Kingdoms Have Fallen

Entry 12: Rescue

Entry 12: Rescue

The chirping of the birds, rustling of the leaves and the sound of the village coming to life is what woke up the intruding Suna ninjas. They groggily woke up and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, surprised at how normal everything was. Nothing could give away the fact that the village was under the Uchiha beside the colour change and the small clan insignias in certain buildings.

Naruto was the first to be dressed and scouting the area, impatiently waiting for his teammates. He stood on the roof of the inn, looking around to see if he sensed Hinata's chakra anywhere. He felt a slight pulse and glared, Sasuke was walking by.

A boy accompanied him, with an almost identical attire. The two walked in silence. Naruto peaked over the edge of the roof and watched them make their way to the Hokage tower, the people greeting them.

He was sure it was on purpose, Sasuke knew they were here and he was just enjoying it instead of going on lockdown. Naruto kissed his teeth and made his way back into the rooms where the others were.

Making sure everyone was there, he told them about his sightings of Sasuke, sharing his theory that the Uchiha already knew that they arrived.

"How should we go about doing this?" Kiba asked, "we can't just approach him and ask for Hinata."

"We need to look first, let's only go to him as a last resort. Kiba, I'm sure Akamaru remembers Hinata's scent, let's have him try looking while we go around the village." Sakura nodded to herself, satisfied with the plan.

"We'll meet back here at lunch to share if we found anything." Naruto dismissed them, "if anything happens, signal each other." He turned around and left after hearing a chorus of agreements.

The group split up so they can cover more ground. No one dared to approach the Hokage tower since it would draw suspicions.

While searching, they were able to see the village in its glory. The civilians looked happy for people stuck under the Uchiha's reign, but no one paid any attention to it. Sasuke was able to cast a wide scale genjutsu, who's to say these people weren't his victims.

Hours passed as they searched but no one could pick up anything of the Hyuga's. Not until Akamaru's loud bark was heard. The old dog was running towards a tower of buildings.

They all followed, a smile on their face as they got closer and closer. Finally, they could see the pale eyed woman again. Akamaru stopped in front of a door and scratched at it. The team looked at each other and took a deep breath, it was TenTen who reached out to open the unlocked door.

They immediately frowned when they saw the empty apartment, the only thing indicating any form of life were the bags and scrolls on the floor. The place was a mess, which would mean that Hinata tried to escape as soon as she could.

They walked inside and looked around, trying to find any clue left behind by the woman. While they looked, they failed to hear an extra pair of footsteps walk through the door.

___

"Found anything you like?" Sasuke's arms were crossed, he looked at them in amusement as they froze. Their gaping mouths made them look like fish out of water. "Wow this place is a mess." He stepped over some scrolls and walked further into the apartment.

No one moved to stop him.

"So glad you guys could visit." His voice was dripping in sarcasm, he was glaring at them even as he leaned against a wall.

"Sasuke...where's Hinata?" Ino gulped as she made eye contact with her former love interest.

"Huh...by the looks of it, seems like she's gone." He shrugged as he chuckled, obviously enjoying their fear.