I would like to thank everyone who took time to read and review the last chapter. And also to those who added this story to their follows and favorites. I hope you enjoy this one, too! :)

Chapter 7: Gaaaah!

.

'Ichiraku's? No. The flower shop? No. How about that apartment? No.'

Hanabi gritted her teeth as she ran fast, jumping from one roof to another with her Byakugan activated. With one forward step with her dominant foot, she made a quick long jump and landed on top of a newly-built apartment complex, where she planned to search next.

The young Hyuuga Hanabi was well-aware of how good she was. She knew she was strong- in fact stronger than most kunoichi her age. She was fast, smart, and exemplary. Her father said so himself. Even in her young age, her ability to use their clan's kekkei genkai was exceptional, and the distance that her Byakugan could reach was almost at par with her cousin Neji. But despite her outstanding features, her powerful eyes were not able to find what she was looking for.

She furrowed her brow, as a raindrop found its way to her forehead. It was already morning, but the sky remained brooding, and gray clouds still hung low over the village. It would start to rain again soon, she thought, and searching would take more time than it already had.

If she could just find what she's looking for fast..

"Where on earth are you?"

There was a soft squishing sound when she finally jumped down from a roof and landed right foot first on the ground. The earth was still wet from the overnight rain, but the squishing sound happened as a result of her sandal accidentally landing on a dog poo.

"Ew.. Ew.. Ew.. Yuck!"

She could be the strongest girl ninja of her age, but the truth was, Hyuuga Hanabi was still... a girl.

"Oh, Hanabi-chan! I was about to pick that up, but well.. maybe I'll just leave it on the ground squashed like that."

Her featureless eyes moved from the sole of her shoes toward the man who just spoke. It was one of her sister's friends, Inuzuka Kiba, together with the source of the fecal deposit that was stuck under her sandals. "Kiba-niisan. Akamaru."

The dog-user moved the boxes he was carrying on Akamaru's back, and the white canine whined. "I'm really sorry, Hanabi-chan. I must've given this boy too much dog food."

"I-It's okay, niisan. Not like I can't clean it up or something." She answered, while trying to scrape the dirt under her shoe.

"I can clean it up for you if you want!"

"No, no, it's alright." Hanabi waved her hands in front of her. "I'm.. actually in a hurry."

"Is that so?" Kiba remarked. His gaze moved passed Hanabi when he noticed that there were two other Hyuugas walking around with their Byakugan activated. He saw two more a few meters away, jumping on top of the houses and another group going through the small alleys of the market. With the way that their head protectors were tied around their foreheads, he was sure that the shinobis belong to the branch family. He gave the young Hyuuga a confused look. "Hey, is everything alright? What's going on?"

Hanabi chewed on her lower lip and stared at Kiba before she answered. "Well, Kiba-niisan..." She paused for a bit, her eyes wandering around. She doubted if she could tell him. Hyuuga matters were only handled by Hyuugas, her father said. But the person if front of her was someone her sister trusted, and maybe he could help her find what she was searching for. "You see.. We're looking for Hinata-neesan."

"Your sister?" Kiba frowned, as image of Naruto inside Hinata's body came into his mind. 'Naruto?' He thought.

"Have you seen her?"

"No, I haven't. Isn't she supposed to be training with Neji?"

"That's true.. But this morning..."

"Was she slacking off again?"

Kiba's sudden remark cut her off, and she tilted her head in confusion. "No! I mean-" But Hanabi had to stop mid-sentence, when another member of the branch house suddenly showed up behind Kiba.

"Hanabi-sama, I've been looking everywhere for you. Please stay at home. It's an order from Hiashi-sama. Let me escort you back to the mansion. We, the members of the branch house, will do the search ourselves."

"A-Alright." She turned her attention back to Kiba, and wryly smiled. "I have to go, Kiba-niisan."

"O-Okay."

"If you happen to see my sister, please tell us right away."

And with that, Hanabi was gone, leaving behind the Inuzuka and his dog.

Kiba scratched the back of his head thinking. "Can you believe that, Akamaru? What a slacker! Where the hell did he ran off to? He's the one who said he's going to help Hinata, now he's running away from training. Didn't he know he's causing trouble to Hinata and everyone in the branch family? Tch, that Naruto!" Kiba picked up a large plastic bag from the ground and started to move his feet. "Come on, Akamaru. We still have one more thing to buy."

Kiba continued walking, his eyes gazing around. "If I could just remember what that is."

Akamaru followed him to a fruit stand, where he found his owner staring at a crate of melons. "Hey, Akamaru, now that I think about it, aren't they going a bit overboard? It sounds like almost everyone in the Hyuuga compound is looking for Naruto." Kiba shrugged, looking at Akamaru who just stared back at him with his tongue out. "Well, it's Naruto we're talking about, so he's probably causing them a lot of trouble." Kiba picked up a melon and started to play with it with his hands. "It's really a surprise that Hinata's father hasn't found out the truth, yet. Right, Akamaru? I even thought that Hinata's family is really smart. Unless, of course, the reason that they we're looking for him is that he already got busted, and the 'Hinata' that Hanabi-chan is looking for is her real sister." He laughed. "This melon smells nice!"

Akamaru's head tilted a bit as he listened to Kiba. He quietly stared at him for a few seconds and waited.

And waited...

And waited... until he saw Kiba's face lose all its colors.

"Holy crap!" He shouted, dropping the melon and causing it to burst open as it hit the ground. "He got caught, didn't he?! They knew, so now they're looking for the real Hinata!" Akamaru barked in response. "Come on, we have to tell her!"

"Hey, you! You have to pay for that-" Hearing the sound of a melon breaking, the vendor turned to approach Kiba, but he was already gone. Instead, the old lady turned her attention to the white canine that apparently couldn't run away because of all the boxes loaded on his back. She narrowed her eyes at the dog as she said, "You! Can you pay for that melon?"

"..."

"..."

Perhaps, Akamaru is the only dog that profusely sweats on its forehead.

Oooxxxooo

Hinata woke up at the sound of rain violently hitting the roof. She opened her eyes to the darkness of the room and propped herself up to take a look outside the window, a white towel fell from her forehead in the process. She gripped the damp piece of cloth and looked at it questioningly.

'W-Was I having a fever?' She thought.

A lightning, followed shortly by the sound of thunder, made her turn her attention back to the view outside the open window. It was raining again. The dark skies made it feel like morning didn't even come. It became even gloomier than last night, giving her a sense of foreboding she couldn't understand. She shivered, as cold air howled and entered her window. Staring out the window one last time, Hinata decided to get up and do what she had to do.

'I have to get out of here.' Hinata said to herself.

Both feet hesitantly touched the floor, as she remembered the injury she got from the night before, and though still hurting, the broken ankle was now securely wrapped with bandages. She could tell that the person who did it also applied a healing ointment, for the swelling had also lightened.

She was grateful, but she also had to see Naruto fast. She had to tell him what had happened and warn him.

She hobbled from the edge of the bed toward the front door as quickly as she could.

"Where are you going..."

It was the same voice that called her last night after she fell down from the roof. She turned around and saw him. He was standing near the kitchen counter with a breakfast tray on both hands. Hinata noticed how he gazed at her worriedly.

"...Hinata-sama?"

It was her guardian, Ko, and it appeared that he stayed all night taking care of her just like he always used to. It also appeared that, despite her appearance, he knew that she actually wasn't Naruto.

"K-Ko-san... I-I have to see Naruto-kun."

"So I was right. You are Hinata-sama." Ko coldly stared at her. "I can't let you do that. I'm sorry. You're ankle is badly broken, and you still have a fever."

"B-But... Naruto-kun.."

Ko sighed, as he placed the tray back on the counter. "If you're worried that I might have told your father, then please rest assured that I haven't...yet. Not when you haven't told me the whole story yet, Hinata-sama."

Hinata loosened her grip on the doorknob and walked toward the wooden chair at the kitchen where she sat. "T-Thank you."

"Now, would you kindly tell me what happened? I asked, but you were... not yourself last night. Maybe it's because of your high fever. But tell me, why did you lie? Were you trying to protect Uzumaki-san again?"

Hinata lowered her gaze, avoiding the scrutiny of the older Hyuuga. "N-No. It's not that. It's actually him who's protecting me."

.

"A kinjutsu that switches the soul of two people? I'm sure I haven't heard of that until now." Ko rubbed his chin in deep thought.

"Apparently, it was a kinjutsu developed by Jiraiya-sama when he was still young, and the Third Hokage placed it inside the archives for safekeeping. It was only used the second time when it got stolen a few weeks ago, and unfortunately, Naruto and I fell victim to the curse." Hinata explained.

"I see."

"B-But, how did you know? It's been like this for a while, and no one in the house noticed."

Hinata found a pair a pupil-less eyes slowly narrowing at her. "Hinata-sama, I've been looking after you for over a decade now. Of course, I'll notice. Especially with how strange that Naruto is acting. I just knew my suspicions were right when I followed you and Naruto yesterday." Ko shook his head. "Still, I believe lying to your father is a terrible idea, Hinata-sama. I understand how much you want Hiashi-sama to acknowledge you, but this isn't the proper way to do it."

"I-I just didn't want to disappoint Otou-sama..." Hinata lowered her eyes again, and her fists clenched even tighter.

"Don't you think you'll be more of a disappointment once he finds out?"

Blue eyes went wide in panic. "I'm begging you, Ko-san. Please don't tell Otou-sama! Two days.. J-Just two more days, and we'll switch back to normal. Hokage-sama said it herself."

Ko massaged his forehead and let out another sigh. This, too, had been a predicament for him. Before anything else, he knew his loyalty to the clan should come first. But how could he say no to the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, the person he was bound to protect until his last breath? Someone who so seldom asked for what her heart desired? How could he coldheartedly deny her of her request, when she's looking at him like...

Ko's eyes gazed at the person who supposed to be his next clan head, and his eyebrows twitched in revulsion. She was dramatically gawking at him with those puppy dog eyes like she was about to cry, and her manly lips were formed into a pout. It could have been a compelling one, considering that it was Hyuuga Hinata, but for Ko, it just didn't work- it would never ever work- especially when she's doing it using Uzumaki Naruto's face.

A bead of sweat formed on Ko's forehead, and he pressed his lips tightly together. '...that.'

"No. I'm sorry, Hinata-sama, but you'll miss out more of your training if you don't tell the truth right away." He shot her a glance before moving from the chair he was sitting. Her defeated look saddened him, but being the adult one, he had to do right thing. "I'm going back to the compound. Hiashi-sama has to know."

He was just a few steps away from Hinata, when they heard someone pounding on the door. Ko quickly activated his Byakugan and found Kiba.

"K-Kiba-kun.. What's wrong?" Hinata asked once she opened the door.

"Hinata! We have a problem. I think your father knows about Naru...to." Kiba quickly moved his way inside the room that even his sense of smell failed to tell him that Hinata wasn't alone inside the apartment. Kiba audibly gulped. "Oh hello there, Ko-san! I'm just passing by to see if Naruto's doing well. But I have to go! I think I left Akamaru somewhere in the market." He was about to run, when Hinata caught his arm.

"Kiba-kun! Wait, please! What happened to Naruto-kun?"

"W-Well..." He hesitated, eyeing Ko once more.

Oooxxxooo

It was said that a simple gesture as an eye contact could signify either love or hate. With the way that someone is staring at you, it's easy to know whether that person loves you, adores you, or simply wants to strangulate you until you die.

But for Shizune, there was no doubt about it. The way that those pupil-less eyes stared darkly to her master's brown ones told her that it was definitely the latter.

Well, maybe not to point that the stern Hyuuga Hiashi would suddenly choke Konoha's Fifth Hokage to death, but his glares did exude hostility and coldness that it almost overpowered the almost freezing weather.

Shizune hugged herself tighter, suddenly feeling cold, as she listened to the conversation... Or the lack of it.

Tsunade closed her eyes, ending the staring battle she started with the Hyuuga clan head. Aside from the fact that her hang-over was so terrible she couldn't keep her eyes open, simply staring at those white eyes would surely get them nowhere.

"All I ask is for you to tell your men to pull back and allow us to take over." Tsunade started. "We have plenty of teams available for this kind of mission, Hyuuga-san. We will find her for you."

Hiashi's eyes remained a glower as he spoke. "Is this really the reason you called me here for, Hokage-sama? I appreciate your... kindness and generosity. But I'll say it again: This is a Hyuuga matter, and we don't allow 'outsiders' to deal with our affairs."

"Your men are creating panic to the whole village." Tsunade quickly retorted. "We just ended a war, Hyuuga-san. How do you think the people would feel if they see shinobis from your clan running around with their Byakugans?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to find my daughter. Even if that means I had to face a whole village."

Tsunade stared at him with her mouth hanging open in surprise. "You- You wouldn't do that. I'll make sure of it. I don't want to say this, don't you think you're overreacting, Hyuuga-san?"

Shizune couldn't help but shiver to the cold and menacing voice of her master. Should they continue exchanging words like that, Shizune would soon die of hypothermia. "Tsunade-sama..."

"You don't understand, Hokage-sama. No one messes with our clan. Whoever does, I'll make sure that he would not live long enough to see another day. I will catch him. I will skin him alive, burn him, castrate him. I will-"

"No, Otou-sama! Please don't hurt Naruto-kun!"

Heads turned around when the door burst open and revealed Hinata together with her guardian Ko and Kiba.

"It's entirely my fault. I didn't want to disappoint you. But please don't hurt Naruto-kun. I-I'm sorry!" Hinata continued on without noticing the disturbing expression of shock on Tsunade and Shizune's faces.

With eyes so wide, Tsunade gazed back and forth at the two Hyuugas, contemplating if it was a good idea to open her mouth or not. Seeing that Hiashi was equally surprised as she was, she spoke between her teeth. "What..the hell..are..you..doing here?"

Hinata bowed her head to the village's Hokage and tears started to flow down her face. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama for suddenly intruding. But I can't let them hurt Naruto-kun. He only tried to help me. It's my fault. He doesn't need to be punished. I'm here now, Otou-sama. Please call everyone back and stop searching for me. A-Also, please.. I beg you... D-Don't hurt him..."

"You..." Hiashi eyed her, his expression neutral.

"Otou-sama.." Hinata continued to shed tears. She braced herself for whatever punishment he would give her, but his next words left her completely astounded.

"What are you talking about?" She heard her father say. "This isn't a good time for your jokes. And stop calling me Otou-sama. I'm not your father, Naruto!" Hiashi continued, his voice angrier and louder this time.

Hinata's eyes went wide, and she suddenly felt light-headed as blood drained down to her feet. She looked up, and the expression on her father's face made her flinch. "I-I... W-What?" She turned her head then to Kiba, her eyes searching for an answer, but the dog-user only stood dumbfounded. "I-I thought.. t-they were looking for me..."

"Oh boy..." Tsunade rubbed her face with both hands in frustration. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse.

"What is the meaning of this, Ko? What is this boy saying?" Hiashi demanded.

Ko glared at Kiba before stepping forward to answer. "I'm sorry, Hiashi-sama. There seems to be misunderstanding."

Hiashi furrowed his brow deeper. "What?"

"I-I can explain!" Hinata said.

"Don't talk unless you're spoken to, Uzumaki." Hiashi scowled at her.

"Hiashi-sama," Ko paused, taking a deep breath. "T-This person in front of you may look like Naruto, but he is actually... Hinata-sama."

"Make your words clear, Ko."

"I-It was a kinjutsu that caused this, Hiashi-sama. During her last mission with Naruto, they fell under a curse that caused Hinata-sama to switch bodies with Naruto. So, the one you're seeing right now is actually Hinata-sama in Naruto's body." Ko felt his voice tremble as he spoke.

"Is that true?" Hiashi gazed coldly at Hinata.

"Y-Yes, Otou-sama."

"Then, the one I was training, feeding, and living with the whole time... is Naruto... in Hinata's body. Is that what you're saying?" Veins began to appear around Hiashi's eyes, as anger started to consume him.

"Calm down, Hyuuga-san." Tsunade slowly stood from her chair and raised a hand, signalling the hiding Anbus to stand by. She took a step back as her table was suddenly split in half with just a mere touch of Hiashi's hand. She shook her head at how the situation had become, and also to tell the covert shinobis to remain hiding.

"You.." Hiashi was furious. "How dare you lie to me?"

Tears flowed down from Hinata's eyes once again. "I-I'm so sorry, Otou-sama."

"Please calm down, Hiashi-san. I don't think this is the right time or place to deal with this. You can think about her punishment later. But now, we have a bigger problem to face. We still have to find Naruto." Tsunade said as she massaged her temples.

"N-Naruto-kun? What happened to him, Hokage-sama?" Hinata was taken aback.

Hiashi gave Hinata one last glare before he deactivated his Byakugan and sat back down to his chair.

"He's missing, Hinata. That's the reason every Hyuuga is running around the village- trying to find him. They only found out this morning, but it seems that he's been missing since last night." Tsunade crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"T-That's impossible. I walked him home yesterday. I made sure.. I made sure he got home before it started to rain."

"No one saw him enter the house. He must have been abducted as soon as you left. It appears that whoever took him had interest with the Byakugan." Tsunade sighed.

Hinata dropped to her knees. "N-No.. No way.. It should've been me.. I should have been taken instead.. No... Naruto-kun!" Hinata screamed.

"Hinata-sama!" Ko and Kiba immediately ran to her side.

"S-So.. the Hinata that Hanabi-chan was looking for this morning is really.. Naruto?" Kiba gritted his teeth. "I-I'm so sorry Hinata. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't suddenly jump into conclusion." Kiba said.

"I know the reason you called me here for, Hokage-sama. But sitting here won't solve anything. I need to go. I have a daughter to look for." Hiashi was about to stand up from his chair, but Tsunade stopped him.

"Going to Kumo won't solve anything, either, Hiashi! You'd been through this before. Didn't you learn anything from your brother's death?" Tsunade gave him a dark look, but Hiashi's eyes were equally threatening.

"Don't drag my brother into this. Do you want me to believe that it was mere coincidence that shinobis from Kumo were seen at the village yesterday, then a member of the main house suddenly disappeared?"

Hinata raised her head up hearing her father speak. "Kumo shinobis? Y-You mean the two ninjas who accompanied us back, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes. Your father here thinks that those ninjas were the ones who kidnapped Naruto. Now, he wants to run berserk and attack Kumo." Absurd as it might seem, Hiashi's claims were not that impossible, Tsunade thought, especially with the number of times that Kumo ninjas tried to kidnap the Hyuuga's heiress. But to act so recklessly, which could possibly lead to a war between Konoha and Kumo, was definitely something Tsunade would not allow.

"T-They wouldn't do something like that. I'm sure of it.." Hinata said, almost whispering to herself. She could also be doubting her own words, since kidnapping her didn't only happen once, and she knew how much interested the other villages were with their Byakugan. But she also believed that what her father was doing was indeed reckless and illogical.

A masked Anbu then suddenly showed up and bowed down to Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama, we received a report from the north gate that members of the Hyuuga branch house are trying to leave the village."

"What?!" Tsunade's eyes went wide. "Hiashi! Tell them to stop, at once!"

"This is an assault against our clan. We will deal with it ourselves."

"I'm ordering you as your Hokage, Hiashi."

Hiashi finally stood up from his chair and leaned on what remained of Tsunade's unfortunate table. Small veins slowly crept back to Hiashi's face as he spoke with a low voice. "At this moment, some ninja from another village could be ripping my daughter's precious eyes off with their filthy hands. If that indeed happened, I swear on my brother's grave, I'm not going to forgive you... Hokage-sama."

A small piece of wood clung onto her hair as Hiashi's finger caused her already broken table to be splintered to tiny, almost dust-like, pieces. Tsunade silently watched the Hyuuga clan head make his way toward the door, when she heard Hinata speak.

"I-I will find him, Otou-sama. I promise. Even before the moon could switch us back, I-I will find Naruto."

"Stop meddling. You're forgetting- you're not a Hyuuga." Hiashi eyed her one last time before finally closing the door.

Oooxxxooo

"I'm really sorry, Hinata." Kiba was first to break the silence. They were at Naruto's house, seated at Naruto's dining table, reflecting on what had transpired that early morning. It was already mid-afternoon, but the sky's hues remained the same, and the rain didn't stop pouring, either. Kiba was seated next to her, and he was starting to feel more worried. Hinata was slumped over the table and never moved an inch since the time he walked her home.

Kiba already remembered the last thing he had to buy from the market, and his mother was probably pissed off that he still wasn't home yet, but he just couldn't leave Hinata alone. Hiashi must have been really mad to even order Ko to go back to the Hyuuga mansion.

"It can't be helped, Kiba-kun. You only told me what you saw." She finally said, sadness was still evident in her voice.

Kiba lowered his gaze. "But still.. I feel responsible."

"You should be. Why? Because you're the one who rushed to conclusions and make her believe that her family is looking for her, and that Naruto-"

A male voice made the two of them jump in surprise. They realized soon that it was Shino, who was actually sitting beside them the whole time.

"Dude! You scared me!" Kiba exclaimed. "And... shut up!"

"Scared you? Nonsense. I was sitting here the entire time."

"Really? Didn't notice you there.. But again, shut up."

"Kiba-kun," Hinata sat up and straightened her back, but her eyes were still gazing low. Kiba only watched her as she spoke. "Do you really feel bad about what happened?"

"W-Well, yeah I do..." He scratched the tip of his nose. Somehow, the tone of her voice sent a cold shiver up and down his spine. He frowned. "You're going to say something weird again, aren't you?"

There was a smirk, a very short one, and her expression hardened as fingers curled tightly to form a fist. "P-Please help me find Naruto-kun."

Kiba face-palmed. "Didn't you hear what Tsunade-sama said? She already sent the Anbu to find Naruto! The specialists! The Hokage's private forces! What makes you think you'll find him before they do?"

"I will find him. I promised the clan head. So please, help me Kiba-kun! You, too, Shino-kun!" Hinata pleaded. "I-I really need your help, guys."

"Argh! Alright, fine!" Kiba scratched the back of his head. "But how do you plan to get out of the village? No Hyuuga is allowed to be within two-hundred feet of the gates."

"You must be forgetting, Kiba-kun." Hinata smiled gently,. It was sad one, but her voice remained firm. "Right now, I'm not a Hyuuga."

Oooxxxooo

'How long has it been? A day? Two days?' Naruto pondered, as he sat inside the sealed cauldron that his attackers had used to detain him. It was a huge cauldron, but small enough to fit one female shinobi, two dead chickens, durian fruits, a dozen freshly caught tuna, a few dirty socks, and a bloody head of a swordfish.

And also, an ostrich egg.

"Get me out of here, you bastards!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, but he knew they wouldn't listen. He fan himself with one hand as small drops of sweat ran down his chest. His abductors were cautious enough to only give him a source of fresh air the size of two pinholes. The inside of the huge pot was pitch-black and hot, and needless to say, the seal on top of the cauldron prevented him to use Hinata's Byakugan. He could feel the walls of the pot absorbing his chakra whenever he attempted to use a jutsu.

"I want to get out of here..." He whined.

Naruto didn't have to guess that the metal pot was being dragged down the road. From the sound of things and the way that his buttocks hurt being jiggled and hurled inside that small of a space, he knew that carrying a heavy pot wasn't included in his captors' options. Naruto dreaded the time that they would reach the heavily rutted gravel road pass the border.

.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Naruto winced in pain, and the spiky fruit he accidentally sat on wasn't doing any help. "What the hell!? Could you at least carry your hostage or something? I'm not being treated well here, you know?! And this pot stinks!"

"Stop shouting!" A man yelled back. "Why did we have to bring her along? We can just get the Byakugan and kill her!"

"Have you forgotten that it was your idea to sell her organs at the black market?" Another voice said.

"Argh! Right, right.. They said that the liver of a female ninja tasted like those of a goose. I actually wanted to try it myself."

"Is that so? I thought it was the heart that tastes like a popular cuisine from Suna?"

Naruto listened to the conversation, and his face turned green in disgust. 'I need to get out fast.' He told himself. 'The moon. I have to see the moon. I can't let Hinata switch with me in this state. If I could just open this seal.'

"Yeah! I even heard that their blood is good in fighting aging. Isn't that great?" A third voice said.

"You want to try it now? Maybe we could get just a few and drink it before we sell her."

"Oh let's do it!"

The cauldron stopped, and Naruto felt that the men outside also stopped moving. He immediately grabbed the head of the swordfish and aimed its point to the pot's opening. His heart beat faster as he listened to their every movement. 'Come on, take off the seal.'

"Won't she attack us once we remove the lid?" The one with the funny voice asked.

"Hmm, you're right. I changed my mind. Let's just kill her here and eat her. Give me that scroll. I'll seal her off for good. Three minutes of no air, and she's dead."

'Holy shiiiitt!' Naruto started to panic. He tried to punch and hit the cauldron with his fist, but the cauldron was only sucking the energy left in his body. 'Someone help me! I can't die here! I can't let Hinata die here!' Then he stopped, hearing something move. It was a sound of something crawling, trying to get through the tiny hole on the lid. 'What's that? Is that the seal?' Naruto narrowed his eyes so he could see better. He moved the dead chicken that's blocking his view and inched closer to the hole.

"What is that-"

Just as he said the last word, a tiny bug managed to force its way through the hole, straight into his throat.

"Gaaaah!" He grabbed his neck, and his eyeballs rolled back into his head, as he hacked and gasped. It wasn't a very pleasant thing to experience, especially when confined inside a dark, poorly ventilated piece of metal, but Naruto still managed to smile in between coughs, knowing that reinforcements had arrived.

"Damn you, Shino."

It was Naruto's last words before the lid was busted open. He looked up and was greeted by the sight of a waning gibbous moon.