4/13/11: Update: I've decided that I'm going to delete chapters 5-8 and just end it here as a four-shot because it really bothers me that it's incomplete and going nowhere. (That should teach me not to listen to continuation requests when I have no plot. I already knew it wouldn't go anywhere if I went on…Not that it's anyone's fault for asking for more.) So after the end, basically everything goes back to regular Naruto plot (as in the manga).

Chapter 4 —Guards On Duty—

Hiashi had to choose. Pull back the clan members from missions because of the tipoff that may or may not be accurate, or leave everything the way it was. The clan members were needed on duty because there had been a severe spike in robbery in and around Konoha.

The guards on duty were more than enough…right?

He coughed. His body was feeling better than it had felt in months—or years; he really couldn't remember. But he was still injured. He stared out the window. It was night time. He could see the stars twinkling.

"Baa-chan, how long have I been here?" Tsunade glared; he had taken to calling her that after she told him she was his grandmother. Then she sighed.

"Six days."

"Hm." It was today then. They would be here. After all, even for him it had only taken a small amount of time. He wondered if the Hyuuga-sama had listened. Best to check, right?

Tsunade left after a few minutes, promising to check on him in the morning. He reached under the bed and pulled out the sword he had used in the battle with his redhead torturer.

Thankfully, Tsunade had cleaned it and allowed him to keep it. It would be suspicious to walk around with a bloody sword, even if it was night time. He was certain people would be able to tell.

He waited a few moments before walking over to the window and unlocking it. It only hurt slightly to walk now, much like feeling a needle instead of the searing burn from before. He was glad.

He opened the window and jumped out, landing neatly on the ground with the grace of a cat. He made sure to shut the window behind him. If anything, an open window would cause panic. They might just think that he went to the bathroom.

He walked around slowly. Konoha was beautiful (if you overlooked a few bad areas, like the rundown apartments far off to the edge of the village; he hoped no one lived there) and peaceful, just like the rumors proclaimed. Not for long, though. Now he just had to find the Hyuuga land.

It was quite simple. Apparently, everyone knew where it was. He just asked a random person, and she replied quickly. (Though she seemed a little nervous at the sight of his sword.)

The Hyuuga clan house shouldn't even qualify as a house. More like a mansion. Two, actually, connected as one. It was that outrageously large.

He crept around. There were many guards, but not a lot. Just enough to cover it, the bare minimum. Hyuuga-sama hadn't listened. He frowned. Did Hyuuga-sama really think he would lie about something that important? And besides, if he did, that would just put more guards and make it harder to kidnap the heiress, wouldn't it? Sometimes he didn't understand adults.

He heard a whimper. Very faint, he would have missed it if he wasn't listening so intently. He closed his eyes, and focused. He could hear twigs snapping off to the side. He crept towards it quietly.

There were two people. One was a young girl with short black hair. Her lavender white eyes were wide open, and she was struggling to get away. Her hands were tied and she was gagged. That had to be the heiress.

The other was an older lady with red hair. He stiffened. Didn't he already kill her? They looked alike. But with a closer inspection, he realized it was his past torturers twin. He knew her, but he couldn't remember a name. He decided to just call her 'Aka' (red in Japanese, noun).

Aka hissed something to the girl, and she stopped moving. He took this as a chance to get closer. Something shone, and he realized Aka was holding a knife. She probably threatened to kill the Hyuuga.

He had one shot at this. Kill her, or she'd kill him. He wasn't particularly talented with a sword, but the redhead had been training for years. He had just been lucky against his torturer; she had been overcome by anger.

He accidentally stepped on a twig, and a crack echoed through the area. He cursed silently. Aka turned quickly, and stared right at where he was. He couldn't tell if she knew.

She turned away and he mentally sighed in relief. The Hyuuga was walking now, followed by the elder lady, who from time to time would press the blade of the knife against the Hyuuga's arm.

This was his chance. There was just enough distance between them for him to attempt the attack without the fear of injuring the heiress.

He jumped forward.

He missed. That wasn't good.

Well, he didn't miss, exactly. Just missed the heart. Stabbed her leg instead. She let out an outraged scream and swung her knife at him.

He glanced at the heiress for a quick second. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear and—was that hope?

A sting on his arm brought him back to attention. She had cut him enough to bring blood to the surface, and it was flowing freely.

He tried to slice at her, but she was nimble, and with a smaller weapon she could move more fluidly.

Another swing; it cut through his clothes and hit his stomach. He stumbled, but righted himself immediately. They both circled a little, watching each other intently. He noticed she was having trouble walking with her injured leg. He attacked quickly, and managed to hit her other leg, and she hissed.

Both legs injured now, she found it hard to walk around without feeling massive amounts of pain, though she refused to show it.

She heard a loud squeak, and she turned to see the heiress.

The Hyuuga provided a nice distraction, making a loud noise that caught Aka's attention. He took the split second to his advantage, and his sword pierced through her chest, facing the Hyuuga.

She screamed (as much as the gag would let her). Aka let out a strangled grunt before falling to the floor. He cut her head off neatly to prevent her walking away alive.

He undid the gag around her mouth and untied her wrists.

"S-stay away from me!" she stuttered fearfully.

"Calm down, I was just helping you," he said softly.

"W-what do y-you want?" She backed up slightly.

"Come on, let's get you back to the Hyuuga clan house." She relaxed a bit, and after careful consideration (and the realization that he could protect her if there was another person), she followed.

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"What's your name?" he asked abruptly. She seemed startled.

"O-oh. My name i-is Hinata." He smiled warmly.

"Hinata. That's a pretty name." She blushed.

END(?)