Together, We Protect

"Byakugan!"

Hinata's eyes observed the surroundings. It's been two days long into their travel and they were nearing the mountain region leading up to Kumogakure. Hinata could faintly sense the chakra of others around her, but for some reason, she couldn't see anyone.

"Nothing?" Shino asked quietly.

Hinata shook her head. "...even though I see nothing around us right now, I still have that feeling that we're being watched."

"Same here. I'm picking up a few strange scents." Kiba lifted his head up, sniffing the air. "It's weird, though. I can't really distinguish what it is."

"Let's just continue. We need to complete this mission efficiently and as quick as we can. We have no time to investigate around, no matter how suspicious everything is right now." Hinata replied. With a wave of her hand indicating that they follow her, she dashed ahead through the forest.

Since the mission started, Sakura couldn't shake off that bad feeling. "Do you think Lady Hinata and Team 8 are in danger?" She turned to look at Sasuke, who narrowed his eyes.

"...I don't know. Something doesn't feel right."

"Right? We need to catch up to them as fast as we can. We can't risk those scrolls falling into the rebels' hands and we most definitely can't let anything happen to Team 8." Sakura let out a sigh and ran faster.

"Oi! Do you guys sense that?!" Lee suddenly exclaimed.

"Chakra presence?" Sai looked side to side to see if anyone was hiding in the trees. "...there might be ninjas in hiding around here. Should we split?"

"What? No way! We need to stick together and get to Team 8! We have no time to look around for anything or anyone!" Ino quickly protested. Sai glared slightly at his wife. "Geez, it was just a suggestion. No need to yell."

"Whatever." Ino simply rolled her eyes at him.

"We can split up after we find them. I'm pretty sure they've all felt the chakra presences by now." Sasuke replied as he activated his Sharingan. "...they're not far from us. They're just a couple miles ahead."

"Can you see them?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"Just faintly. I can make out their body forms but even with my Sharingan, I can only see so far."

"That's more than enough...that means we're getting closer to them!"

"...yes...but..." Sasuke paused and he squinted his eyes. "...I can also see something around them...

Lee glanced back at him. "They're not doing anything about it!?"

"I don't think they notice. We need to hurry up and catch up with them."

Naruto couldn't concentrate on anything.

He's been going in and out of the security headquarters, making sure preparations were ready just in case of a village attack. He also sent out various ninjas to patrol the borders and gates of Konoha to make sure there were no suspicious activities on the outside. He made sure to keep his actions secretive because he didn't want to worry the villagers or make them frantic about anything.

He's been constantly thinking about his friends that he sent on the mission. On top of that, he was also worried about Hinata's well being.

He hoped the reinforcement team will reach Team 8 before they meet the rebels. It wasn't that he doubted Team 8's abilities as shinobi, but he was just worried because he didn't know what the rebel ninjas were capable of.

"Hokage, you've been pacing back and forth for a good 30 minutes now. You should just calm down...I'm pretty sure they'll be fine." Shikamaru insisted.

"But don't you feel that?" Naruto glared back at him.

"Feel what...?"

"I don't know what exactly it is, but I've been having this bad feeling ever since I sent them!" Naruto let out a frustrated sigh.

"They're strong and capable to handle whatever will come at them. You should have a little faith in them, too."

"I do! It's just...I don't want anything to happen to them..." Naruto ran his fingers through his hair and he finally came to sit down at his desk. "...I don't want anything to happen...to Hinata..."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. He was a bit surprised at that statement. He had expected Naruto to worry more about sending Sakura rather than Hinata. Though Hinata was Naruto's wife, he knew Naruto's love for Sakura was still evident.

"You know very well that a shinobi faces death every day. You should always be prepared, Hokage. Even if we happen to lose anyone out there, it would be for the cause of this village."

Naruto clenched his hands into fists. He knew that. He knew that very well. But the thought of his friends and Hinata getting hurt in any way just devastated him. And if he did lose Hinata, he just didn't know how he would cope with that.

For some reason, Team 8 suddenly found it harder to breathe. Even more than that, they felt exhausted.

Kiba jumped off Akamaru to dash alongside Hinata and Shino. "Akamaru is slowing down and you guys are, too. I haven't even been running but I feel tired...this is really irritating me!"

Hinata was panting slightly and even though the weather was cool right now, she was sweating. She glanced at Shino and could see the side of his head glistening with sweat, too.

"Do you think the rebels are doing something to us? I do feel a little weak right now." Shino muttered.

She once again scanned the area with her Byakugan but she couldn't see anything that seemed out of place. "Well, we are in the mountains now, so they could be anywhere. Be on the lookout."

"Shit, but I can't even run that fast anymore." Kiba hissed and he noticed that Hinata and Shino were both running at a rather slow pace, too.

Somehow, Hinata could literally feel her chakra being drained. 'What is this...?' She narrowed her eyes.

"Lady Hinata, do you feel that, too?" Shino asked when he noticed her expression.

"...I think...they might be absorbing our chakra while they're hiding."

"What?" Kiba's eyes widened.

"That would explain our bodies weakening. It could also be why we're sensing such an enormous amount of chakra around us...it's because they're absorbing it from us-,"

"Oi! You guys!"

All three of them turned and was surprised to find Lee along with the others coming towards them.

"We finally caught up!" Sakura let out a relieved sigh.

"What are you guys all doing here?" Hinata blinked. Was there a problem at the village?

"The Hokage sent us as a reinforcement team." Sakura explained. "We were told that the rebels could be headed towards Konoha, so you guys could possibly be in danger."

"Why would they go to Konoha?"

"They didn't give us the details, but that's just what we know so far." Ino shrugged.

"Do you guys feel that?" Kiba butted in. It was still irritating him that he felt weaker and weaker by the minute.

"...ah. We've been noticing something weird lately. I think our chakra is being absorbed by whatever is surrounding us." Sasuke replied. "Lady Hinata, can you focus a little more in detail with your Byakugan? It might be something that we can't see just by scanning around."

Hinata nodded. Though her chakra level was very low at this rate, she activated her Byakugan once again and gazed intensely around the area. She squinted when something caught her eye. "I see something!"

"What is it?"

"...strings. Very thin ones." Hinata then looked down at herself and she gasped softly when she realized that the strings were tied around her arms and legs. She looked at everyone and much to her horror, there were strings tied around them also. How was it that she couldn't even feel it?

"There are strings tied around you guys. I have them as well." She immediately stopped running and everyone just stared at her like she was crazy.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba patted himself down and glanced over at Akamaru. "I don't see any strings. And if we were tied with them, wouldn't we feel it?"

"That's why it's so strange. I can't feel it either, but I can clearly see them now." Hinata narrowed her eyes as she traced the strings to where they were coming from. "...I think these are chakra strings. It's not something physical, so that's why we can't see them or feel them tied on us...but we can definitely feel the draining effects of it. Shino, can you have your bugs follow the strings?"

Shino nodded as he reached out his hands. Everyone watched as his bugs traveled from his sleeves out and much to their surprise, ventured out towards them. Ino and Sakura cringed when the bugs formed around their ankles and wrists. The bugs then continued on, forming a line towards the direction of Kumogakure.

"Wherever my bugs are touching, that's where the chakra strings are. Lady Hinata, as you said, the strings are tied around us, since my bugs are around our ankles and wrists...as long as we follow the trail that my bugs set out, I'm sure we'll find the source of it."

Hinata nodded and then she reached out her hands to Shino and Kiba. "Give me your scrolls." They both pulled out their scrolls and gave it to her. She then pulled out her own scroll and then turned to Sasuke and Lee. "I need you guys to lead us ahead to Kumogakure, since you two are probably the fastest out of us all. When we get to the rebels, you two need to pass through ahead and get these scrolls to the Raikage. The rest of us will stay behind to counterattack."

Sasuke and Lee took the scrolls from her and simply nodded in agreement.

"Our chakra is getting lower by the minute and I know we'll all get exhausted once we enter the higher mountain regions, but we can't complain. Let's head out...the faster we find the source of these chakra strings, the faster we can find the rebels."

They didn't waste any time and immediately dashed ahead, despite their weakened states.

Hinata wondered if Naruto was doing ok. She guessed that by now, he was probably already preparing for a village attack and was preparing the security forces to defend the borders. She hoped that she and the rest of the team could stop the rebels now so that the rebels won't have any chance of going towards Konoha.

'I need to protect my village at all costs. I will stop whoever threatens the welfare of Konoha.' She thought and glared ahead with determination. No matter how many rebels there were, she knew that her team was strong enough to handle it. After all, they did win the war...nothing at this point could stop the Shinobi Nations. And even if they were outnumbered or out-skilled, she knew that if she sent for help, there will definitely be other ninjas who would come to their aid in a blink of an eye.

By now, they were extremely tired.

They were also now in the high mountain regions, so the thin air and the high altitude wasn't helping at all.

"This is where the attacks have been occurring. Be on your guard." Hinata warned the others. It was a little foggy so the rebels were at advantage if they were planning a sabotage.

Kiba sniffed up in the air when Akamaru started to bark. "We're nearing them...I can pick up the scents a lot stronger now. There's definitely some ninjas hiding around here."

"Stop." Sasuke immediately stopped running and he held out his hand, indicating that they stayed still.

"...what is it?" Sakura asked quietly as she gazed around.

Then all of a sudden, Shino's bugs dropped to the ground and they all scattered back into Shino's sleeve instead of following the chakra strings. Shino frowned as he pushed up his glasses. "They're here."

They all shifted into defense stances as soon as Shino said that. Sure enough, Hinata could finally now make out the forms of people slowly coming out from behind the rock walls and boulders. She glanced up and realized that some were standing on top of higher mountain hills, too.

"How interesting. You guys noticed us, first."

A female voice.

Out from the fog in front of them emerged a woman along with a few ninjas behind her.

Hinata noticed that they all had a slash across their headbands, symbolizing that they were either against their village or were no longer shinobi who belonged to a certain land. On top of that, she was a little worried. The immense amount of chakra that these ninjas had scared her...it was probably because they were absorbing hers and the rest of team's chakra earlier. It was no doubt that right now, the rebel ninjas were a lot stronger than them.

Wasting no time, she threw a glance over at Sasuke and Lee, who both quickly understood her.

In a blink of an eye, Sasuke and Lee dashed ahead, and though some rebels reacted quickly to their movement, they simply got past them by giving the rebels a few hits to keep them down.

"Tch. Quick, huh." The woman smirked. "The rest of you guys wont be let off so easily...and I see that you are from Konoha. This'll be much more fun...the Hokage will surely be enraged when he finds out that you guys won't be returning back."

Hinata and the others formed a circle, back to back, when more and more ninjas started coming out of the fog and from their hiding areas.

"We'll take down each and every one of you!" Hinata glared right at the woman.

The woman simply smiled and Hinata noticed the sinister glint of her eyes.

"Try."

With that statement, the surrounding rebels charged forth at full speed towards the group.

Sakura still had some strength left in her, so she punched the ground, sending some rebels to fly off different directions.

"Split up! Don't use your chakra unless necessary!" Hinata exclaimed as she jumped up from the ground right when two kunais were about to strike her. The team dashed in different directions, each of them fighting a handful of rebels by themselves.

Hinata knew they needed some time to build their chakra back up, so right now, all they could do was use taijutsu. Though she was physically exhausted as well, her reflexes were still quick so she didn't fail to dodge every hit and even managed to strike a few rebels.

She quickly shifted her body away when she felt a chakra presence coming fast at her from the side.

"Wow, you're quick, too, huh?" The woman chuckled and then didn't waste any time as she attempted to attack Hinata once more. "You have the Byakugan..I assume you're Lady Hinata?"

Hinata quickly blocked her hit and then spun down to try to knock the woman off her feet, but the woman quickly jumped up to avoid it. "You won't get any further than this!"

The woman only chuckled once again. "You all are weak right now. We've successfully drained most of your chakra so there's on point in all this. Fighting us with useless kicks and punches won't do any good. Save your boring speeches about stopping us-,"

Hinata quickly cut her off by charging at full speed towards her while she was still talking and managed to strike her left shoulder. The woman winced and stumbled back two steps before she glared up hatefully at Hinata.

"You talk too much." Hinata muttered. She didn't give the woman any time to recover and once again dashed towards her, getting ready to attack her again. At the same time, she kept aware of her surroundings to make sure the others were still ok.

Though taijutsu wasn't his specialty, Sai was managing alright.

Kiba and Akamaru fought closely next to him and helped watch his back since he couldn't use his chakra to control his drawings yet.

Sakura was angrily punching and kicking the enemies with whatever strength she had left in her.

Shino was successfully dodging every hit to avoid getting physically weaker.

Ino was also dodging attacks, and managed to strike down a few rebels.

Hinata could luckily feel their chakra levels rising up again, though it was happening very slowly. 'A little longer and we can use our chakra...' She thought as she ducked down to avoid the kunai thrown at her. She quickly took out one of her own kunai from her weapon pouch and shot it at full speed at the woman. Much to Hinata's surprise, the woman managed to disappear before the kunai reached her and then Hinata gasped when the woman suddenly appeared in front of her.

Hinata knew that even if she made a move to dodge at this instant, the woman was already close enough to strike her. Hinata closed her eyes and quickly braced herself for a hit, but instead heard the woman grunt. Hinata's eyes shot open in an instant to see Sakura in front of her.

Sakura, who was panting heavily, got a hold of the woman's wrist and twisted her arm away from Hinata.

"Lady Hinata! Are you ok?" Sakura glanced back worriedly at Hinata. Once the woman saw that Sakura's guard was down, she quickly whispered a jutsu and her free arm came up behind Sakura and she hit the pressure points in Sakura's neck.

"Sakura!" Hinata's eyes widened when Sakura stood frozen and much to her horror, she saw the woman pull out a small syringe. 'Oh no!' Hinata immediately dashed towards the woman and reached out to grab her hand, but the woman shifted away and forcefully stabbed the syringe into Sakura's abdomen.

Hinata felt her heart drop when Sakura gasped in pain and fell down to the ground. "Sakura!" She bent down and despite her still-low chakra level, she immediately started to heal her.

"I injected poison in her. It'll spread fast, and due to your low chakra, you probably won't be able to save her healing her like that." The woman smirked and twirled a kunai with her fingers. "This poison will no doubt kill her within three days. You'd have to heal her continuously for 2 days straight to fully heal her...you might as well just let her die now to save her from the pain."

Hinata glared at her in vengeance. "I won't forgive you for hurting my people!"

"Don't care." The woman shrugged and she gripped the twirling kunai in her hands and ran towards Hinata. "You can join her!"

"Don't you dare touch them!"

Hinata heard Kiba's voice and saw Kiba and Akamaru rushing to her aid. Behind them, the others followed, dashing vigorously towards her.

Ino shot a kunai to counterattack and it knocked the kunai away from the woman's hand.

"Shit..." The woman was too preoccupied with Hinata that she didn't even realize that most of her rebels were defeated. She saw her fallen ninjas a few feet behind the Konoha team that was dashing towards her.

She jumped away right when Kiba reached her and stood at a distance from them. The remaining rebels gathered behind her and the team noticed that there were still noticeably a huge number of them left.

'Damnit...our chakra still isn't fully restored yet...' Kiba clenched his hands into fists. He knew that if they all weren't so weak right now, they could no doubt wipe out the rebels in just a matter of a few minutes.

Ino knelt alongside Hinata and was about to help heal Sakura, too, but Hinata quickly stopped her. "I can manage. I don't want you losing anymore chakra. You guys still need to fight against them."

Ino stared down worriedly at Sakura and then back to Hinata. "But...more than half of your chakra will be gone if you keep healing her like this by yourself. Lady Hinata, we can't risk your health either-,"

"Do not argue with me." Hinata replied sternly, surprising Ino. "There are still many of them left. Until Sasuke and Lee gets back, you guys need to fight them off. I have enough chakra left to heal her, so don't worry about me. We cannot risk these rebels entering into Konoha...you all must stop them right here and right now."

Ino still hesitated a bit, but she let out a small sigh and then made a small bow. "...I understand." She then got up and took one more look at Sakura before joining the others again.

"Ah, geez...Sasuke and Lee need to hurry up." Sai sighed and pulled out his drawing scrolls. "...I think my chakra's just about done refueling. I'll attack from above."

"Are you sure?" Ino asked with uncertainty. Sai simply nodded at her and then quickly drew a bird to fly on. He jumped on the bird and then flew up above, calculating an attack plan on the rebels below.

"At this rate, we might as well go all out." Shino replied quietly as he reached out his hands and let his bugs travel out once more.

"Yes! I feel the adrenaline kicking in again! We need to fight head on this time, guys!" Kiba jumped onto Akamaru's back. "Ready, boy?" Akamaru barked in reply and then boldly ran ahead towards the rebels. Shino and Ino ran alongside them and dashed towards the rebel ninjas, who stood unfazed.

"Tch, don't get all cocky just because you guys managed to take down a few of us!" The woman waved her hand forwards and then ran ahead with the mass group of rebels following behind her.

Hinata sighed in relief, glad that their chakra level was now high enough for them to fight to their full potential. She focused her attention back to Sakura and her Byakugan examined Sakura's body. The poison was steadily spreading from her abdomen up to her left arm. Hinata could see Sakura's veins turning purple and a pit of fear hit the bottom of her stomach. The poison was too strong...the pace of her healing couldn't even catch up to how fast the poison was spreading.

Hinata concentrated her remaining chakra into her hands and focused on performing two highly skilled healing jutsu. Though these two jutsu will take its toll on her own body, she didn't care. She just couldn't let Sakura suffer like this.

"Sakura...I'm going to perform both the Osenjokyo justu (decontamination technique) and the Kakusei jutsu (purification technique)...I don't now if it'll get rid of the poison, but I'm going to try to slow down the spreading of it long enough until we can get back to Konoha."

Sakura, who was breathing heavily in pain, looked at Hinata like she was crazy. "Y...you can't...do that..." She paused and winced when a sudden pain coursed through her body. "...if you're not careful...you can risk-,"

"I know the risks, Sakura, but I cannot allow you to be in this state. As the head lady of Konoha, it is my duty to protect my people. You are my precious friend...and I will do whatever it takes to heal you." Hinata replied determinedly. The Osenjokyo jutsu will allow her to rapidly create new white blood cells in the Sakura's blood stream to fight off the poison. The Kakusei jutsu will allow her to create even more white blood cells but also powers them up by feeding her own chakra directly into them. After the healing process, her own body might shut down and be in a coma-like state for days because of the loss of chakra and physical and mental exhaustion, but she had no choice at the moment but to result to this decision.

Still keeping her concentration on the affected area, Hinata closed her eyes and performed the hand sands of the first jutsu. She could feel her chakra coursing through her body system and flowing towards Sakura. She inhaled sharply at the sudden throb in her head, but she quickly ignored it and then performed the hand signs for the second jutsu.

Sakura eventually drifted into unconsciousness as Hinata performed the techniques. Hinata glanced up quickly to see how the others were doing and she felt a wave of relief wash over her when she spotted Lee and Sasuke, who just rushed in to join the fight. She knew that by now, everyone was strong enough to fight to their best abilities.

She focused her attention back to Sakura and continued the healing jutsu. She suddenly found it harder to breathe and coughed up some blood. However, she paid no attention to it and simply concentrated on the matter at hand. Her eyes traveled to Sakura's face and she hoped and prayed that she'll be able to slow down the poison enough for Sakura to make it back to Konoha.

Sakura was one her best friends and she was someone that Hinata looked up to...and more than that, Sakura was the woman that Naruto had loved all his life. Hinata couldn't let someone so precious to both her and Naruto suffer like this.

'No matter what happens to me...I can't let Sakura die.'

All credits to the author and Masashi Kishimoto