In which, a certain Neji Hyuga gets lost on a mission - in fact, he disappears. He didn't think this mission would be difficult, and falling in love should be the least of his worries.
Author's Note: I woke up this morning with a plot in my head and I was reminded of the unpublished works that I still had. Decided that today will be the day I start writing again on Wattpad. Hope you enjoy. Cheers!
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"Y/N!" your mother called out.
"Yes, mother?"
"Go fetch some firewood at the barn. Your father won't like the cold when he gets back." you grunted in response.
You grabbed your thick blue coat and went on your way to the barn. It was the end of winter yet the air was still chilly. Hana Valley was just at the foot of the Shiomi Mountains oppositely bordering the Land of Snow. Everyone knew each other at Hana Valley with a population of 363 to be exact, and nobody ever left.
Nobody left not because they wanted to, but because they had no choice. The only way out of Hana Valley was either going downstream through an icy waterfall, or climbing the Shiomi mountains. Both ways were treacherous and although the mountains were the obvious choice, you would need to pass the cities in the Land of Snow when you descend, which wasn't very ideal at the moment.
It was rumoured that just halfway upon trekking to the Shiomi mountains, you would pass the Yukigakure, a hidden village with shinobi from the Land of the Snow. No one ever lived to tell the tale, so rumors stayed as rumors. Everyone only knew that whatever happens when someone leaves the Hana Valley, they don't come back.
"Alright, time to gather some firewood–" you said to yourself but stopped when you realized that the barn was empty.
Darn it. Now I still have to get some firewood in this chilly weather.
Neji's POV
Why'd I get stuck on a mission with Naruto and Hinata, of all people?
Individually, he can take it but not together. All this time they've been dancing around each other trying to deny whatever spark is between them.
Over the years, Hinata has longer hair now, was still quiet yet became more confident in her abilities. Naruto on the other hand was uncomfortably silent for the past 3 days they have started this mission.
If there's anything worse than a loud and boisterous Naruto, it would be a silent and awkward one.
"We should stop here for the night before we trek the mountains." Naruto and Hinata only nodded in response. If times were normal, Naruto would be yelling for us to keep going and traveling.
"Alright, what is wrong with the two of you?!" Naruto and Hinata refused to look at each other and a faint blush tainted their cheeks.
I've had it.
"Whatever's going on between the two of you, fix it. I'm going on a walk – when I get back, I expect that you two would be over it."
Neji walked away to give them privacy as he wanted to search for a stream to drink from. On the map it says that there is a small village on the other side of the stream, yet no one goes in and out of that village. It's been an eerie three days since they've embarked on this mission as neither he or Hinata have sensed some chakra or people in the woods.
This was supposed to be a simple scouting mission, but he can't help but feel apprehensive about how simple it is.
Crunch.
A twig snapped around 20 feet away opposite where Hinata and Naruto were standing awkwardly. Neji activated his byakugan to see better.
Focusing on following the sound, the intruder turned out to be a rabbit. A white, and almost snowy ice cold rabbit. Ignoring the small creature, he went on his way and felt a piercing pain on the back of his neck.
