Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter seven: The Way to Suna (Part three)
Hinata's face hardened as she saw the man tossed whatever remained of her mask into the forest floor. For a moment, she was tempted to use the cursed mark on him, but decided that she will never do that until he left her with no choice.
"That is not necessary, Sasuke-san."
"Hm." Sasuke adjusted his pack behind him.
Hinata's jaw clenched. The man is unbelievable. Why can't he just act with a little less of that arrogance and wickedness?
Without any warning and excuse for what he has done, Sasuke started his pace again. He knows that the Hyuuga princess is pissed, but he don't like the idea of telling her the real reason behind his actions. He really doesn't hate her; she is actually one of the few people he would actually prefer to be with.
It's starting to get dark when they decided to stop. Hinata could feel her body became numb with too much exertion. Good thing she remembered to bring her food pills with her, she took a few on the way, realizing that Sasuke doesn't have plans to eat. How could that man manage a whole day without eating?
She would have offered him some of the pills but she was afraid that they would never rest until they arrive to Suna, not to mention that she is still angry at him for breaking her mask to pieces. She wants him to be hungry so they can get a few rests and eat properly. After all, this mission is for peace and diplomacy, they don't have to rush like this.
Both Konohans decided to stop in an area with less trees and shrubs. The sounds of cicadas and other insects filled the place, tampering with the soft gurgles of flowing water. When Hinata peeked behind a think bush, she saw that there's a small lake not far from their location. It means that means they won't go thirsty tonight and they can refill the water containers that became dry a few hours ago. She activated her Byakugan and checked the perimeter.
"There is a small town, one day's journey from here." Sasuke broke the silence between them. The Uchiha began clearing dead branches and dried leaves from the ground, creating a small cleared circle. "We can stop there tomorrow."
"Hai."
In the corner of his eye, He watched as the blue haired kunoichi removed the pack from behind her and placed it gently on the ground. Her jaw is still clenched and her white eyes focused on avoiding eye contact.
The Hyuuga princesses obviously haven't forgiven him yet. He snorted, telling himself that he hasn't forgiven her too for blocking his chakra pathways.
As if you did not give her reason to do that. A voice in a small part of his head said.
As if they did not try to trick me. He reasoned out.
Willing the unpleasant voice to go away, He followed the heiress and untied his personal pack. He did not remove his sword though. They are both staying in an open ground, it is best not to let his guard down.
Hinata can't help but noticed the contents of Sasuke's pack as he dove into it. There is just one empty water container, a few bandages, salve, one set of clothing, and few pieces of bread. The white eyed kunoichi frowned, she knows that a shinobi must be contented on limited means if they are on a mission, but that isn't necessary that you will starve yourself.
Besides, this is not some kind of assassination squad or those unpleasant missions that the Anbu black Ops have to endure like the old times. They are now living in the brighter side of the era.
Then it strucked her, Sasuke doesn't have the time to prepare well for this mission after he lost his consciousness last night…and no one can prepare it for him because he is living alone.
No family…no one to go home to…no one to care for…
She knew that living alone is hard. She has seen Naruto struggled with the same fate when they were still kids.
The blue haired Anbu watched as the raven haired Uchiha took a seat on the ground and leaned beside a large tree. No one decided to light a fire, it might attract unwanted eyes and betray their location. The stars and the full moon would be their source of light tonight. Sasuke bit one large chunk from his bread and started chewing.
"It's rude to stare." He said, not looking at the direction of the Hyuuga nin.
The Hyuuga princess did not answer, he expected her to mutter some apologetic nonsense but none came out. He heard her unzipped her pack and sat next to him.
"Here Sasuke-san…We can share."
Sasuke looked at the small wooden box that the blue haired nin placed in her lap. It was wrapped with a white cloth with a pair of chopsticks sticking out. Slender fingers untied the cloth and removed the lid, revealing few pieces of rice cakes, vegetables, and grilled meat.
The young Uchiha frowned at Hinata's sudden change of mood. He can't see any trace of the stiff and cool demeanor she possessed the moment he destroyed her mask hours ago. His thoughts drifted back earlier when she healed him despite of his threats and actions.
"That food is good for one person." He told her.
"We can share. Why don't you give me some of your bread?" She placed the box between him and passed him one chopstick. "I only brought one pair of chopsticks so…"
Sasuke accepted the stick with a frown on his face, still a little unsure of what to do and what to say. He got to admit that this Hyuuga's action caught him off guard. Well you can't see this everyday…
Hinata poke a small cut of meat and plopped it into her mouth. Seeing that Sasuke is still occupied on staring at his chopstick, she decided to go first and set an example. She still doesn't like his short tempers and violent nature, but she can't help but be concerned about this prideful Uchiha. Sasuke have endured a life of sadness, misery, and anger that could crush a person's spirit under its weight.
She can't even imagine herself in his stead.
Two pieces of bread landed on her lap and her eyes looked at the man beside her as he stabbed a meat with his chopstick.
"It's not anything like they serve you back home."
"It's fine… Arigato." She picked one and took a bite.
"Hm."
The Konohans agreed earlier to rest in turns for the night, one would stay awake as the guard while the other tries to get some sleep and replenish the lost energy for tomorrow's journey. Both already filled their water containers from the lake and tried to wash the dust and dirt from their arms and legs.
Sasuke watched as the moon's bright light played with the Hyuuga's blue locks. She is sleeping soundly on a piece of blanket that she brought with her. He told her earlier that he is going to take the first watch.
It's already morning and he figured that a few hours more and it's going to be sunrise. He did not follow their agreement though, for he did not wake her up and let her sleep through the night. The young Uchiha rubbed his neck and leaned back on the tree, his eyes on the small mark on her wrist.
How she got herself in the Anbu Black Ops , he have no idea. Anbus are Special Forces of elite shinobis that usually have the task of assassination or anything the political society of every powerful village wants to happen in the shadows. They are shinobis that worked along with murder, lies, and dirty tricks.
Anbu are shinobis with darkness in them…But I cannot see any darkness in this one.
The Uchiha's dark eyes traced Hinata's face with raised eyebrows, the Hyuuga girl is no doubt a beauty. The pale light of the moon gives her pale face an eerie glow which highlights her features more. Such a waste if she hides that face all the time
The girl stirred and Sasuke averted his eyes just in time for her to open her own. "Sasuke-san?" She looked around the clearing as she got herself in a sitting position.
"Hm."
Hinata frowned as she looked around and observed the position of the moon. "It's already morning…" she remarked, her voice still husky from sleep. White eyes sought the dark ones. "Sasuke-san, you did not wake me up."
"I can't sleep."
"Oh…"
Sasuke stood up and stretched his body a bit. "Since you are awake we might as well get going."
"But you did not-"
"I'm fine."
Hatake Kakashi closed the pocket sized book and stared at the four giant heads engraved at the mountain from outside his window. There is going to be a new addition to them after a few days, but right now, only the spikey hair and one sharingan eye is visible.
"Kakashi, my rival… "Guy flashed his signature smile at the Hokage. "I can't wait to see your face along with those four…"
The Hokage scratched his head, messing his hair in the process. "It's not my idea…but the elders won't hear the end of it."
His rival gave him thumbs up. "And I my friend agree with them."
Kakashi smiled at the green beast of Konoha. The copy nin gestured for his old friend to take a seat. Guy came barging into Hokage's quarters a few minutes ago, demanding that they play a rivalry game of rock, paper, and scissors.
Hatake Kakashi, The current Hokage of Konoha, lost.
"So…how is the peace treaty coming up…?" Guy asked.
"Some emissaries from the allies are already in Konoha, some are expected to arrive tomorrow or the next…so far, everything is well."
The black haired shinobi became thoughtful for a few seconds. "Hey Kakashi…about Sasuke…I heard you sent him as Konoha's representative? Where?"
Kakashi's heavy lidded eye became stiff and hard for a few seconds upon hearing his old student's name, the swift change did not escaped Guy's observant eyes. The green beast knows that something was up with his old rival.
"I sent him to Suna." Kakashi replied, staring at the window again. "The elders won't allow it at first but I managed to persuade them. They have different opinions about Sasuke, you see…"
Guy nodded, waiting for the silver haired Hokage to continue.
"I know that Sasuke have made a lot of mistakes from the past to Konoha…but Konoha have also played a large part in creating such a miserable and blood lust life for the boy." Kakashi leaned his head back on his chair. "The elders wanted to make sure Sasuke doesn't do anything this time though…so we made an agreement." Kakashi silently recalled the day he lied to Sasuke about the mission.
Well, he did not literally lie to him, he just did not want the boy to know. The mark is just a precaution in case the young Uchiha tries something crazy again.
"You let the political side of Konoha have a hand on this?" Guy raised an eyebrow.
"Sasuke is too dangerous for them but also too valuable, They believed that the Jinchuriiki and the controller of the Rinnegan can help make the village stronger and less vulnerable for any attack from villages outside the alliance."
"Hm."
"The elders wanted Sasuke to be watched all the time…They wanted me to assign an Anbu that could control and watch over him. At first, the only one I have in mind is Naruto…but I changed my mind. "
"Who did you pick?" Guy asked, holding his chin thoughtfully. He may not agree with the elders all the time, but he knows that after the fourth shinobi war, they just wanted to maintain the peace. Too many lives have been lost. "Lee? TenTen? Sakura?'
"Hyuuga Hinata."
"Eh? s-such a unique choice."
"I know. The girl is a capable Anbu. I assigned her to the shadow ops because of her unique way of looking at every perspective." The copy ninja said. "That place may be too dark for someone as gentle as the heiress…but I believe that she may bring a good change into it…and this time, I am hoping that she can give our young Uchiha a little light."
Guy flashed his dazzling smile. "Now you are thinking more like a real Hokage my friend…"
"A small town…" The Hyuuga nin said, scanning the whole perimeter with her Byakugan. She is perched on a tree branch, not far from the town's gates. Hinata could see that the market place is filled with a lot of people.
"We can stay here for the night. If we go before sunrise, we will arrive at Suna before noon." The raven haired shinobi adjusted his pack. He glanced at the kunoichi beside him as she landed softly on the ground.
"Hai."
Hinata stole a glance at Sasuke as they made their way to the town's bamboo gates. Like yesterday, they travelled without delays. As soon after they ate what was left from last night's food, they washed their faces at the lake and proceeded with the journey. Hinata was a bit puzzled though, for the Uchiha did not bother to wake her up the whole night.
He did not sleep last night. She thought and glanced at his eyes to see if there are any hints of fatigue or dark circles in them. She found none.
"You are not from here." One of the guards stopped them from entering. He eyed Hinata's Anbu tattoo and exchange quick glances with his fellow guards. Some of them stared at Hinata's white eyes with wonder.
"We are from the hidden leaf village sir." Hinata answered and gave the six guards a bow of respect. "We are on a journey, and we want to take shelter for the night. We are not troublemakers sirs… please let us pass."
Upon seeing a beautiful girl gave them such respect, the town guards smiled awkwardly. A few scratched their heads with a loop sided smile on their faces.
"That uniform….you're a kunoichi?" one of them asked.
Hinata nodded. "Yes."
"We do not doubt you or anything miss…but we have orders to follow…you see, we are just a small town in between great shinobi villages. We just wanted to have peace and order for our people here." One of the guards said kindly.
Hinata gave them a gentle smile. "Then I believe we both have something in common…guard-san."
Sasuke snorted. The Hyuuga girl obviously knows how to use her charms in the right way. The stupid guards just melted in front of them when she smiled. Beauty can sure be a very dangerous weapon.
"If you really wanted to stay here for the night, you must first agree to have this tag attached to your clothing or shoes…or anything that you wear." The guard showed them the small red tag with a clip on top. There are small words written into it in kanji. "It will help us monitor where you are. It will be removed once you leave the town. Do not worry…we do not mess with your privacy or anything…" He added, eyeing Sasuke's cold stare.
After clipping the red tag on their clothing, both were given the permission to pass. The moment they stepped into the village, they started to look for a place that they can stay and asked a few locals about the inns and lodging on the place.
"Are there rooms available?" Sasuke asked the innkeeper when they manage to find a cheap lodging. The innkeeper is a thin old woman with a kind face. He looked at the couple and nodded.
"Yes. There is one room available. Would you take it young ones?" Hinata cannot help but noticed the eagerness in the old woman's voice. She waited for their answer with a smile on her face.
Hinata bit her lip. "But there is only one-"
"We'll take it." Sasuke accepted the key that the old woman passed to him with a beam. The blue haired Anbu looked at him with surprise and question in her eyes. The young Uchiha pretended not to see it and followed the old woman as she led them inside an old building with a few rooms. She stopped in front of one door and gestured to the two. "Here it is. I hope you will be comfortable. If you have any needs, just come see me."
When the innkeeper left them, they opened the door and looked around the small room. There is one bed in the middle, two wooden chairs, a table, and a kitchenette in the corner. There is also a door that leads to a small bathroom with a bath tub.
The Hyuuga girl looked at the bed and her eyes lingered a bit on the young man just as he closed the bathroom door behind him. I should let him take the bed. She mentally told herself. It's the least she could do for him for letting her sleep the whole night. Hinata raised her wrist and stared at the small mark on it, hearing Kakashi's voice mentally.
Hina-chan… because it is better that he doesn't know about the mark, I will mark you instead…this is a different kind of cursed mark which the inflictor or the controller is the one who bears it…
Hai Hokage-sama
The sound of running water from the bathroom distracted her from her thoughts. The blue haired Anbu let out a sigh and untied her pack and then checked the small cupboards of the kitchenette. There are plates and glasses but no food.
We need to buy food. Hinata unzipped her pack and dove into it for a few seconds, emerging with a coin purse in her hand. She counted the money and was satisfied that it could provide for their needs for a few days.
The bathroom door opened and out came Sasuke, his hair and upped body dripping wet. When Hinata saw that he does not have any shirt on, her eyes involuntarily dropped themselves on the ground. For a moment, she caught herself fidgeting which alarms her a bit. She hasn't done that for a long time.
"S-sakuke-san. I'm going to buy us some food…" Hinata did not look at Sasuke as she pulled out a few clothes for herself.
"Hm." Was the short reply.
She entered the bathroom to change her clothes, shaking her head as the wet pavement touches her feet. She removed her Anbu uniform and began washing her dust covered self. She also brought a few disposable tooth brushes and began brushing her teeth. In a corner, she saw one toothbrush that is neatly placed in a container. She guessed that it was Sasuke's.
After drying herself with a towel she found on one of the cabinets, she put her clothes on which consisted of light purple jacket and pants. She returned her forehead protector on her neck but covered it with her hood and hair. When she got out of the bathroom, she found the young Uchiha on the bed, sleeping.
He has not put any shirt on. Hinata recalled that during her daily watch duty back in Konoha, he never wears a shirt when sleeping. The heiress eyes lingered on the Uchiha's chest and his firm shoulders. She got to admit that all of his muscles are in the right place.
She shook her head involuntarily as she got out of the room, feeling embarrassed for her thought. This Uchiha can sure mess with one's mind… sleeping or not.
So here ends the chapter. I hope you like it guys…Please do not forget to review (puhleeeeeessssss) Just excuse the errors…I do not have time to edit.
Ps. can anyone draw me one SasuHina picture from this story? I really want one. (Cute puppy eyes)