Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable thing from Naruto...dammit.

Note: I had this dream last night and most of what is in this very short story, (it is only going to be five chapters at most), was in it. So please review, tell me what you think, because reviews make me Smile...

Part One: Collision

"Make sure you don't get in everyone's way."

Hinata watched in terror as a smirking Sasuke drew the kunai from his pouch and aimed it at Naruto's exposed back. The blond demon container was currently distracted with the lanky boy swinging a large sword, therefore unable to see the Konoha traitor perched in the large oak tree like a ominous bird of prey. Opal eyes searched the grounds and were immediately drawn to flash of pink five meters away. Sakura's body catapulted by her and into the trunk of a large tree on the opposite side of the field. The medic-nin fell limp, sliding down the bark, unconscious to collapse in a small heap among the roots. The giant, she heard the red-head fighting Kiba call, Juugo, stepped towards Sakura. A manic flame glinted in his green eyes as he weaved his way through Kiba and Akamaru's attacks, only to be met by a large cloud of buzzing beetles hovering in front of the torpid beauty. Shino silently motioned to the orange haired Akatsuki.

"Your fight is with me." The Bug user's deadly voice could barely be heard over the explosive sounds of battle ringing in Hinata's ears.

It was just her. Everyone else was occupied. She absently heard Akamaru yelp in pain somewhere from behind followed by Kiba's growl of warning. Her eyes flashed back to Naruto, who had yet to take his focus off the water-based Hawk member.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke pull back his arm. In his hand, the metallic glint of the knife winked at her in the height of the afternoon sun. The Sharingan user felt her eyes upon him, and fixed upon her stare, his own crimson orbs. He let a dark grin twist the corners of his mouth. Never taking his eyes away from her, he launched the kunai forward at the unknowing Naruto with deadly accuracy.

"Make sure you don't get in everyone's way."

She didn't even think. She just acted.

Forcing as much chakra as she could into her feet, she launched herself at Naruto, flying blindly into the path of the kunai. It wasn't an option. Based on the look in Sasuke's eye, she had to do this, or all these years of growing stronger, trying to prove her self worth, would have been for nothing.

Her long hair rippled behind her in sweat tangled ropes, face red from exertion and exhaustion. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was reaching him in time. She saw Naruto turn and look at her confusedly as she flew at him. His ocean blue eyes blinking rapidly shock.

"Hinata! What ar-"

He caught her around the shoulders, her hands going around his torso, as they fell back from the force of the collision. Naruto's sensitive ears picked up the dull 'thunk' of metal sliding through muscle and bone followed by a sharp gasp. His blue eyes widened even more.

Hinata's face fell into the crook of his neck when his back impacted the slightly damp ground, sliding across the grass for a short distance. He could hear her sharp intakes and exhales, each breath labored and hindered by bubbled gurgling. A sun-kissed hand trailed around the blue haired kunoichi's upper arm to the middle of her back. His fingers brushed the taped handle of the kunai now deeply imbedded in-between her shoulder-blades. She flinched in pain.

"Hin-" He was cut off my the warm drip of liquid slowly pooling at the base of his neck. He sat up, turning her body over, one arm supporting her head, the other weaving around her waist. He moved the indigo locks away from her face, and paled.

She was deathly white. Blood trickled out of the corners of her mouth in small rivulets, spider-webbing down her throat and staining the collar of her purple and white jacket. He then realized that it was quiet.

Too quiet.

Naruto looked up slowly to see that everyone, both enemy and friend, had stopped fighting; their weapons falling listlessly to their sides.

"Well, well, well." Sasuke jumped down from the high branch of the tree and landed in a crouch next to Karin. "I was beginning to wonder if she'd actually do it."

"You Sonofa-Bitch!" Kiba fell to all fours, his body and face turing more feral with each passing second. He flung himself at the Avenger, but was clothes-lined by Juugo's thick forearm four feet into the run. The tattooed-nin wiped the stream of blood from the corner of his mouth and attacked again. His savage roars falling on deaf ears as he was again thrown back by the giant.

"God DAMIT! Get out of MY WAY!"

Sasuke ignored Kiba and stood, subtly motioning to his group. "Let's go. We've done what we've come here to do." The other Leaf-nin didn't even spare the group a second glance as they disappeared from the clearing in a small poof of smoke. Kiba let a savage scream of wrath tear through the soft muscle of his throat. He ran for the edge of the forest, his nose trying desperately to pick up the lingering trail of the enemy. Shino's sunglass-shielded eye's were locked upon the limp figure in the Kyuubi jailer's arms.

Naruto looked back down at Hinata, her eyes slitting open, beaded brow glittering with sweat and furrowed in pain.

He felt numb. Unrelenting cold was seeping into his skin and poisoning his blood with immobility.

"Get Sakura! Hurry!" Kiba shouted finally breaking the envelope of silence, forcing everyone back into reality. The dog-nin then sprinted to Hinata's side and fell too his knees. He ran a crimson stained hand through her hair. "Oh Kami, Hinata! What'd you do this time, uh? What'd you do?"

Shino immediately ran to the pink-haired medic, only to find her still knocked-out. The blood crusted knot on the back of her head clearly marked that she wouldn't be regaining consciousness anytime soon. He picked her up and carried her to Naruto and Hinata's side. Kiba was now gripping the roots of his hair as he continued to whisper things to his fallen team-mate.

"Kiba." The dog-nin looked up, his black eye's glazed with desperation, and met Shino's solid look of resolve. "I need you to take Akamaru and run ahead to Konoha. Inform the Hokage of our battle and tell her to meet us at the Hospital. We will meet you there within the hour with two kunoichi needing medical attention. One critical, the other suffering a minor concussion." Kiba looked back down at Hinata and gulped as he nodded.

"Take care of her." He whispered lacing his hand with hers for only a moment before whistling to Akamaru and diving into the forest undergrowth back towards the Leaf.

Naruto held Hinata closer, her breaths becoming shorter with each forced intake.

"Why'd you send Kiba away?"

"He is emotionally unstable at this point. It is my belief that in his current state, he would be only a hindrance. It was best to let him leave with hope, then stay and watch her..." Shino trailed off. Though Naruto couldn't see, the bug-nin closed his eyes, his stoic facade crumbling behind his high collared trench coat.

"You don't think she'll make it to-" Eye's the color of the ocean looked up to see Shino shake his head forlornly. The Bug user reached out and placed a single Kikai on Hinata's chest.

"The kunai went through the muscle of her back, barely missing the spinal cord, and broke through the tissue of her right lung, puncturing it. We would be able to make it, if that was the extent of her injuries." Shino placed his cool palm on Hinata's warming forehead. Her skin beginning to heat up to the point where it was hot to the touch.

"What else is there?" Naruto asked quietly, sniffing. His mind ran through all the brushes with medical jutsu that he had, had. He cursed himself for not paying more attention to Sakura as she worked on others.

"The poison. I'm not sure what kind it is, but it's traveling to fast through her blood stream."

End of Part One:

A/N:

Okay, you might be like,

'WHOA! Naruto is sooooo out of character!'

And I say, 'YEAH! He is!'

This is an slight AU so Naruto will be slight AU-ish! In this fanfic universe, this is the first time Naruto witnesses how seemingly evil Sasuke has become. (Apart from Sasuke's battle for defection). So when he see's his ex-best friend so uncaring/sadistic when, not just taking a life, but the life of someone they had both grown up with, Naruto (I believe) would be a little shocked to say the least. The emotions would be crazy, almost blinding.

Sorry if you don't like. Oh, I will be updating Our Solemn Hour later this week, and maybe Perfect of Something Like It as well.

Please Review and tell me what you think!