcame her and she looked down at the ground beneath her feet. She missed him; and that was a strange thing, considering he had thrown her out and they hadn’t even spent that much time together.

“Should we move on?” she suddenly asked Kia, who looked surprised up at her. Hinata had a new confidence and bravery in her eyes, as she smiled down at the other.

“That we should; at least until it gets too dark. I wouldn’t like to be moving in those woods at the dark hours,” the blood ninja answered.

I hope I see you soon, Gaara-kun, Hinata thought as she followed the other.

A/N: I think we need to end with someone else – now Kia and Hinata had the final word, twice xD

And again, I am deeply sorry for having been so long about this -.- I’m such a bad person.

Remember to review, ne?

Perhaps I’ll get the next chapter out sooner xD – and Draguta, I truly hope you are still alive :’D

Btw, go read 07-GHOST too! It's such a wonderful and amazing series!