Behind The Veil

Chapter Two

Naruto lay motionless in his tint, staring into the darkness, thoughts plagued by Hinata when he heard he desperate voice of warning. In seconds he kicked the covers away from him and was on his feet, out of the tint just in time to see Hinata's body falling to the ground. Her face was pale and something ugly shot through his body at the sight.

He yelled out her name, stumbling over his feet to get to her before she could so much as hit the ground. A blur of silver rushed past him, sending his hair back in a whosh. He looked up to see Hinata lay limply in Kakashi's arms.

"Woodstyle Justsu!" Yamato's voice was distant in his ear, his eyes still glued to Hinata.The intruders were trapped tightly in a bundle of branches. In seconds of her cry for help, Kakashi and Yamato rushed out, saving her from hitting the ground and sealed the two intruders.

'You were useless', the thought rung through his mind. He cringed at the harshness of his own voice. He rushed to the young Hyuga's side, stroking her sapphire hair away from her pallid face. She didn't respond to his touch and he grew worried. Thr ugly feeling returning quickly.

He traced her neck to find a pulse, releasing a breath he didn't know he held when he felt the faint thump. He shook her gently, rubbing her face, "Wake up Hinata." He whispered. He wanted the ugly feeling to go away, he didn't like it. His stomache clenched with the pain it left churning through his body. Sadness? Couldn't be.

He barely knows this girl, he can't be upset over her.

"Wake up," He muttered as he tugged her lifeless body from Kakashi's arms, a frown sat on his teacher's face. "Wake up, you have to be alive." Naruto begun to shake the girl gently.The back of his eyes stung and he knew what was coming. "You can't do this to me. I just got you!" His shaking became rougher.

"No!" He murmered to himself when Kakashi patted his back, a silent tear crept down his face as he stared at the motionless girl in his hands. Kakashi raised a brow at Yamato.

'Is the Uzumaki Naruto crying?', he thought to himself. He watched as more tears fell out his baby blue eyes, he never cried. He always smiled, always happy. He stared at Naruto as his mask begun to crack.

"You aren't afraid of me!" He yelled, shocked by the words coming out his own mouth but still, he shook her. His teamates stared at the two in shock before Yamato walked up to him, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder in attempt to comfort him. It didn't help.

Naruto looked up at him, pleading him with tearfilled eyes, Yamato took in his face and gave him a slow nod. He looked over Hinata, carefully removing the bloodied sleeve of her shirt. Her arm was caked in blood, an slash oozing at the top near her shoulder.

He was silent as he prodded the wound, "It appears to be deep, but she didn't heal herself at all. She's lost alot of blood, I'm not sure why she didn't use her medical ninjustsu." He sent Kakashi a questioning look while he held pressure on The wound as he wrapped it tightly.

"Poison?" Kakashi asked with a frown.

"Will she be okay?" Naruto's voice cracked as he spoke. He looked between the two impateintly, clinging to her soft hand.

"It doesn't seem fatal. We need to rush to the mission sight so I have more space to work with. Then we will see about the poison in her body."

Naruto nodded as he gently placed Hinata on his back, wrapping her in the raincoat.

***

"Are you okay?" Kakashi yelled out. They had left mere hours ago and Naruto was moving too fast. The rest of the trip is regularly a day's length yet they are just an hour away from the camp.

"Keep going," He nodded as he clenched Hinata's leg to keep her steady. She is too kind for this. She never gave him hateful glares. Never whispered about the beast residing just under his skin. She didn't need to strive to be the 'perfect' ninja. She already was the 'perfect' human.

He prayed she'd be okay as he hoped from tree to tree. He was relentless, not letting up for even a minute. His stamina was always better than others.

"We are almost there, Naruto." Yamato called out, "Just twenty more minutes, Why don't you let me carry her the rest of the way? You must be exhausted."

He stifled a scoff. He was used to being tired, he always way. A constant state of exhaustion. He shook his head, "I'm good, i'll make twenty into ten." He picked up his speed, forcing Yamato and Kakashi to do the same in order to keep up with him.

Naruto only agreed to hand over Hinata to Yamato when they reached the safety of the training grounds. He identified the poison withen the hour and treated Hinata. But she still hasn't woken up. Yamoto told him it would take some time for the antidote to take action and he reluctantly stood down. He stayed by his side as Yamato and Kakashi searched the area.

"At least he isn't throwing a fit about leaving the area yet, I don't think he even knows there is a barrier keeping him off anyone's radar here." Yamato said at some point.

"Yeah, you see him crying earlier?" Kakashi asked, eye widened. "I've never seen the kid so worked up."

"You figure he loves her?" Yamato asked with a laugh in his voice.

"There's no way anyone but sakura would catch that boy's eye yamato don't be dumb. I don't know what it is exactly" he trailed off not knowing what to say.

They stayed in silence for a moment before Naruto's voice rung through the air followed by the shatter of glass.