Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry, I said Friday but I was far too busy to have any time to post this. Well here it is, enjoy!

Thank you so much for your kind reviews/favs/follows btw.

Bold - Sounds

Italics - thoughts

*Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to Kishimoto-sensei*

"I've been waiting, Naruto." The mysterious man said. He turned around facing the drenched Naruto. The man wore a hawk mask, showing only his dark eyes. Although hidden by the hood of his cloak, the nineteen year old had pointy ears that peeked out of his dark side bangs.

"Sasuke-teme, where were you!?" Naruto walked forward to stand in front of his comrade. He wasn't exactly mad but Naruto was still upset at what Sasuke did. The last time he saw Sasuke was two weeks ago.

"I could say the same." Sasuke said. "After the mission, I waited for you at the designated place but you didn't show up, so I left."

"What do you mean? I was there!"

"Too slow then."

"You're my teammate, you could've waited longer. Plus you had all the money. You don't know how many days I went without food!" Naruto grumbled out of annoyance.

It was before he met Hinata, Naruto and Sasuke had a mission in a town to catch a group of thieves. The mission ended well however the designated meeting never happened. Because Naruto was busy helping a woman find her lost cat, being the impatient man Sasuke was, he left. It wasn't until Naruto found the advertisement for the contest at the castle that he got paid and had his first full blown meal.

"I've got my limits." He shrugged Naruto's complaints away which annoyed the blond boy even further. "It's all in the past; the present is what matters now." Before Naruto could throw in another accusation, Sasuke asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

Naruto scowled. Like usual, his elf teammate just pushed aside his problems. "Probably the same reason as you, you're here to look for a way in?"

Sasuke nodded. "They plan to sell the people tomorrow to slave merchants."

The blond boy was bewildered. "What?!" He had a feeling that something as dreadful as this was being planned but he cast it aside when he heard the Queen speak earlier that day. She said they would release anyone as long as another person pays the debt. Doesn't that mean the Queen was lying about her deal? No matter how hard the town's people worked, they weren't going to get their people back? A slave for the Queen, and now enslaved for the rest of their lives, an unnerving and a cruel fate they had. Determined more than ever, Naruto concluded that under no condition was he going to leave this country alone.

"I heard people talking about it in another town and came to investigate. Been here for a few days and Garuda confirmed it for me."

A second after the name was called, a bird came flying from the castle and perched itself on Sasuke's shoulder. Garuda- a male hawk - was Sasuke's familiar. His feathers were light brown with blotches of dark brown on its back, wings and long tail. Dark markings surrounded its yellow eyes and the rims of his beak were red. The code name, Hawk, was also given to Sasuke due to his familiar being a hawk.

Naruto reached out his hand to pet the animal but ended up being pecked by its sharp beak. Like its master, Garuda had a cold and antisocial personality. He would squawk or peck at anyone who'd come near him. Getting along with others was difficult for both master and familiar.

"I sent him to spy at the castle." Sasuke pointed his index finger towards the castle.

Finally bringing his attention to the building that he desperately tried to view earlier, Naruto was amazed. Saying that it was as large as a mountain was an exaggeration, but that was how large it seemed. Behind the stone wall was a moat that surrounded the whole castle with a long stone pathway leading to the wooden door entrance. Green grass and flowers composed half of the ground, the other half being regular pavement. There were towers stacked on top, behind, and beside the main building. The national flag of Proessa proudly waved from high above the ground, atop the tower's roofs. Stairs connected the top floors to the bottom with carved stone railings. There were smaller buildings not connected to the main building, a pile of wood and stone in one area, and a vegetable garden in the backyard.

"It's huge!" Naruto remarked. "How are we supposed to find all the townsfolk in all that" He directed his hands at the gigantic estate. There were so many doors, rooms and floors to check for the prisoners that it seemed impossible.

"The castle's renovations were finished last week. She has no use for the people any longer." Sasuke withdrew all the information he gathered. It wasn't a lot but this little information was enough for Arcadia to act.

Naruto pieced two and two together. "So that's why she's selling them."

What a trashy Queen Proessa has; to just throw away people like garbage when their use was over was despicable. He couldn't wait to strip that "Queen" out of her power. "So, anyway in?" Naruto grinned from determination. He was ready to barge in and surprise her.

Sasuke smirked back at the fool underneath the Hawk mask. He too was ready to charge in. "Many. There aren't many guards to patrol the whole castle. And with a castle this big, hiding spots are everywhere. Getting past the wall is the only issue."

"Heh, I've already arranged a way in. It'll be a piece of cake!"

Sasuke arched a brow, wondering what his plan was. Despite Naruto's strong willpower, the blond fool wasn't the best at planning operations. His plans were childish and he never thought about the consequences. If it weren't for Sasuke's intellect, Naruto would've already been dead from charging in too hastily in the earlier missions they had.

Although they both wore masks, the two knew what expressions the other was wearing. Naruto knew that Sasuke was questioning his antics, and Sasuke knew that Naruto was beaming from his proud idea.

The young Uchiha watched as the Uzumaki boy jumped off the roof and returned to the dampened ground.

"Come! I want you to meet someone." Naruto shouted. "Hurry up!"

Sasuke sighed; his noisy partner could've gotten their cover blown from his shouting. The fool only got louder when excited. Feeling that his work was done, the hawk on Sasuke's shoulder poofed off in a puff of smoke and returned back to its home.

OoOoO

The Arcadian partners returned to Fernard's Inn, drenched from the rainfall. Fernard stared at the front desk, not bothering to question Naruto on who the new figure was, but was irritated at the amount of water that fell off their cloaks. He had to mop that up later.

On their way to the inn, Naruto had explained his circumstances. Naruto told him about Hinata being the Ena, and his quest from the Emperor of the Sun Empire. Sasuke swore not to say a word about her secret after many pleads from his partner. Frankly speaking, Sasuke had no interest in telling any other being about the Ena anyways.

From the way Naruto spoke about the Hyuuga princess, Sasuke figured that the blond was fond of her presence. He talked about Hinata endlessly; her personality, actions and her majestic beauty were spoken positively. Not a complaint was said which made Sasuke curious and eager to meet her. Kitsune then described the adventures they went through so far. Then came the story of Yujiyo. Yujiyo would arrive to the capital soon with the small amount of money she scavenged for. They would walk in with her saying they're her sons. Then before entering the castle, they'd run off to another area and find away in that way they could freely roam the castle for the citizens. It was simple but the plan could work if the guards didn't suspect a thing.

They headed up a flight of stairs and turned right. The door numbers increased as they walked down the corridor. They finally stopped in front of one with a "38" sign on it. A silver key popped out of Naruto's pocket and was inserted in the key hole. However it did not make the clicking sound that keys did when doors unlocked.

"What?" The blonde turned the door knob only to find that it already was unlocked. He was sure that he locked it before leaving, so why was it open? No one was able to enter besides himself.

Sasuke saw the look of dread on the blond's face. There was something definitely wrong.

Naruto's face paled. Worry consumed him making him burst the door open. It smacked into the interior wall, possibly removing the paint. Another thing for the innkeeper to worry about.

"Hinata!"

The Uchiha elf stepped one foot in the room to follow after his friend, only to be blasted by a surge of electricity. The blast sent him backwards. He fell over, hitting his head on the door across room 38. He shook the pain off, knowing full well of why Naruto was in a frantic state. For protection purposes, Naruto applied Shikamaru's barrier, but the door was open, obviously not because he forgot to lock the door. There was a chance that someone bypassed the barrier. It was possible, but it required an immense amount of power. Being useless in the current situation, Sasuke waited in the hallway, trying to fade his new found headache away.

BANG!

The door to the closet shut loudly. Too caught up in the moment, Naruto forgot about his friend who couldn't come inside. Hinata was his upmost priority at the moment. He searched through the whole room, from underneath the bed to small hiding spots. He even looked through the drawers knowing full well that she wouldn't be there. The washroom was empty and so was the dresser. Their belongings were still there and no chaos or struggle was indicated. The bed was wrinkled but it could've just been from Hinata lying down. He checked the whole room a third time before angrily walking out, slamming the door shut just as loud as the first time.

He was angry at whoever came in and kidnapped Hinata. Whoever it was, was going to get a beating. But he was angrier at himself than the intruder. He failed to protect her a second time. This happened all because of foolishly thinking she was going to be safe alone. Naruto was only gone for maybe an hour, and she already disappeared.

Sasuke followed in silence. Talking could make the blond in front of him explode in rage. Walls would be punched, doors kicked down, and yelling would be heard through the whole inn. A commotion was the least of what he desired.

They ran down the stairs back to the foyer. The owner was tending to the puddles on the ground, cleaning away until Naruto went up to him.

Naruto clenched his teeth to hold in his resentment. He tried sounding as normal as possible. "The girl I was with, have you seen her?"

Fernard only saw the fret in his cerulean blue eyes through the fox mask that he wore. "Yes, the little miss went out earlier."

"What? She went out? Was she with anyone?"

The elderly man nodded. "With another woman looking to be the same age as me."

Yujiyo? Was he talking about her?

"They talked about going to the castle to pay off a debt then they left."

Relief flooded through Naruto. It was Yujiyo, in that case it was fine. It wasn't someone he didn't know. Hinata wasn't kidnapped and walked out on her own. That relief only stayed for a moment realizing that they were headed to the castle, a dangerous place for the princess.

Shit! Hinata I told you to stay put!

Naruto ran past the innkeeper to the door, thanking him first for the helpful information. "C'mon Sasuke, we're heading to the castle!"

OoOoO

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Hinata walked side by side with the landlady. They had gotten in through the gates with no fuss. When Yujiyo told them that they were here to pay the money, the two guards didn't bother to ask any questions. It was normal for them. People came every day to visit the Queen, however returning was unlikely.

The only problem Hinata had was the unpleasant feeling she got from the guards. She felt their lingering stares on her body and felt the need to run back to her room and change. This was why she hated wearing her training clothes. It consisted of black shorts that only reached midthigh, a lavender kimono styled top that revealed her bare arms, and dark thigh high stockings (aka. The last movie outfit). Her long hair was tied into a ponytail and her signature Hyuuga eyes were disguised by blue contacts.

They were much too revealing and improper for a lady of that time. But her training teacher had enforced her to wear them for easy leverage; a kimono would only get in the way.

The princess gapped at the large estate. They were walking closer and the castle would only get bigger. The place was ten times the size of hers or any other castles she's seen. Surely, it'd take over half the day to tour every nook and cranny of the castle. Why on earth would the Queen need a house this large?

The large doors creaked while it slowly opened for the two visitors. A well-dressed butler stood at the entryway, welcoming them with a bow. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail; it was white however the man looked no older than thirty. His round glasses would occasionally slip off his nose, causing him to push them up every few seconds as the trio made it down the large hall. Throughout their walk to meet the Queen, the butler kept on a smile and conversed with Yujiyo. Hinata only replied with a nod or simple answers when the butler would try chatting with her.

They made it to a large red door. He knocked twice before saying, "Alyssa-sama, you've got guests; they came to pay." A quiet approval was heard and soon the doors opened.

The whole room shined in wealth. Everything either was made out of gold or silver. There were picture frames of past kings and queens, vases and flowers, and other expensive antiques that decorated the area. The tiled floor they walked on glistened and was clean enough to see their reflections. Sitting in front of the guests was the Queen. Her throne was positioned a couple stairs higher than the floor.

Hinata and Yujiyo bowed in the presence of Alyssa but the butler remained standing straight and tall. He waited for his master's orders.

"You may be excused, Kabuto. I can handle the rest myself." His Queen instructed.

"Then," He bowed to Alyssa, then to the two guests. "Good luck!" Kabuto whispered. He winked to Hinata who quickly glanced away. He then continued his way out the door.

Right after the doors shut, Kabuto commanded the guards to guard it, and to be ready for when the Queen called. Then he headed back down the hall. His quiet walk was interrupted by a sudden force to his stomach.

"Oof!" A small voice said. Kabuto looked down to see a female elf on the ground that had just bumped into him as he rounded the corner.

"S-so s-ssorry.." The pinkette apologized, scared for any beating that was to come. Except it didn't. Kabuto resumed his smile and reached out his hand. The chains on her feet restricted her from getting up properly, and so she accepted his hand.

"T-thank you."

"Not a problem, just be careful next time."

The girl nodded, then disappeared down the hallway. Kabuto dusted off his suit then proceeded his way. Once he was alone, the placid smile faded. He frowned and thought about the blue-haired girl.

They look too much alike.

OoOoO

Queen Alyssa stared down at her two visitors from her throne. She remembered the elderly woman; she was the resident of Meadowfort, the village that owed her a large sum of debt. The other girl was unknown to her though; there was no one left other than the old or the handicap that were left at Meadowfort. The teenage girl either was hiding extremely well in Meadowfort, came from a different town or from out of the country. The latter being the least likely. She made extra sure that the security was tight in Proessa. For the meantime, the teenage girl posed no threat to the Queen.

"Today is the deadline to pay back your town's debt. I'm glad to see that you've come to see me instead of the opposite way around." Alyssa said. It was a hassle to travel for many hours just to go to a town that could or could not have the money that was needed to be paid back. "So, I'm guessing you've got the full amount here." It was a statement, not a question.

The elderly woman hesitated to answer. "N-no, your highness, I do not have the full amount. I wish to post-pone the due date...if that is possible?" Yukiji took a peak to see the Queen's expression, except it was unreadable; the red cloth masked Alyssa's entire face. She couldn't tell if the queen was displeased, angry, or unfazed.

The queen shook her head from side to side. "My-my, another debt going unpaid. I gave your town what you needed and I expected it to be paid back in full the first time before I took the villagers away. Then I gave an extra four months for you and the remaining villagers to pay me back. Honestly, I can't wait any longer." She beckoned the butler next to her and whispered something in his ear. He nodded with approval and walked down the stairs towards Hinata and Yujiyo. "Hand him the amount you already have."

Yujiyo handed five full bags of coins to the man. He exited the room for a few minutes then came back empty handed. He whispered something inaudible back to his master. Yujiyo gulped when the Queen's attention was back on her.

"You do not have even half the amount I asked for! I was going to give another extension but at this rate, it'll take you years to pay it off. I don't have the patience for that. It's final," Alyssa stood up from her throne. "your villagers won't be returning home…ever. That includes her." By 'her' she meant Hinata.

Yujiyo stared wide eyed as tears spilled out of them. She screamed and yelled for another try. The ground was punched repeatedly by her fists along with her head. Hinata tried to restrain Yujiyo from harming herself, but instead, the princess was pushed to the side.

"We're done here. Guards send the woman back and bring the young girl down to the dungeon." Alyssa walked away carrying her staff that jingled with her. She ignored the commotion that happened below her. It was normal. Soon the maids will have to once more clean the tear/blood streaked floor.

Hinata and Yujiyo were separated. The guards had taken Yujiyo outside and Hinata downstairs.

That heartless bi- …Queen. How could she treat her people like that?! Keeping people locked up for eternity and forcing them to do dirty work is cruel! And giving such a large sum to a village with only a few elderly citizens to pay off is impossible in that short amount of time! Hinata was boiling with anger, enough that she was about to swear – something her father would not approve of a princess to do. Well, at least my plan is running smoothly.

OoOoO

"THIS IS WHAT YOU MEANT BY 'A PLAN'?!" Sasuke yelled.

"WELL WHAT'S YOUR PLAN THEN!? MY FIRST PLAN FAILED BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED!" Naruto yelled back. His first plan was a fail due to Yujiyo leaving him to go to the castle herself. Naruto had no choice but to figure something else out.

They were both standing on top of the same roof they were on before. The toad, Gamakichi, watched as the two bickered over Naruto's stupid plan. He had to admit, it was a very foolish plan that could 50% get them killed.

"Gamakichi could totally throw us over the wall with no problems!" The blond said. "Gamakichi is a strong toad! Right?!" He looked over at the flustered frog.

"It's true but –"

Sasuke growled. "Dobe, that's not the problem! We'll end up dead on the pavement or squished like a dead fly on the wall."

Naruto had nothing to say. He was quiet for a second before he huffed. "'kay suggest something then. I bet you don't have anything better."

Minutes later they were walking through the gates of Proessa's castle with no fuss. Naruto just grumbled a few inaudible words, then tried to ignore the prideful Uchiha.

There were only two guards out; Naruto and Sasuke had taken their uniforms and knocked them unconscious easily. There were two other guards standing on the inside of the gate that were easily persuaded to change shifts with Naruto and Sasuke. The other guards were scattered about in the large property.

They marched to the side of the castle where there were no guards on duty. They returned to their regular clothes and discarded the annoying armor. The armor would only hinder their movement; it was heavy and made loud creaking noises.

"I'm going to find Hinata, you find the villagers." Naruto ordered.

Sasuke nodded. They parted ways once they were inside the castle. Naruto headed left and Sasuke went right.

The elf held the handle of his sword, getting ready for any trouble to come. After much training, he learned to be quick and quiet as he trudged through the castle floor. A lineup of servants exiting an unknown room caught his attention. He made sure no one else was in the vacancy just before entering the room.

It's just a kitchen. There were cutting boards out, vegetables and other ingredients, and a kettle atop of a fire, boiling whatever it had inside. In the corner of the room were stone stairs that led underground. Sasuke went down only to find barrels of food and supplies. No villagers were hiding in the cold cellar.

He was about to head out until he heard clinks and clanks from the kitchen. He hid behind a few barrels – the only hiding spot in the open cellar – and hoped that whoever the person was, didn't come down. After a few minutes of waiting, the sounds stopped and the kitchen was once again quiet. He assumed that the person who was there, left. Sasuke took it as his chance to escape. He very quietly, went back up the stairs to the kitchen to make his leave.

"Stop," A female voice commanded the intruder once he was up the steps. "don't move."

The person jumped from her hiding spot and swung something. It was a knife that flew straight for Sasuke's face. He quickly dodged the blade, only for it to graze his cheek. The blood slowly beaded up then dripped down his face. He glanced down the stairs to where the knife landed; it was implanted quite deeply into the stone ground. If he hadn't dodged it, it would've been strong enough to go right through his skull.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?!" The knife wielder demanded, ready with another kitchen knife in her hand.

Sasuke frowned. He miscalculated; the person hadn't left at all, she knew he was there from the get go. This was going to be troubling; she was a strong opponent, and if they were to fight, the commotion would certainly call for other people. He just entered the building and already he bumped into a problem.

Yasss, we back to Naruto and Sasuke. And this girl is? Yeah, I said who in the last chapter in my A/N. You could probably guess who it is already without me even saying it. And ouuuu, who is this other person Hinata looks like? You'll find out realllllllll sooon.

Please review/fav/follow! I really did not expect that many favs/follows last time, however, I received little reviews :'( Reviews really help me to write more. If we can reach AT LEAST 70 reviews this time, the next update will be before/on Christmas.

Thanks for reading, and see ya'll next time!

~Fred