Sasuke scratched the side of his head in boredom as he finished sealing the extra large tent he had bought just yesterday, into a sealing scroll. It was enough to fit all three of them in, with dividers separating the rooms. Apparently it was newest line of tents that were made for all weather types. It was a little expensive but after some consideration, and a talk with Hinata, he decided to finally purchase it.

With everything in the green sealing scroll, Sasuke looked around the empty apartment he had lived in for the past four months, before leaving for the door.

Outside, Hinata and Maruu waited patiently for him. Hinata wore her usual mission gear but with a jumper, and Maruu wore a similar jumper and shorts. A custom kunai was strapped to her thigh.

"All done?" Hinata shivered. It was a abnormally cold day, even for him. He wore his cloak tightly around his shoulders as he replied with a simple nod. A brief smile crossed her features as she rubbed her upper arms free of the cold bite.

"The ship," he said, and they were off for their destination. Their time was up in Kirigakure and they were off for The Sand. A warm- very warm- desert village. Kakashi had sent another eagle a few days earlier giving conformation of their departure along with the usual 'good luck' and 'be careful'. With it locked in, they had asked Maruu if she was one hundred percent sure about tagging along, to which she responded adamantly to coming with them, so that was that.

They passed a few familiar establishments on the way but they soon found the entrance gates to The Mist. Underneath the monoliths stood the Mizukage and the man who was in command of The Shan Division: Subaki. The Division worked for the people and Mei as a kind of police force helping wherever help was needed. Civilians and Shinobi alike had taken well to the new addition, and the Village seemed to have taken a turn for the better. Sasuke had even heard rumors relating to the Mizukage and Subaki, from the Anbu.

Mei's hand waved politely as she spotted them amongst the crowd. He reached her moments later and was met with smiles from both of them.

"Here you are," she said, "You didn't think I'd just let you go without a thank you, did you?"

"Oh there's no need Lady Mizukage," Hinata bowed back.

"Of course there is! You helped my village and the people greatly. For that you have my thanks. If you happen to come my way again you are welcome to stay whenever."

"You have my thanks too," Subaki spoke up. His hands were clasped behind his back as usual, puffing out his chest. He sounded sincere. "Without you this alliance couldn't of happened."

He bowed far down before rising again.

Sasuke didn't really know what else to say so he just inclined his head, acknowledging them.

Mei's focus shifted to Maruu next. A sad look crossed her face but she hid it in the next second.

"I wish you good luck, Maruu Sintary. I know you may not want to hear it but I am sorry," Mei mumbled. He looked at Maruu to find her staring at the ground below her and fumbling with her hands. Mei reached out her hand and unfurled her palm at Maruu. Residing in it was a brass bracelet with the letter 'S' engraved into it. The metal was coiled around and had small parts of it eroding to a silver. It looked old. At the sudden appearance of the band, Maruu's eyes widened as if she had seen something incredible. All sadness was washed away for a few impossible moments before the same sadness came seeping back.

"Mothers bracelet," Maruu whispered, quietly. "Where did you find it?"

"It was found in the woods a few miles from here," Mei answered. She held it closer. "Here, it's yours now"

Maruu slowly took the band off of the Mizukage and slipped it onto her left wrist. She held it for a long while, just breathing softly. "Thank you." She cracked a weak smile.

"You're welcome," Mei responded back. She turned to him and Hinata next, "Good luck too. We'll be on our way. Thank you"

He watched Hinata bow once again as Mei walked off back to the Kage Tower- Subaki in tow. Hinata looked disturbed. Maruu was still massaging the suprise bracelet, spinning it around her small wrist; it barely fit her but it was all she had left of her Mother. He knew that was invaluable.

An awkward walk and an hour later, Sasuke reached the cliff side overlooking the docks. Walkways spanned the surrounding area, with many ships bobbing in the rough, blue ocean. They made their way down the staircase and eventually tracked down the ship they were looking for.

'THE FLYING DUTCHMAN' was printed on the back of the wooden ship, and the lone mast shot upwards. Sasuke looked at the top deck finding no one manning it. He sighed and boarded the rocking ship. Wood planks creaked under his feet as he crossed onto the vehicle. He looked behind him to see Hinata and Maruu boarding as well. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out some ryo to hold onto.

"They've probably just gone to get something. Rest a bit," he said.

Sasuke reached the bow of the boat and looked out into the choppy sea. It would take them the rest of today and tomorrow morning to reach the mainland. He had estimated it would take around four days, going at a fast pace, to reach The Sand. If he would of been alone he could've done it in mere hours. It irked him slightly.

As he stood there, his mind floated back to the time he ran off ahead of Hinata. He definitely didn't handle that situation well that was for sure. He wondered what more teasing was to come throughout the boat ride back. It didn't matter. At anything Yoto or Irimi would say, he wouldn't lose his cool again. He was an Uchiha!

A heavy wave pummeled the side of the ship facing the vast sea. Salty water droplets flung themselves up and over the top and landed on his face and hair. Annoyed, he wiped his face and backed off from the front.

A loud, booming voice pierced his ears causing him to turn towards the docks.

"Sasuke! You're here," Yoto exclaimed. He was wearing a grey top and a purple scarf loosely wrapped around his neck. He was carrying a large box in his arms as he made his way down. Irimi followed just behind him wearing a black dress and a red scarf wrapped tighter.

Sasuke motioned to the box he was clearly struggling with but Yoto dismissed him.

They both boarded their boat after a long while trying to carry the box.

"Supplies for us for the next month or so."

"Good morning, Sasuke. Where's Hinata?" Irimi asked. He was about to point but found her and Maruu missing.

"Below," he guessed. Revealing an arm, Sasuke handed over the sum of ryo. It was quite a bit but not as large as renting another ship here so it was fine.

Irimi collected the money with a frown. "This is too much, Sasuke."

"We have another with us. A young girl"

"A girl? Why?"

With hesitation, he recounted the story to them both hoping they would understand. They listened intently, opting not to cut in anywhere.

"Oh no," Irimi whispered, "I feel so sorry for her. Poor girl."

"Indeed," Yoto agreed. His usual happy face was sullen, "You did a good thing helping her."

"Is it alright that she comes?"

They both looked at him like he was completely stupid.

"Of course!" Irimi said, before leaving to meet Hinata and Maruu below deck.

When it was just him and Yoto, they got to work on the moorings. The ropes were pulled tight but after a little wiggle they came loose, and they drifted slowly forward. The next job was to hoist the sail. Sasuke made his way to the middle and took one rope while Yoto to the other opposite.

"One the count of three. One. Two. Three!" Yoto shouted, heaving with all his might. Sasuke, meanwhile, pulled the rope with a more normal force, keeping himself rooted to the floor with chakra. When the white sail was open wide and catching the heavy breeze, the ship lurched forward. Yoto was sweating profusely from the exertion, so he sat down.

"Where will you go after making it back to the mainland?" Sasuke asked Yoto curiously.

He raised his head, breathing heavily, "Who can say? Stay with the boat, leave the boat. I'll have to see what Irimi wants to do."

"So, how are you and Hinata getting along?" Yoto asked. It wasn't a teasing question as Yoto wasn't in the mood.

"Fine"

"Just fine? I could've sworn I saw you two in the streets holding hands a few weeks back. Did something happen?"

Sasuke turned his back to him and looked towards the docks. They were a ways away now. The ferocious current and breeze pushing them along easily.

"No. I'm not sure why we do it."

"Well I'm not going to tell you the answer. You can figure it out yourself."

Before he could ask what he meant, Irimi bustled through the door to the top deck, Hinata and Maruu just behind. They all looked much happier than earlier. He wondered what Irimi had done to them.

"Dear, this is Maruu," Irimi addressed her husband. Maruu smiled. "She's a lovely girl, and we'd be happy to have her, right?"

"Yes, Indeed! Nice to meet you, Maruu. I'm truely sorry for your loss."

Maruu's smile wavered slightly but she nodded, "Thank you for having me."

"And you too, Hinata. Welcome aboard!"

"Thank you, Yoto."

A few hours later, Yoto spoke up again, "Now, Honey, shall we get dinner ready? It might take some time making what we prepared."

"Ok," she replied, and they padded downstairs to the kitchen. While Hinata looked for the table and set it up, Sasuke sat on the edge of the boat thinking until Maruu came up beside him appearing to be deep in thought too.

"How are you?" he asked, pulling her out to reality. She sat down next to him. He hadn't had much time to chat with her alone before so this was the opportune moment.

"I'm okay. Just wondering what the Sand Village will be like. I haven't left the island before," she said. He was used to her being all jolly and embracing her childhood, but here she was acting more mature. His respect for her was genuine. She was twirling the brass bracelet around her wrist.

"How do you like the bracelet?"

"I'm just happy I still have something of hers forever."

He nodded. "What did Irimi talk about down there?"

She looked up at him, "She apologised and told me about things that I didn't understand." He detected some annoyance at her first point.

"I get it. I never liked when people constantly apologised either. When my parents died, all I wanted was to become stronger and stronger, but in doing that, I lost real friends and separated myself from everyone."

His speech seemed to suprised her. Hell, it suprised him. "How did you get over them being gone?"

He thought for a second, "I distracted myself from it by any means necessary, but I don't think I'll ever get over it. My Mother was kind, my Father was strong, and I idolised my brother. Without them I sometimes feel lost but I carry on because I know they would want me too."

"Y-yeah, you're right. Thanks," she mumbled, back in her thoughts again. Suddenly, Maruu hugged his arm- that was under his cloak- quickly and tightly before retreating and leaving for Hinata who was watching him with a smile. He felt wierdly lighter.

Dinner was a mix of rices, noodles, sauces, spices, and chicken, making him admittedly drool to himself at the smell and taste. He, Maruu, and Hinata sat on one side while Yoto and Irimi sat on the other making polite conversation. Since Maruu had hugged him, he hadn't had anything to do so he was pleasantly suprised when the dinner came. Irimi talked more about what the did while in the Mist and Maruu shared stories with everyone from when she was younger. When Yoto finished before everyone he excused himself and started fishing over the side for fun.

The mist, that they were all so used to by now, was nowhere to be seen anymore and the sun had gone down just on the horizon making a waterfall of colours stain the sky. The chilly breeze stayed with them however, making everyone rather cold. At one point, he even had to regulate his chakra to warm himself up. That was handy.

By the time everyone got to sleep it was midnight, and the moon was high. Sasuke sat outside, still in his chair, watching the stars and eventually drifting off to sleep.

By the time he had woken up he realised he had slept for a abnormal amount of time.

"Land Ho!" Yoto laughed loudly, startling him awake. "We made it!"

Sasuke hoisted himself up using his knees to brace himself as he looked out across the ocean. A few miles away was the shore and jetty they had previously moored at. The cliff face was as tall as ever. The sea was much calmer than yesterday when he looked at it, giving them a safe clear way ahead.

"I'll go wake them," he said.

"No need, they're already up. I think everyones having a quick shower," Yoto told him. It wasn't very often Hinata woke before him. It might of only happened two or three times. Even Maruu preferred sleeping. He really did over sleep. He couldn't remember a time when he felt so light and refreshed.

It didn't take long to reach shore, maybe only half an hour. Hinata and Maruu joined him just before wearing the same clothes but with damper hair. He looked closely to see if Hinata was wearing any makeup again but it seemed she wasn't. She didn't need it after all. His throat dried up all of a sudden.

While Sasuke moored the ship to the small jetty, he listened as Hinata said their goodbyes and thank yous.

"We appreciate it so much. Thank you Yoto, Irimi. I wish you a safe return," she bowed.

"No problem, Hinata. Have fun in the Sand Village. Look after those two," Yoto said, meaning him and Maruu. Sasuke scoffed silently.

"It wasn't any problem at all. Good luck. Bye Maruu," Irimi waved.

Shortly after, Hinata dismounted and got to the beach as Sasuke finished up.

"Keep them safe, Sasuke Uchiha," Yoto said seriously to him. Irimi nodded, also serious.

"Yes," he replied. He would do just that.

Sasuke leapt off the side and landed sharply on the old, moist wood. He could see termites scuttling along and going underneath the jetty leaving holes wherever they went.

"Can we take the stairs this time?" Hinata asked, looking up at the cliff face. He remembered the last time being here when she had fainted on his back.

"If you'd like. I don't want you fainting again."

He hurried up the stone stairs to reach the top. The stairs were much further than just walking up the cliff to him. When he finally hit the final step and onto the grass at his feet he looked back over the edge towards Yoto ship. His words were a heavy burden, but he would carry it, Sasuke was sure.

'Keep them safe, Sasuke Uchiha'

Wait! Sasuke Uchiha...?

Yoto had said his clans name. His full name! He was sure he had never told him, so how did he know? He had known and still showed him true kindness. Why?

The urge to go back down and confront him was strong but Hinata's tugging was stronger. His last glimpse was of a small figure smiling knowingly on a wooden boat: Yoto.

Mainland.

Since the Land of Fire was in the path to the Land of Wind and in extension the Sand, they made quick headway through familiar territory. Along the way were many people, young and old, coming up the path. Hinata greeted each one as they passed her by while Sasuke allowed Maruu to ride on his shoulders. It made her laugh when Sasuke grumbled at first but gave up once Maruu begged him.

The two got along well despite not talking as often as she did with Maruu. The talk that Sasuke had with Maruu on Yoto's ship was sad and inspiring at the same time. Hinata couldn't help but overhear some points of the conversation and it made her realise how Sasuke was still dealing with his families death and Maruu also going through it. His advice was nice even if he had no idea what he was saying.

At the memory of Yoto and Irimi, Hinata wondered whether they would ever cross paths again. It was unlikely, however sad, that they would. She would stay in the Leaf while they would carry on sailing the Land of Water's seas.

When Sasuke had told her about what Yoto had said, even though she knew he was hiding something he had said, she was pleasantly shocked. To think that he knew all that time and didn't judge Sasuke for what he had done made her happy. Her best friend deserved some kindness.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata spotted a small stall shack ran by a equally small woman. She had brown short hair and wore a green summer dress for the warm weather- Hinata still hadn't adjusted to the different temperature.

She turned to Sasuke. He hadn't spotted it yet, to busy batting Maruu's hands off his hair. "Sasuke-kun, I'm going to go buy some supplies for the trip."

He stopped what he was doing and found the stall, "Mhmm."

She stalked off, satisfied, toward the wooden stall. As she got closer she could see that baskets were laid out on a unit displaying various foods and tools.

The woman spotted her and ran around frantically fixing everything up before waving, "Morning, did you need anything?"

"Oh yes please," she looked across the table, judging each piece.

Some baskets displayed fruits, some displayed meats, peanuts, vegetables, and bread. In the end she bought fruit, a loaf of bread, tomatoes- they were Sasuke's upmost favourite- and ham.

Once she had handed over the ryo, they were back on the pathway to the Land of Wind. To get there they had to go through another, smaller land, but Sasuke said it was insignificant and that she would barely notice the change in scenery. All in all, it would only take three days.

It soon became clear that they would have to stop for the night, so Sasuke found a enclosed and flat spot to pitch the tent. Trees surrounded the larger tent from all sides, blocking the last of the suns rays.

Out of the three rooms, Hinata took the middle while Maruu and Sasuke had the two beside her. After they ate some ham sandwiches made by her, they changed clothes and went to sleep. It wasn't as awkward as the first time as she couldn't see Sasuke's bare chest, though it made her feel safe sleeping close to him.

In the morning, Sasuke was up first as usual, doing some vigorous exercise outside the tent. It was a beautiful... morning. Hinata watched from a distance as he finished the last of his one-arm push-ups. His tones arms barely struggled under the strain and beads of sweat dropped off his dark hair. Hinata turned to hide the heat in her cheeks. She still wasn't used to him barechested. Speaking of hair, hers was beginning to get longer and rested at her upper back. Sasuke hadn't said anything about it, so she presumed he didn't mind. She had once heard that he liked longer hair in the academy. Did he still like it?

"Hyūga? You're up early," Sasuke said breaking her out of her daze. She nodded, "Want to train?"

"Ok." The campsite was big enough so that they didn't have to move elsewhere away from Maruu.

She knew she'd never beat Sasuke in a sword fight, but improving to impress her friends and family meant the world to her. Making Sasuke proud was a welcome bonus.

Drawing Dawn, it reflected the light off of it beautifully. Across from her Sasuke drew Pitch from his waist and ran blue chakra through the blade. She pointed her weapon forward and ran electricity down it so that it wouldn't be broken.

Thinking carefully, she stepped towards him, sword still pointing up. With every step the atmosphere only got more tense. Sasuke's onyx eye stared into her as he watched her move towards him. He made no attempt to move.

As she reached him from swords length, she frowned in confusion and decided to attack. With her full strength she flung Dawn sideways at his waist.

At the last millisecond, Sasuke dropped his sword to the side and countered her blade, sending a ringing clash in every direction.

He slid his sword down the edge of hers and made a quick movement with his wrist which resulted in her katana flying over her head as she lost her grip. Avoiding his own stab, she kicked backwards and knelt down to pick up Dawn. She pulled up but the sword didn't budge. Sasuke's foot was keeping it down. She tried again achieving the same result. At Sasuke's smug smile an idea came to mind and she allowed her raging chakra to enter the blade, igniting it with her fire affinity. A scowl from Sasuke was all it took for him to back off and she finally brought up Dawn protectively. Sasuke didn't back down though- she hadn't expected him too- instead he set his own blade on fire and made a second sword in his right hand out of lighting. It was the first time she had seen this and wasn't prepared for the chirping and blinding blue light.

Hinata knew she couldn't beat him with one sword, let alone two. She made a mental note to get Sasuke to teach her his trick.

With one hand shielding her sensitive eyes and the other wielding Dawn, Hinata defended herself from the relentless attacks Sasuke was dishing out. She had to keep an eye out for both swords to figure out where he would strike from next. The fire and lighting hit each other constantly. Roars and Chirping deafened her but she pushed on.

Dropping to the floor and moving one leg outwards she pivoted around aiming for his shins. The dark cloak was just above her striking point. Once again he tried the same thing. Lifting up his leg he stomped down hard trapping the blade under his foot and making her lose her grip effectively cutting of her chakra and stopping the blade roaring. With both hands he lay his swords on each of her shoulders like a pair of scissors.

"Dead."

Ignoring his comment, she demanded, "You have to teach me that! The lighting sword thing."

He raised his eyebrow looking down at her, "Sure." With a snap of his fingers, the lighting blade dissapated and Pitch was back in its scabbard. He offered his hand which she took to pull herself up from the situation she had gotten herself in.

Apparently Maruu had witnessed much of the fight but had kept it to herself. As Hinata packed up all their shared gear, Sasuke was talked into showing Maruu how to throw her custom kunai. Hinata watched from a distance as she aimed for the tree trunk that she had had missed many times and Sasuke had hit perfectly.

Eventually after many tries, Maruu gave up and ended up on Sasuke's shoulders where he showed her one last time.

"You'll get it," he assured her.

"Sasuke-kun, we've got to get going," Hinata shouted over to him.

"Right, yeah."

Soon enough they began walking again. Because it was a hot day, she was finally happy about her attire and how she wasn't sweating in front of Sasuke. 'That would be embarrassing,' she thought.

Along the way they started playing a game Maruu suggested. Thinking of a word associated with the previous word said. Apparently her and her Mother used to play it on trips, so Hinata easily played along. Sasuke was clearly the better player behind Maruu, having such extensive experiences of more things.

Konaha.

Dr. Ken knocked on the Hokage's office eager to tell him of his monumental discovery.

"Enter!" a bored voice said.

Dr. Ken pushed open the heavy doors and saw a blonde haired woman standing in front of the Hokage's desk. She wore tight, cream trousers and a dark green coat on her upper half. He knew exactly who it was: Tsuande Senju. The Fifth Hokage. He regretted coming in knowing that this was most likely incredibly important. He had worked under Tsunade briefly during her reign so he was familiar with her.

"I apologise for barging in, Sir. Madam," he bowed, pushing his glasses with one finger.

"Ah, Dr. Ken! No please come in. We've just finished discussing an idea we'd like to put in place later this year," Kakashi spoke, peeking his head around Tsunade's waist, "What can I do for you?"

"We've made a breakthrough in the lab with the technology we found a few months back."

Both of them perked up at that and turned to face him. He smiled at their reaction, happy with his team and himself.

"The computers?" he asked.

"Yes, Lord Sixth," Dr. Ken answered.

"Computers?" Tsunade mentioned, clearly confused.

"Yes Mam. They allow you to do things we couldn't imagine before. It will make life much simpler. We can even start mass producing and shipping soon."

"What kinds of things?"

"Well for example: If the Hokage wanted to talk to another Kage, they both needn't bother moving or writing a letter and flying it. They could simply see each other on the computers and talk face to face in real time. It makes sending messages revolutionary!" Dr. Ken proudly announced.

Tsunade looked stunned, and Kakashi looked as equally proud and happy as he did, "Wow! Incredible. When can this be tested?" Tsunade questioned.

"Extremely soon. In a few days we can set up a call to whoever you'd like, Lord Hokage."

"Good. Very good, Dr. Ken. I'd like to reward your whole team tonight with a celebration. As for the test, I have someplace in mind," Kakashi stated. His smile was one of joy and scheming.

Sasuke.

A cabin stood in the middle of the woods with nothing surrounding it. Creepy as it was, it was defused by the colourful flowers and the nice old man beckoning them into the kitchen.

He wore a dusty black kimono and a cap hiding his greying hair. He had a nice personality and was overly happy to have them around. The man's name was Hiyoshi.

Annoyingly, Sasuke was made to feed Hiyoshi's many big, brown dogs who kept barking and trying to bite his cloak. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he finished. Hinata was inside helping the old man cook some vegetable stew for them all, while he was stuck out here.

Sasuke almost smiled when he heard Hiyoshi shout, "Ready!" Almost. Sasuke reserved his rare smile for Hinata- and occasionally Maruu- only.

The man's house was old and the ceilings were low down. Sasuke could still stand but he felt cramped. The stench of Stew wafted through the room as they ate and he looked around at things that caught his attention. The gas stove. The wooden chairs. The fancy cutlery. The paintings.

"So, Hinata, where are you off too?" Hiyoshi asked. Sasuke hadn't given his name this time, opting to use Yoto instead. He didn't want to alarm the man.

"The Sand Village."

"Ah. A nice place. Is it for work or a holiday?"

"Both I guess."

"Hmmm, indeed?"

After dinner, Sasuke took Maruu out the back and started throwing kunai once again after she got over her suprise at the dogs. Each kunai jolted from her small fingers just missing it's target by a fraction. It was an improvement from not hitting the tree at all.

As Sasuke began to grow bored and impatient, he heard a 'thunk'. He looked up and spotted the customised kunai lodged into the tree bark. Turning his eyes to Maruu, she looked stunned. He was about to ask what was wrong when she broke out into a large smile and began jumping with joy.

She tugged on his cloak repeatedly saying, "Did yoyu see that? Did you see that?"

"Well done," he looked down at her.

She bowed, "Thanks, Sasuke sensei."

He didn't like the name but he didn't protest in her moment of glory.

"Time to sleep."

"Ok," she agreed.

Hinata and Maruu shared the spare bedroom while Sasuke was, again, stuck with the torturous couch.

Morning.

After they said their goodbyes and thank yous- or at least Hinata did- to Hiyoshi, the trio made their way back through the woods and quickly found the path to The Sand. Further down, a signpost backed this up. It read '20 miles. Follow path' with a Sand symbol on it. It was necessary to make it hard to read as it was a Hidden village, hence why it was tucked away behind some bushes. Only a shinobi or a good eye could catch it.

Eventually the grassy pathways and green trees gave out to golden, soft sand and dead, skinny trees. Hills of sand surrounded the environment and he could spot falcons and snakes everywhere. Neither would hurt them, but Sasuke still had to assure both of them they were under no threat.

It would be a few hours before they would make it to the village so he set up a makeshift table (consisting of rocks) to put their food on. He relished the bread and tomatoes. The slightly warm water was annoying but he ignored it.

"How much longer Sasuke?" Maruu asked. She was the only one not even remotely tired due to being on his shoulders the whole time. He would of complained but he had agreed to it.

"Around four hours," he explained. He drew out a picture in the sand with a dry stick he found laying next to him.

He drew the basic shape of the Land of Wind and marked where the Village was and where they were roughly at that moment. He pointed to The Sand. "Not far now."

"What about when we get there? What then?"

"We'll have to talk to the Kazekage quickly but then we should be able to get some rest, Maruu," Hinata said. He nodded his approval.

"Can you walk alright, Hyūga?"

"Yeah, my feet are just a little sore in these sandals. Sorry." He wanted to help her but couldn't get himself to do it.

"Don't worry," he grinned, "Let's get going."

The sky was a light blue with a few white clouds floating in the breeze. It was still afternoon but he was also feeling a little tired. The pain vanished once he spotted the huge sandstone walls in the distance.

"The Sand Village. An hour walk, half that if he run?" he smirked.

"How about a speedy walk?" Hinata suggested, staring at The Sand in the distance.

"Suit yourself."

With every fast step, sand was dislodged from its resting place and fell down the sand hills like a waterfall. The rushing sound of it was beginning to get on his nerves. His hand had found Hinata's to keep her in pace with him. Maruu still rested on his shoulders patting a rhythm of four on the top of his head. He ignored it and focused solely on her hand in his. She looked mesmerising as she breathed deeply and tried to keep up with him. He didn't really know where they stood at the moment. Friends? More? He wanted to ask, to get to know her inside and out, but also didn't want to lose her or push her to hard.

Sasuke looked up at the huge wall in front of him. It was easily over 30 feet. 30 feet of sand! A clear split ran down the middle to operate as a door opening. He had seen it before. How ninjas could open it both ways to allow a select view entry.

Etched into the great wall was a single word he had spent four days looking forward to seeing.

Sunagakure.

Thanks for reading and for waiting. I had a lot to deal with over these past weeks and couldn't find the time to finally finish this chapter. I should be back to normal now however so expect more soon. Favourite and review please. Suggestions welcome. I hope you like the time progression at Konoha.

~UE