Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 134: The Deserter
"Well, I did enjoy it…" Hinata said.
"What's not to like?" Naruto asked, grinning.
"It's not about the flavor! I can't believe you took Lady Hinata to eat ramen." The female attendant, Asami, looked at Naruto with clear disappointment.
It had taken some convincing, but Hiashi eventually allowed his daughter to go out with Naruto. However, he insisted that her attendant come along.
"Asami, that's enough. You know I don't like being treated differently because of my family," Hinata said softly.
"I know, but…" Asami glanced at Naruto disapprovingly. "At least take her to a proper restaurant next time."
Naruto wanted to argue that Ichiraku Ramen was a restaurant but decided against it.
"Next time…" Hinata murmured to herself. "Next time…"
They were walking near the main road that led to the South Gate of the village when Naruto spotted something unusual near one of the wooden benches by the path.
It was already dark, and the few lamps in the area barely illuminated the way. This part of the village was far from the commercial district, and only a few houses were nearby.
"There's someone there," Naruto said, his eyes narrowing at the shadowy figure on the bench.
Asami's demeanor changed instantly. Her Byakugan activated.
"Stay here, Lady Hinata." She vanished from the spot.
"Did someone get hurt?" Hinata asked in concern, her own Byakugan activating. She gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh no!"
"What is it?" Naruto asked, turning to her.
"It's Sakura!" Hinata exclaimed, running toward the bench, with Naruto quickly following.
Asami was already checking Sakura's vitals when they arrived.
"She's fine. Someone knocked her out with a blow to the head, but there are no serious injuries. Just a few bruises."
"You're a medic?" Naruto noticed her glowing hands, recognizing the medical jutsu from his time with Tsunade.
"I'm still in training, but you can trust me. Your teammate is fine," Asami assured him.
"But… who could have done this?" Hinata looked around with her Byakugan still active, scanning the area for any signs of movement.
Naruto was already thinking about it. If this had been the work of intruders, Sakura would likely have been killed. It didn't make sense for her to be here alone so late at night.
Only one name came to his mind, but he wouldn't need to guess for long.
"Mmm…" Sakura moaned softly as she stirred.
"She's waking up," Asami said, continuing to administer treatment.
"Sakura? Are you okay?" Hinata asked, concerned.
Sakura's green eyes opened slowly, blinking in confusion.
"Hinata?... What are you d- Naruto?!"
"Whoa, stop moving. You have a head injury," Asami warned, trying to keep Sakura from sitting up too quickly.
"Naruto, you have to stop him, please!" Sakura suddenly blurted out, her voice frantic. "You have to stop Sasuke!"
"The Uchiha? Wait, was he the one who attacked you?" Asami asked, frowning.
"Where is he?" Naruto asked, though he could already guess the answer.
There weren't many reasons why Sasuke would knock out Sakura in the middle of the night and disappear.
"Sasuke left the village!" Sakura exclaimed, her voice trembling.
'Just a matter of time…' Naruto thought, remembering the words he had told Tsunade. He was surprised it happened so soon.
"Why?" Naruto asked, knowing Sasuke wouldn't leave unless he had received a tempting offer...someone that promised the power he sought.
Sasuke wasn't reckless enough to wander aimlessly on his own.
There was only one name that made sense to Naruto.
'Did Orochimaru sneak back into the village?'
"Naruto, please. If you don't stop him… if he leaves like this…" Sakura began to sob, tears streaming down her face.
"He'll be declared a criminal," Asami said grimly.
"Oh no! We have to do something!" Hinata exclaimed, distressed.
"Yes, we need to inform the Hokage immediately," Asami added.
Sakura looked at her attendant with fear in her eyes.
"I'm sure Lady Tsunade will show him mercy if we can retrieve him quickly," Asami tried to reassure her.
"I'll go inform the Hokage. You take Sakura to the hospital," Naruto said, already determined.
"Let me go with you," Hinata said. "If there's anything I can do to help…"
<><><><><><><>
Tsunade's Office
"Damn it! Why did it have to be now?!" Tsunade nearly smashed the table in frustration.
"Please, calm down…" Shizune pleaded.
"Do we have any Jonin available?" Tsunade asked her assistant.
"Most of them are on missions, and we can't dispatch any more without leaving ourselves vulnerable," Shizune explained.
Tsunade turned to Naruto. "Fine then… you handle this."
"Pardon?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Lady Tsunade, you can't put everything on Naruto's shoulders. We still have some Chunin available for a team," Shizune said.
"Right! Bring me that Nara boy I promoted. And a few of the other Genin," Tsunade demanded.
"Are you sure? We have more experienced ninjas availa—"
"Just hurry! I want everyone here in ten minutes! There's no time to waste!" Tsunade slammed the table, causing it to crack.
"Y-Yes!" Shizune stammered, quickly running out of the office.
Naruto leaned closer to Hinata. "I bet that table breaks before sundown."
Hinata blushed and smiled. "I-Is there something we can do, Lady Tsunade?" she asked, raising her hand.
Tsunade looked at her with a raised brow.
"No, you can only wait for the… wait a minute, were you two on a date tonight?"
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