Chapter 4

"How long?" Her shaky voice delivered the question, deftly hiding a hint of turmoil threatening to spill.

His dark eyes beheld the girl's small frame almost passively. Was he indifferent?

No.

"Absent until summoned." He said.

"A year? Two years? Fifteen years?!" Sakura's tone grew in frequency as she straightened her back, frustration weighing on her slender brows. "I'm sorry if I am annoying again, now that the crisis is over and you don't need our help any longer, but give me a little credit, okay. After all I've done for you, I deserve an answer; at least put a bit more effort into that syntax, be elaborate, will you?"

She yelled, visage feeble and plea drenched with desperation. Standing on the rooftop of the hospital whilst Naruto was somewhere in the building, getting his arm attached, a cool wind stirred her medium pink locks. The breeze encouraged the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Sasuke's breathing was placid, but in the bottom of his throat, something nauseating was spreading. "I am being sent on a mission." He stated.

"What mission?" She questioned anxiously. The Uchiha really had no common sense to answer properly.

"It requires that I travel, monitor any potential threats and keep relative track of what goes on in the Hidden villages. My first and foremost priority is eliminating criminals and illegal shinobi societies. The true purpose of my leaving ought to remain a secret; to the outside, I'll just be wandering." He said.

Sakura ran a hand through her tussled hair. "Why else would you go? Soul-searching?!"

Sasuke nodded. "That was the initial idea." In a blur of black, he suddenly dodged, grabbing Sakura's fist in midair. She had moved faster than the wind, but he grasped her in the speed of lightning. Was she always going to be this inferior?

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He whispered underneath his breath, seeing the girl's side profile curl into a saddening grimace. She jerked her hand away.

"This is no time to joke around!" She castigated.

"I don't joke around, Sakura." He glared.

Sasuke watched her pace before him. He wanted to call her name – he owed her something; a debt he couldn't ever dream of paying in its entirety. Her sacrifice was just that great.

Was he indifferent?

No.

Was he never indifferent?

No – but that was a long time ago.

"Take me with you!" She suddenly asked, visage brightening as if the idea had been a totally unique discovery – eureka. Sakura stared into his eyes with the hope of having a prayer answered, like she had never made the same request and never been turned down.

"I'm sorry."

She quickly turned her back to him and walked a couple of steps away. Short strands of pink hair slid down the sides of her neck as her pale nape showed. Her head bower down for a moment. She was cold.

The girl gripped her sides before turning around, eyes rimmed with moisture. "What do I do now?" She uttered. "Tell me what to do!" She sobbed.

Sasuke knew what she wanted. Her arms were begging to be held, tears begging to be wiped, fears begging to be drowned in comfort, but he couldn't give her those things.

"Don't wait for me." He said. His mind was buzzing as he watched her rub her eyes, leaving redness to tint her cheeks.

"Not an option." She choked.

"Sakura—"

"I said it's not an option!" Sakura's scream pained him physically, as if venom of his own making was penetrating his blood stream and tearing him up from the inside. Sasuke's lip trembled as his frown deepened.

"You're not a part of this." He said as clearly as he could. The lean muscle, hidden by layers of clothing, and ultimately a heavy black cloak, was growing tenser by the second. He wanted to run and hide from anything that walked and talked and cared, because Sakura per say did all of those things stubbornly well.

"You don't get to tell me that!" She bit her lip, taking a step forward. The Haruno held his gaze firmly as if daring him to look away.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, because if it weren't for me, you'd be dead and gone right now. If it weren't for the others, you'd be well on the other side of the law right now."

"I owe you all so much, don't I?" Sasuke cut her short, black eyes briefly reflecting his contemplation laced with habitual cynicism. "I did a lot of bad shit in the past and you all saved me; your love brought me back from the dead and now because of my friends' sacrifice, I get to roam the great lands like a free soldier." He towered over her easily whilst edging closer. Their sights were locked, reflecting intense emotion, although ones of a striking variance between them.

"I have no secret longing to be saved from myself anymore. Sometimes I wonder whether it would've been better for all of us if you had just let me die in the first place." He whispered. "I'm not worth your tears. I don't want them. I don't need your sympathy. I've had enough of it."

She swallowed her tears, shaking her head. "No, no, no…" Sakura pleaded before burying her head in his chest and circling his waist with her arms. "No…" She whimpered, soaking the front of his heavy cloak with tears.

The warmth of his skin was so many layers below her touch and no matter how badly she held him, it wasn't enough to reach it.

He couldn't bear to look at her. His both eyes were fixated on the sunset peeking through the gate wire surrounding the edges of the rooftop. Sasuke's arm was stone cold and the other one cut off at the elbow was itching to rise. He wanted to move them, to embrace the girl with the affection that she deserved, but he couldn't.

"Don't wait for me, Sakura." He repeated, the persistence of her hands wrapped around his torso too immense to ignore the vapor of his own convictions.

"Don't wait for me."

Sakura deftly slipped into her best friend's office upon being invited and shut the door behind her. She snickered in his face as she marched over and sat in front of him.

"Damn." The medic crossed her legs. "You look terrible. Thank God Hinata isn't here to see you like this, those black holes around your eyes would swallow any potential doubts she might've had about breaking up with you."

Naruto ran a hand through his messy blond hair. "She didn't officially break up with me; I'm just laying low now, for your information. I also need a trim. The last time I was this unkempt was while training with old man Jiraiya on the Turtle Island."

Sakura smiled in fond recollection. "Well, it's a good thing that you're embracing the caveman aesthetic."

"Some chicks dig that." He chuckled.

The girl twirled a strand of short pink hair about a pale digit mindlessly. "Most chicks dig you. It shouldn't be difficult to get back into the game, being the filthy rich, young and hot Hokage after all." She giggled in jest.

Naruto spun in his seat, rolling his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry." Sakura muttered in spite of the apparent sarcasm of her previous statement. "It's a sensitive topic. Right."

"It's fine." Naruto brushed her worry off. "No point in avoiding the obvious. I'm semi-single, but…" He dozed off.

"Not quite ready to mingle yet… I get it." She finished his train of thoughts.

"No, no you don't." Naruto leaned over his desk and pointed a scolding finger at her. "I was in an actual, mutual, long, committed, loving-turned-nerve-racking relationship. I'm a mess now, but I don't regret what I had. It was so good that I don't plan on giving up on it just yet. I'm merely taking a break. You, on the other hand, haven't done any of those things because you keep waiting for a guy who's not even worth the anticipation. I know you have suitors lining up at the hospital gates."

He paused to sigh, studying Sakura's bemused expression.

"What I'm trying to say is that I understand how overwhelming your feelings are. When you told me that Hinata was bad news, that I should end it, I was furious because I've invested everything into my loving her. The difference between your situation and my situation is that we had something real whilst Sasuke is… undependable. He's unpredictable and until he fixes himself, you deserve better. I suggest you try to make things work with someone else. You deserve so much love and you're not letting anybody give it to you. Frankly, I'm not sure whether Sasuke ever will be ready for that kind of commitment."

Sakura's gaze was focused on an empty space on Naruto's desk as her arms were crossed.

"Sorry…" He chuckled. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight." She said anxiously, rubbing her palms together. "I don't know how I feel about this. Shizune attends most of my meetings abroad; I haven't been away from the hospital for more than a few days in years. Ino will take good care of it, I don't doubt it for a second, but the thought of abandoning it is…"

"Normal." Naruto stood up, slowly dusting off his coat and sorting the paperwork neatly on the side. "It's normal to be freaked out about leaving. Once you've been a part of something big for a while like that, you feel like once you budge further away, it'll fall apart. Take my advice – it won't fall apart."

Sakura nodded at his words as she too rose to her feet. "Where are we going now?" She pondered as she watched her best friend drift about his desk, towards the door of his office.

"I am taking you to one of ANBU's more… remote offices.", said Naruto.

Her eyes widened as she impulsively grabbed his sleeve. He raised an eyebrow at her baffled expression. "Naruto, I can't. That's… that's ANBU."

"Come on, you've got the seal. You are authorized to accompany me there."

"Oh, but I'd rather not." She mumbled.

Naruto tried not to laugh as he unwrapped her digits from around the edge of his silken white sleeve. "There's no reason to be petrified, Sakura, you've seen far scarier things than a… military masquerade."

"I can't tell whether I know them or not! And I really don't like the concept of secret underground societies. Why would we need to go there anyways?" She questioned.

Naruto scratched his forehead. "Sakura…" He started. "You need to come with me because it's about the mission."

"Oh." Her expression grew more aware as she processed. "That's right; you didn't really tell us why we'd be going there."

"No." Naruto shook his head. "It's something only you should know."

They stood for another moment. Sakura turned over her shoulder to glance at the tranquil landscape of the Hidden Leaf village, taking in the way golden sunrays bathed the houses and the trees. Civilians strolled up and down the narrow streets and appeared to be so small when observed from a height. Those people didn't know how vulnerable their peace was.

Sakura heaved before facing the blond.

"You are our supreme leader." She said. "Lead the way."

Suddenly, her friend's bandaged hand appeared in her line of sight and collided with the side of her neck. Before she could feel the pain of collision, everything went black.

A labyrinth of tall grass unraveled before them as they walked, saturated by the shadows cast by lissome bodies of bamboo. Their feet touched the ground for the first time in a long while as they'd spent the past four days making their way through the deciduous greenery surrounding the borders between the great lands of Grass and Fire, jumping from branch to branch.

Shikamaru's breathing was steady yet heavy, and from time to time, Hinata could only glance from the side at his troubled countenance. There was nothing she could do to fix his mood. Out in the open and away from home, she felt most herself these days, whilst he was being gradually torn apart by the distance.

The young Nara Shikamaru imbedded in her memory was a disinterested, mooning scrawny kid who shadowed Ino and Choji at most times, if not cloud-gazing on the Academy roof. Few would've guessed that he would be the first to settle, embody the essence of fatherhood in a nuclear family he decided to build with the princess of sand herself.

Nevertheless, Hinata couldn't escape the feeling that she was a stranger to them precisely because they had witnessed the ruining of the person she once used to be. People she had grown up with were observing her from a distance with enquiry gleaming from their eyes as if she were a walking question mark that lacked a sentence to conclude. A thought stretching from mind to mind, a rumor traveling from ear to ear – Hyuuga Hinata was many things. None of which she understood herself.

She averted her gaze to straight ahead and continued to pace forward with subtlety, breathing in the smell of nature stirred by drying rain drops. The hood of her ashen cloak was heavy on her shoulders. Its edges lingered over the tender ground which soaked the atmosphere with the opiating scent of petrichor. Had she been alone, Hinata would've lost track of time long ago. Shikamaru's agitated sighs and thumps were like the ticks of a broken clock which constantly reminded her of his growing pains.

The Nara had a harder time crossing the terrain. There was mud sticking to his boots and from the corner of her eye, Hinata noted that he looked entirely out of place in the wilderness.

"I have a suggestion… to make." She broke the silence sheepishly, not meeting her comrade's gaze as he silently made a request of elaboration.

"What?" Shikamaru cleared his throat after she had decided to initiate conversation like a mere handful of times before.

Hinata licked her frigid lips before speaking. "The density of the forest is starting to decrease. In an hour, we should be near the border. There are places where we can rest before taking off tomorrow morning."

Shikamaru heaved a pensive sigh, one not unlike many of which the girl had witnessed throughout the course of their journey. "Not an option. This is a covert op, you know that." He dismissed her appeal, although she was quick to respond.

"I understand it is imperative that the mission stays under the other governments' radars, and I did not mean to propose breaking our cover." Hinata said vaguely.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What did you mean then?" He pondered, tilting his body to the side and slipping between two hollow stems starred by cold droplets of dew which rolled down and piled at the nodes.

"Dosho is under Konoha's rule. They don't report to other authorities." She watched as Shikamaru's eyes cleared in realization.

"I totally forgot about that." Those words were uttered underneath his breath with a worrisome undertone which Hinata decided to steer clear of. There was a thought which crossed both their minds, yet didn't need to be acknowledged.

"The governing Nishimori clan is an extension of mine; many members of the Hyuuga are stationed there on business or live in Dosho as their ancestors served as protection for the civilians during the first war. My Byakugan won't stand out." She stated reassuringly.

Hyuuga were a very common sight to behold in the town, unlike in other places. The pallid violet of her eyes was one of the primary reasons as to why she always did her work behind the scenes. People like the Nara who had no distinctive physical features easily blended in with larger crowds and excelled at espionage. Nonetheless, it was a mentally draining line of duty. Shikamaru had it written all over his face. The fatigue and resistance against the foreign were brewing from deep within him and Hinata wanted to give him at least a shadow of comfort.

"Nishimori… I forgot that they were related to you." He mused over the tip of his collar as he recalled the endless hours of dwelling over the maps which somehow seemed to have drifted from his mind.

"Distantly." Hinata nodded. "It is believed that their dojutsu derives from the Byakugan. You probably didn't hear much about the Shizenkan considering it has no combative or destructive capacities unlike the three great eye techniques. Dosho is a town primarily consisting of the Nishimori clan members and it centers its economy on agricultural profit. The wielder of this dojutsu is able to perceive chakra, but only on a cellular level. The people there aren't trained as ninja for their eyes wouldn't benefit them in battle, but they use their abilities to cultivate top-tier herbs, medicinal plants, biofuel and such. Their fields and herbariums are scattered around the city premises, but they sell their products in major cities." The information slid past her lips immaculately. As it did, Shikamaru couldn't help but see some of Hyuuga Hiashi behind her wandering eyes.

"Dosho it is, then." He nodded before the pair slipped into a state of another comfortable silence.

Shikamaru was heir to a clan of no sizable wealth, but great importance to the village's military. The formidable Nara mind was essential to the inner workings of the Hidden Leaf and its brilliance was simultaneously highly regarded and envied by many. Shikamaru was taught the ways of the dauntingly powerful clans. In their circles, the Nara played a role of the ultimate underdog who had the greatest leverage right behind his eyes. That is why their position in Konoha's monopoly differed so much from the others'.

Ever since taking over as the Head of his clan, Shikamaru had had the opportunity to once a month sit in a room with some of the most powerful men and women of the ages. Amongst them was Hyuuga Hiashi who always sat at the Kage's right, clad in his immaculate silken robes, dark hair cascading down a lean back embedded with scars of legend, eyes stern and frown carrying the weight of his ghostly and principal demeanor. Even though the leader of the village was infamously his daughters tormented lover, Hiashi had never treated Naruto any differently than he treated the others before him – in the same elegant monotone, with the same disinterest and dose of deprecation. He had no visible flaw, only an air of anguish which may had been swaying his conscience, but not his posture.

Ever since the word spread of his daughter's condition amongst Konoha's elite, all eyes were on him, prying for a reaction, a lapse, a sign that something was going on, yet he never wavered. Hiashi was just as stern and unyielding as he had ever been. It sent chills up Shikamaru's spine.

They had never discussed it at meetings. Only the Akimichi were hasty enough to request information about the new Byakugan and the glances old man Choza had received were unparalleled in panic. The Head Hyuuga had dismissed their plea in his signature humorless manner, yet there was something in his voice which made the present listeners' blood freeze.

How much did he care? Only God knew, and Shikamaru was set on not wasting his efforts on going down that path.

Hinata appeared just as tender and sweet as she used to be some years ago, yet he couldn't help but notice that there was something somber woven through her whole person. There she walked soundlessly, lids dreary over her eyes, mind haunted by nameless and faceless demons. The Hyuuga didn't seem to be affected by their surroundings in the slightest. Her holding was as unperturbed as it had been once they'd stepped out the Konoha gates.

Back in the Academy, she was the girl who uttered through her tears that she was not cut out to be a ninja. In some way, he'd admired that courage. It took him years to stomach the fact that he felt no satisfaction in doing the things he had been taught to do – kill, deceive, and conspire. He wanted to ask her whether that had really changed; whether she'd really learned to relish the thrill or was there something else that kept her going.

Shikamaru needed some relief. He dreaded stepping over the mud which threatened to envelop his feet, the moisture which filled his nostrils and the throbbing ache inside his gut. He wanted a bed, a shower, his woman at his side, a desk waiting for him in the morning, the scented wood of his ancient shogi set and the unkempt garden behind his family home.

Six months he'd spent in the Hidden Mist lurking around corners, spying on some of the most powerful shinobi in the universe, on multiple occasions having his life hanging by a thread, carrying the weight of over half a dozen countries, chasing shadows and knowing that there was a child growing in the womb of his beloved who was alone somewhere, staring at the dunes, counting sand storms by day and days by night.

He was not a child anymore. Children had time to waste. Shikamaru's thoughts were drifting from place to place until his mind was so engaged that his body grew numb.

As the hour passed and bamboo trees slipped from his peripheral vision, he saw the endless flatland of various colors, separated into neat rectangles like patches on a fabric, surrounding a town barely visible from their point of view. Small cottages rose from the meadows, scattered unevenly and they presumed they served the purpose of hosting gardening equipment.

"Dosho it is, then." He whispered mostly to himself as he heaved another sigh and ran a hand down his weary countenance. The sun had nearly set on the horizon. Whilst he and Hinata made their way down a neat pathway, both of them grew watchful of the eerily empty meadows as the scent of Nishimori herbs enveloped their senses.

"It looks like only the town center is isolated from the outside… Those parts there…" He pointed to the distant figures. "…don't have walls for borders because they need proximity and... access to the fields." Shikamaru murmured as they walked over the gravel path, nearing the city with every step. At this point he could clearly make out the town in the distance, its peak being the Nishimori pagoda which towered over the houses and smaller manors Dosho was consisting of, scattered on the flatlands artfully and circled by a tall border. The web of parcels was lined by torches that lit their way just enough to make the crossing affluent.

"The wall is there, but it isn't heavily guarded. They don't see the danger lurking on the outside…" Hinata whispered though the night. Her companion grew silent for a moment, thoughtfully eyeing the buildings rising in the distance.

"They have peaceful lives." She continued, softly. "Their greatest concern is meeting the seasonal quota, sending the herbs to Konoha, selling them out on the market." The breeze steered every blade of grass on those fields which danced in a tranquillizing motion through the dark. Hinata could see them much clearly than the Nara, yet he was too somewhat soothed by the change of terrain. Nothing was clouding their view of the sky. The moon was nearly full and pale on the dome of stars above.

"I fought a war in the front lines…" Words escaped her lips one by one. "I lost my best friend on the battlefield … I wielded the powers of the dead, dug my sister's eyes out of a man's skull. I fell in love, killed thirteen people in a heartbeat. We have scars … They have stories."

The words encircled Shikamaru's thoughts and horded them into a corner. "No matter what we're taught, at some point we look back and realize all that we would give to have their life. I don't… want to be here." The Nara spoke as if uttering those words were a crime. Yet, he was beneath the open sky alongside a woman who embodied the essence of lenient secrecy and there was nobody else to hear his dispute.

"Temari talks about it a lot – what our lives could've been like had we not been born to this way of living. I don't usually think much of it. It's pointless to cry over spilled milk. Still, it would've been nice to have a proper first date - a proper 'what's your favorite color' kind of conversation. We are building a life, knee deep in a pool of dried blood. Our friends and families died to win this peace, but we can't embrace it entirely because everybody's still scared. These regrets that we are fostering are rooted in selfish notions. We ought to be grateful for their sacrifice, no matter how hard that may be. Pondering over how things might've been is a futile attempt to drown our demons, but they aren't going anywhere. What we have to do now is make sure that we are the last generation mourning."

"It's odd." Hinata said. "We were sixteen when the war broke out. I can barely remember how we did it… Members of my clan and I, we are all short ranged. I stood there with Neji at my side but when battle began, I couldn't see him anymore." Her voice grew thin and Shikamaru realized that this was the first time he'd ever heard her mention the loss of her cousin. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "It was tough… But you're moving on. Bringing new life into the world you bettered."

"Don't you want the same thing?" Shikamaru enquired warily and Hinata's expression sunk ever so slightly. "We're all in this. Looking around, you see it's plain as day. We're all rushing to settle, relish the peace and hold onto it as if another war is just around the corner. Only when the high wears off did we realize what we've all been through and the big picture is a lot uglier than what it felt like at the time of its creation. We're building homes outside the trenches. Honestly, if it weren't for that I think we would've gone mad by now."

She tilted her head downwards as she responded in a serene tone underlined by anguish which only one who knew her story would understand. "I've seen many things over the years, Shikamaru. The big picture is still not one of them."

Her eyes fluttered open and immediately upon regaining consciousness, a violent urge washed over her. She sat up, alert and watchful of the vacant, gloomy room and the uncomfortable round mattress she woke up in. Suddenly, she remembered the unforeseen attack in the Hokage's office.

"Oh, no, he didn't…" Sakura snarled, running a hand through her hair. The scent of wax and paper wove through the stuffy atmosphere. Looking around, she noticed the absence of windows. The air inside was somewhat dry and stale. "Dumping me here like a sack of potatoes… Inhale, exhale… Inhale, exhale…" She seethed.

Moments passed with only the sound of her breathing echoing the room. Once she became the chief supervisor of a vast hospital division, Sakura had started working on her anger issues. There was no need to murder anybody – or so she told herself.

"Alright…" The medic heaved, straightening her hair and tapping down the white comforter covering her from waist down. Her chest puffed and air streamed into her lungs as she was about to call out to her friend, but a clatter of the door knob on the opposite side.

Her eyes widened as they were cracked open and a masked figure slipped into the room. Her breath hitched – the man's porcelain façade resembled a wolf with ominous dark circles for eyes framed by shoulder-long, unruly coal black hair. On the side of his standard grey ANBU flak jacket, the pallid skin of his lean arms was adorned by a red tattoo, symbolizing his position in the ranks of the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.

Once his entire frame appeared in front of her, she was reminded to breathe.

Sa—

"My Lady…" He bowed elegantly. At the sound of his voice, Sakura winced. It was a raspy tenor, cold and attentive like the autumn breeze.

It's not him.

Sakura hadn't realized that tears had started to gather at the corners of her eyes. Her heart was beating rapidly and unevenly. That irrational, inwardly question seemed to have drained her of strength for a moment when she let out a shaky breath and collapsed her back onto the bed.

"My Lady, are you feeling alright?" The man repeated himself frigidly. "Lord Hokage is waiting for you outside, these measures were necessary for the location of this secret base must remain—"

This was why she hated them.

The Haruno swiftly rose from bed and dusted off her white coat before brushing past the eerie stranger. He said nothing nor moved once she pushed the door open with unnecessary force and stumbled into the hallway.

She was greeted by a dim and seemingly endless corridor. Quickly, she dashed down, her fear of enclosed spaces eating at her nerves whilst counting the candles evenly distributed against the clay and soil crafted walls.

"Naruto…" She panted, the cold air burning her cheeks which were flushed with repressed anguish. "Naruto!" There were heavy doors on all sides yet no sign of life.

"Woah!" The man's figure appeared from around the corner and a pair of hands suddenly landed at her shoulders, blocking her path. She looked up to see his face before feebly smacking the tall blond on the side of his head.

"Where the hell am I? Why did you knock me unconscious? Who is that guy?! What's your problem?!" She pointed at his chest formidably, resolute and upset.

"I'm sorry, I know that you want little to do with this kind of thing so I thought it'd best to knock you out, but if I had told you that I was going to do it, you wouldn't have responded well, I mean you would've instinctively dodged or something, I don't know—Sakura, no. Sakura, stop poking me." He took both her fists into his hands and she struggled before finally glaring up at him.

"Of course I would've dodged! Who wants to be knocked out? Are you really that stupid?" She howled as Naruto tried to shush her with a sheepish smile. "Sakura, we're still at the HQ… please, calm down. My employees are watching."

"I'm not gonna calm down, you dim-wit! You knocked me out! They should know their leader is a moron!" She raised her head and yelled out the last word as if she were looking for everyone to hear it.

"Sakura!" He shook her forcibly by the shoulders and she suddenly shut up with a baffled expression on her face. The man who had followed her was accompanied by another pair of masked shinobi who had followed Naruto out of the room.

"Good, now listen to me. I left that guy there to guide you once you woke up." He said, brow puckered and countenance reading utter bemusement.

"Who is he?" She demanded to know.

"He is an ANBU soldier and a very trustworthy one. I know all of my people here, Sakura, there's no need to be worried. I just need you here in order to brief you about what you may encounter on this case. Your expertise is absolutely essential to the outcome of this operation and I need your complete focus on it."

For a moment she eyed him warily before her lips curled into a knowing grin. "Props to Hyuuga for molting you a silver tongue. Tell me again, did you know how to read before you met her or am I just—?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're very funny." Naruto looked down at his friend as she continued to giggle at her own witty remark. The pair started moving down the corridor. "You do know that I'm still wounded, right? I'm not ready for you to make fun of my pain. I'm telling you, this is not a permanent settlement, I'm just giving her a little bit of space. Hinata and I are soul mates, we'll make it work."

Sakura was slightly taken aback by the optimism in his tone. Her eyes searched his face for any trace of wistful humor, but the sincerity in his eyes made her chest tighten. She was at a loss of words and Naruto would have noticed had it not been for a fourth masked soldier who came to his arm.

"My Lord, the laboratory is prepped and readied for Lady Haruno to take over now." She stated yet her words were slightly muted by the presence of the porcelain hiding her features. The woman was lean and muscular. As Naruto mindlessly gave his thanks for the update, Sakura looked over her shoulder to watch while the ANBU went down the hallway and slipped into the darkness.

That was the body of a warrior and she flaunted it proudly along with a staggering scar at the base of her spine stretching to her opposite shoulder.

"Who was that?" She asked purely out of curiosity as she turned back. It certainly must've been a nasty cut. Judging by the coloration and the brief moment she'd had to look at it, the Haruno presumed that it must've been a couple of years old already.

"Kuni."

Sakura shot him a look. "What? Is that a real name, Naruto?"

"Yes, it may be." He made a face whilst glancing to the side.

"You don't know who that was, do you?" His friend heaved.

"No, I don't." He said.

Sakura continued to stare at him sympathetically. "So much for knowing your own people. Let's just go."

The pair continued to chatter lightly as they strolled towards the exit of the corridor. Naruto had spoken out on his fair share of problems, yet for some reason, Sakura withheld things from him. Several years back, he would've demanded absolute disclosure. Several years back, he hadn't understood the concept of personal space.

Then, he had been alone and the sole purpose of his being was to mend the lives of others the way nobody had been able to mend his. With the Hyuuga girl he had a bond unlike any other – something that they hadn't shared with anybody else but one another. She'd chosen him to fill that void and it was a granted privilege whose profound significance nobody would ever understand well enough to judge. That had been the first step to his becoming rounded. Second came the job when his entire person was placed at the disposal of an army of citizens who all deserved his equal support and attention. Naruto had to learn to be the man whom they could rely on. He still was learning, in a way.

The two members of the legendary Team 7 had been spending far less time together than they used to, but one had to be either deaf or blind in order to oversee the emotional rollercoaster Sakura seemed to be on. Most of the time she was working, but during those brief moments of solitude or genuine conversations her vulnerabilities resurfaced. Naruto watched her as she spoke lightheartedly, yet he couldn't help but notice how her every laugh sounded brittle to the ear.

"Here we go." The Hokage rubbed his palms together as the tunnel came to an end. Light briefly blurred their vision, but after a few steps, Sakura was standing on top of a long and wide, cross shaped platform made out of sleek, dark wood. People moved like shadows slipping left and right, yet her eyes widened as they wandered upwards. The walls stretched for what seemed to be miles of an imperial height. Terraces, doors and windows were scattered against the blocks of concrete leading to who knows where.

Her breath hitched inside her throat as she observed the distant ceiling which seemed to be made out of glass holding a body of water. The patterned streaks of the aquatic reflection saturated the underground space in hues of dark blue as it sizably disrupted the ominous vibe about it. The walls were penetrated by a web of bulky pipes, which Sakura presumed were water carriers, and stairways hanging in midair. Even on top of those, people were pacing and jumping from place to place, walking up walls and disappearing behind their wanted sets of doors.

There were over dozens of them starring the ambient above and beneath the platform which was an intersection of bridges between sides. She mindlessly walked over to the red railing and peaked to see an endless tunnel of doors, stairways and secret passages. There were several similar platforms below that she could see.

"Naruto." Sakura muttered, halfway lost in thought. "This design… I think I've seen it somewhere before." She couldn't wrap her mind around the whole situation. Even though her rational side was irked by the loss of ability to make a connection, her eyes were glowing at the sight of fish swimming far above and casting translucent shadows over them.

"I know you've seen it before." Naruto grinned at her reaction. "Original manuscripts of this place are stored with Tsunade's restricted files which you must've looked over at some point. The HQ used to belong to Danzo's Root. We renovated it, changed some of the architecture and expanded it. Like, a lot."

"This is amazing." She shook her head in disbelief whilst a baffled smile continued to grow on her features. Haruno Sakura had not been this excited in years. "Who planned it?"

"Tsunade and Kakashi thought of the concept and Yamato gathered some of our best authorized workers to realize their idea. Thanks to your mentor, even though it isn't the foremost principal department of the ANBU Black Ops, we branched it out and created a Science Division. We're still short on personnel, but Shiho is making things happen." He spoke with a glee and an air of pride about his posture.

"Shiho?" Sakura gasped at the mention of the name. "The girl with the hots for Shikamaru?"

Naruto chuckled. "That was ages ago and she's brilliant actually. Shiho is one of the best cryptologists in the world right now, we're quite lucky to have her. I don't know whether you remember, but she was the one who deciphered Jiraiya's message after Pain's attack."

The pink headed kunoichi walked a few steps forward, still mesmerized by the water's reflecting light which danced on the wooden platform. "Of course I remember, I was there when it happened… I guess I just never thought much of her after that."

"Because of Tsunade, the division has the best equipped facilities in the whole HQ. She meant for you to take over the Science Department, but eventually it became clear that you wanted nothing more to do with secretive work so… The HQ holds the weapon storages, meeting rooms, practice rooms, interrogation rooms, some cells for prisoners, dojos and covert file chambers. I could go into the specifics, but that's a story for another time." Naruto concluded.

"I agree." Sakura smiled. "Thank you for the tour, this… made my day. Now you can show me to that lab Kuni told us about and we can get down to work."

"You're not letting that go, are you?" Naruto gazed at her pleadingly, but she was relentless. "Nope."

His long, beige coat hovered over the wooden floor as he moved his feet in a gentle, circular motion repetitively as if there were a secret music playing at his ear. It was a light silence, penetrated only by the soft breathing of the child he held in his arms and even the low hum was audible just if one focused on it.

She was alive in his arms, a miracle in making, and a future he got to grasp and protect for the time being. How many hours he'd rocked her like this, he didn't know, but Mirai had been sound asleep every moment of it. Sunlight peeked through the blinds as he moved at the center of the living room, soaking the space with iridescent hues.

Shino's glasses were abandoned somewhere in the hallway. He wanted to watch her grow up in a raw atmosphere, filtered by no darkness or impurities. She was a saturated being, radiating happiness and warmth he'd never felt until the day Kurenai had first placed her in his arms.

His warm brown eyes reflected the top of the girl's dark head of hair as it lay against his shoulder.

"You'll spoil her if you continue like this." A familiar voice echoed the living room unsurprisingly. Shino had felt her presence a couple of blocks away, but hadn't expected her to come so quickly. Had he gotten so carried away by the moment? His hold on Mirai subconsciously tightened.

"Good afternoon, Sensei." The Aburame said, still not facing the woman. It was rude on his part, and he was just about to turn when something tapped against his shoulder.

It was Kurenai passing him his glasses which he gratefully took before meeting her gaze. She smiled. "You wake her up now. It's been three hours."

Shino inhaled the scent of the child's hair before caressing it with his free hand. "Doesn't she always sleep a little longer?" He asked.

"No, that's just when you're around." Kurenai explained. "Would you like some tea?" She asked.

"No, thank you. I don't want to disturb her." He hummed, earning a scolding glance from his teacher.

"Put that child in its bed and meet me for tea in forty five seconds." She commanded.

Soundlessly, the Aburame crept into Mirai's room and placed the three year old gently upon her supple mattress before tucking her in. The walls were adorned by light green paint with small depictions of butterflies starring the sides as well as the ceiling. Sai had not allowed him to draw them, but Shino at least got permission to paint their tiny wings and make sure the artisan didn't simplify their stunning form.

His feet dragged him out of the chamber even though his mind remained scattered about as he walked into the living room and sat by the short-legged chabudai table. Kurenai was clad in her standard mission gear, although much less guarded and stiff. She'd been teaching genjutsu to Academy students and post-graduates for quite a couple of months and the course had proven itself to be a popular choice for those qualified. It didn't require her to be away for too long and it also gave her an opportunity to practice regularly.

Shino observed his teacher's back from his seat as she tended to the concoction in the kitchen. He could see her deftly placing the necessities onto the tray before walking towards the table.

She kneeled down on the opposite side, facing him. The moment she took the lid off the teapot, the smell of herbs flooded the atmosphere. She poured a portion into his cup before filling her own.

Kurenai sighed at her pupil's stubborn silence. "You can start off by telling me what's going on." She clarified, earning a nod from him. The kids of Team 8, as grown as they were, worried her to oblivion at times. Mostly, it was just Hinata, and now she primarily had Shino to rely on. He hated gossip and persistent conversation in general, but she couldn't help but take advantage of his outstanding brotherly affection towards her daughter. Upon finding out that she was pregnant, Kurenai had expected Hinata to be the most motherly out of the three; Shino's adoration for children had never even been a possibility in her mind.

The Aburame took a sip of his drink before starting. "There were rumors about Kiri that Shikamaru was sent to investigate. Six months later, he came back with decently solid info. During his time there, he'd crossed paths with Sasuke who agreed to tail a suspect. Uchiha's been on with this task for a few months already and there's been no attempted communication on his part, so Naruto sent us to find and bring him back." He spoke whilst watching the dark reflection of his glasses in the warm green liquid.

Kurenai's red eyes were flooded with mystery. "Do you think there might be a possibility that Sasuke has been harmed? A couple of months are a long time to follow somebody." She pondered.

"I highly doubt it." Shino stated. "There are few people in the world who could dream to stand up to the last Uchiha." His words were reassuring, but the thought of there being a warrior powerful enough to match one of Konoha's finest, was terrifying.

"I heard Hinata went to look for him. Didn't something bad happen? I heard that she was hospitalized but the ANBU wouldn't let me visit or tell me anything. Kakashi was the only one allowed to meet with her." Kurenai murmured, words woven with jealousy. It was unnatural that Hatake was the gentle girl's closest mentor at the time. Her motherly side wanted to protest possessively, but being the rational woman that she was, Kurenai knew she needed to respect the way things were.

"Hinata went into shock during the meditation process, but managed to locate the target. She and Nara Shikamaru have been dispatched a couple of days ago in search of Uchiha Sasuke." Shino informed as Kurenai refilled his cup. Asuma's picture hung on the wall behind her and the Aburame couldn't keep his gaze from lingering on the bearded man's smile.

"When did Shikamaru come back? Why didn't he visit?" Kurenai enquired wistfully. Teams 8 and 9 were the children they never got to raise together. She tucked a strand of unruly black hair behind her ear as her gaze curiously deepened.

"He came back roughly a week and a half ago although he was immediately dragged off to a long interrogation in ANBU's HQ. As soon as that finished four days later, a mission was assigned to him."

"The one with Hinata." Kurenai sighed. "She works too much. It's unsafe and unnecessary."

Shino thought deeply for a moment. "I ought to disagree. Many aspects of her work are comforting to her and purposeful to the village. I understand that you have not seen her in a while, Sensei. I respect the fact that you have little to do with her training, but Kakashi helped her very much." He paused. "It's becoming less and less dangerous for her to use it. Meditation is still risky to some extent, but she's worked plenty hard in order to gain control over her Byakugan. She can use it confidently and effectively at this point."

Kurenai's lips trembled. "That's my little girl…" She heaved. "Hinata is the first daughter I ever had… She's what made me want to become a mother… and now, she's going through this all alone." Her voice quivered and Shino tensed. He was ignorant to the ways of crying women. Hinata oftentimes used to be flushed or even upset, but she kept her turmoil to herself. Looking back, that might've been a bad thing, but he preferred to think that she could handle her own issues.

"You've raised her to be strong." Shino said. "And strong, she is. Lonely, she will never be. That's all that matters."

Kurenai buried her face in her hands before straightening her back. "When will she be back?" She questioned. "I want to talk to her. I need to talk to her." She insisted.

"There is no way of knowing." The Aburame started, stopping to drink some more of his tea. "I am leaving on another mission tomorrow at dusk…"

Kurenai's eyes widened at this. Shino continued. "…as part of a unit consisting of Kiba, Sai, Haruno Sakura and I. We are heading to Suna." He said, causing his mentor to raise a slender eyebrow inquisitively.

"Haruno Sakura? Isn't she a fancy doctor right about now? Why would all of you be needed up there?" She asked.

Shino gulped the last of his drink before sighing. "We don't know. Ino will be replacing Sakura in the hospital for the time being and they only let us know that the purpose will be disclosed to us only when we get to Suna."

"Are you going as ANBU or jonin?" Kurenai inquired.

"Sensei, if I were going as ANBU, I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell you that." He scratched his cheek in boredom.

She chuckled, gazing at her own reflection in the green tea. "Shino…" She brunette started, pale hands holding onto the warm brown cup tentatively. "I was hoping that there is one thing that you could tell me… in confidence."

Kurenai looked at him with a particular uncertainty which alarmed him. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, Shino had a feeling that she noticed him falter instinctively.

She cleared her throat. "I heard that Hinata's having her eyes sealed. Is it true?" Her voice broke at the end of the question as she bit her lip, awaiting the answer he could deny her.

"It seems so."

"Identity?"

"Travelers." Shikamaru said.

"Affiliation?"

"The Hidden Leaf village."

"I'm sorry for the hustle, but we just need to see your ID or anything to confirm that. Just protocol. You must be tired… I know what that's like, especially at this time of night." A young man laughed from behind his stall, lids heavy, violet eyes foggy and cheeks pale against his ruffled brown hair.

Placing a hand on her comrade's shoulder, Hinata stepped forward until the top of her frame was illuminated by the torch at the man's side. He shifted his gaze onto the girl as she pulled down the hood of her cloak and blinked down at him with doe eyes much alike to his own.

"Oh!" He sheepishly chanted. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kaori. Hyuuga Kaori."

"Sayumi." She smiled sweetly. Shikamaru watched as the name slid past her lips with such fluidity as if she'd naturally said it a million times before. Had he been the clerk, he would not have doubted her for a second.

"So, once you go through the gate you ought to walk past the home district and get to the very center of Dosho, that's where the Nishimori manor is. There is a Hyuuga house there and it's open to all visitors from within the clan. Your friend should be able to get a room too if you vouch for him." He said and Hinata nodded attentively. Shikamaru didn't know whether he was baffled or relieved by the lack of questioning from the guy.

"We're just looking to spend the night someplace warm, an inn would do just fine." The Nara cut into their discussion, but halted his pursuit of answer the second he met Hinata's gaze.

There was something warning that flashed through her eyes. "We're fine." She said before gracing the Hyuuga boy with another smile. "Thanks for the help."

"Anytime." He waved dismissively as he watched their retrieving backs disappear behind the red gates which appeared indigo through the night.

Silence prevailed.

The only sound reaching their ears was the easy swaying of grass in the distance. Hinata and her partner walked down the narrow city pathways with scenic residences and picturesque gardens on both sides. Those were lit up by elaborate streetlights and as they peered at the homes of wealthy merchants, both got lost in thought.

Shikamaru fidgeted as he realized he'd completely lost track of time. The Hyuuga was leading the way and her teammate also would've asked the occurring question of whether she'd ever ventured into the bordering cities had he not been so irked by the unfamiliar setting.

They wandered passing by dozens of estates and continuing to ponder over their surroundings amongst other things. Their footsteps lightly patted against the ground. All sounds had turned into white noise and at this point they were too engulfed by the residences which towered over them.

The Nishimori manor was surrounded by homes which were sheltered by elaborate fences and gardens, appearing to be so very safe. Shikamaru and Hinata couldn't escape feeling like impostors in their haven.

"Incredible, aren't they." Hinata lightly hummed, eyes tracing the splendid rooftops of the houses built in a traditional Zenshūyō style, a form of Buddhist architecture. Through the dim lighting, Shikamaru observed the delicate carving of wood framing the doors and windows peeking from behind the flora of elaborate Japanese gardens and fences. From the distance, they had noticed the city covered vast portions of land and that seemed to be because in spite of the narrow streets, every complex before and inside the Nishimori manor took up a lot of space.

"I didn't expect a town of gardeners would be this lavish." He murmured, still entranced by the lot of residences which all seemed to rival the luxury of the embassies he'd visited in the Hidden Leaf and beyond.

Hinata laughed daintily at his tone of surprise. "They grow rare and valuable herbs – medicinal, culinary, fragrant… You know my clan is notoriously known by our borderline religious dedication to tea. This is where most of it comes from. They supply us with millions worth of greens every year. The Nishimori have passed their Shizenkan's herbalistic genius from generation to generation."

Shikamaru slowly nodded at the notion. "Are you sure we won't be recognized? You're the heir to your clan, how can there even be a Hyuuga that doesn't know you."

"The House is an important part of the Nishimori manor. It's always buzzing with Hyuugas here for business… or tea tasting sprees. They all know my name but they don't know my face. Even if they did… well, you know they say we all look the same so it shouldn't make a difference." She smiled and Shikamaru chuckled tiredly at the girl's allusion.

A pregnant pause ensued before the Nara's lips parted. For a moment of hesitation he halted his breath unsure of what he was about to say, yet the time seemed to call for it.

"You're a good liar." He said. "I didn't take you for a good liar."

It wasn't a question and therefore Hinata supplied him with no answer to his remark. Shikamaru didn't know it and certainly couldn't see it, but something in the girl's chest throbbed painfully since those words reached her.

They spent the rest of their walk in silence. Gradually, the pathways started branching out and the streetlights became brighter. Shortly they found themselves passing by small shops and houses out in the open, unguarded by fences and unhidden by gardens, built close together.

If he'd inexplicably found himself there under different circumstances, Shikamaru might've confused the place with Konoha. The architecture of the central district seemed about right, but the streets were eerily empty and void of any typical junk one would find in an inhabited area.

For some reason, Shikamaru slowed down and had Hinata walk a few steps ahead of him. She let him be but couldn't help but wonder whether he had truly felt her turmoil or just did it for the sake of it.

"Up." The girl uttered just loudly enough for him to hear before jumping quietly and vanishing from view. Shikamaru sighed and followed suit, landing on the nearest rooftop with a soft thump unlike the Hyuuga who progressed several houses away without making a sound.

It was an unnecessary precaution and a habit. She had gotten used to going places without being seen or heard. It was sad, her comrade thought, yet stuck with the decision not to confront her about personal issues again. At that point, they both understood that it was too much. During the past several days, the pair had scratched the surface of one another's fears and burdens. Even that little felt like a surplus and it had to stop.

They edged closer to the Nishimori manor and as he saw Hinata descend into a nearby alley, Shikamaru followed. Walking around the corner, they found gates similar to those of Hinata's family home.

The girl nodded at her partner, and he understood she ought to take lead. Slowly, his fingers untied the strap taming his mane of raven hair and tucked it inside his pocket. Casting his eyes down, he went alongside Hinata who knocked at the door. They could hear the footsteps of somebody edging closer to the gate before it was finally opened. Holding up a torch, in front of them stood a middle aged male with curly brown hair and piercing pale and pupil-less pastel green eyes.

Shizenkan.

Shikamaru's breath hitched at the sight. Even though he'd spent his entire life watching members of the Hyuuga clan moon about Konoha, the ghostly violet of the Byakugan eyes never failed to take him aback.

"We are looking for the Hyuuga house." Hinata blinked up at the man who immediately nodded his head and motioned them to follow. Shikamaru shadowed the two through the maze of sumptuous houses and small gardens of the Nishimori manor before they arrived before a grand edifice of three stories with a Hyuuga emblem carved at the top of a scenic entrance. The building looked bleak in comparison to the lavish rest of the manor, yet the minimalistic appeal was only suited for a bunch such as the Hyuuga.

The man left them to enter on their own.

Nara Shikamaru couldn't quite put a finger on it, but as Hinata was staring forward, something in the void of her eyes reflected fear unlike any he had ever seen.

Author's note: Hey guys, I'm sorry for not posting in such a long time. Bear with me. I hope you liked this one. It's shorter than the previous three, but I really wanted to update Recreant, so here it is.

I'm still new at writing and I hope to get better with time. I always used to shy away from showing people my work and my publishing Recreant was a boiling point in my progress. I realized that I wasn't getting any better with material simply piling up and that I would never finish an actual story without the motivation of sharing it with others. So, conclusively, thank you for the support.

I know most of you are just looking forward to see Sasuke and Hinata meet, but I really can't rush this. They will in the next chapter, I promise. Once they do, they will be the primary focus of the story. Tell me what you think and again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!