I've had so much anxiety about this story since the plot is a little more complicated than any I've tried before. But I think we all need another break. At least, I did. Stay safe, please enjoy. (Also this is the 3rd to last chapter.)
oOo
Bushido Virtue: Sincerity
Jugo materialized at the bedroom doorway, his face grim. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Jugo shook his head.
"I don't know when it happened," Jugo whispered in deference to the still sleeping Hinata. "The blood is still fresh. But there is no body."
It was as Hinata had guessed, then. Sasuke nodded. A sickly gray light lit up the room as dawn approached.
"I brought her some clothes," Jugo added, slipping off a small bag from his shoulder.
Sasuke rose and padded to the door to accept it. It never ceased to amaze Sasuke how considerate Jugo was. Sasuke doubted that he would have thought to have brought those items.
"Get some sleep." Sasuke quietly ordered.
Jugo nodded and slipped away.
oOo
Sasuke watched the sun rise with a meditative calm. Hinata had not moved once during the night, but her breathing stayed steady.
He glanced down at her. The window faced the east but was also shaded by an overgrown tree. The dawn's light was golden warm and illuminated Hinata's face with its glow. By the time the sun had cleared the horizon it would be high enough that the leaves would block the direct light. So, it was gentle enough that it was not going to wake her up.
Indulging himself, he floated his fingertips over her cheek, imagining he had the permission to trace the veins. He was curious. And he had enough time to think it over. How was she able to use her Byakugan but not be able to read?
Sasuke's eyes slipped down to her lips.
His senses tingled in warning. People were waiting outside his compound.
Sasuke reached on the other side of him for the bag of clothing and set it beside Hinata's head so she could find it. She stirred but did not open her eyes.
"Sasuke?" She slurred.
He felt very daring as he ran his hand over her soft hair. "It's okay."
"M'kay." She buried her face back in the pillow.
Sasuke resisted the urge to smile at her sleepy reactions. He lightly closed his fist as if he could hold the sensation of warmth that he received from touching her. He carefully slid the door closed.
Down the hall, Jugo peered out from his own room.
"I've got it." Sasuke nodded. "Hinata is still asleep."
Jugo nodded, face grim. He would stay up here to make sure nothing reached her.
Sasuke slowly, almost indolently made his way to the gate. The visitors were not trying to hide their chakra or intent. They would wait even if Sasuke made them wait hours. He was expecting this, really. He was just surprised someone beat their great Idiot Hokage.
Unhurried, he unlocked the gate and let it swing open by their own momentum. The rusted hinges whined loudly enough to rival the early morning birdsong. Two men stood straight and stoic in front of Sasuke.
Taking them in, Sasuke wondered if he would ever stop being surprised to see Hizashi and Neji in front of him. They bowed; Neji just low enough not to be disrespectful.
"We heard about the attack." Hizashi said when they straightened. "We came to see if Hinata-san is okay."
Sasuke did not move from his spot. He did not invite them in. "She is fine."
Neji was visibly fuming behind his father. "This is not a conversation to have outside."
Hizashi appeared like he was fighting back a sigh as he casually pulled up a silencing seal from his pocket and activated it with a burst of chakra. "We have no desire to impose but this is time sensitive."
"Hn." Sasuke turned so he could guide them into his house. He led them through the cramped hallway and the water stained walls into his kitchen. It was the only place with a table.
He motioned to the two chairs and busied himself with lighting the fire for the stove so he could warm some water. The water was for Hinata whenever she woke. If possible, Sasuke would try to get a nap in before Naruto whirled in with his orders.
"Talk, then."
"I believe it was the Main Branch that attacked Hinata-san." Hizashi stated boldly.
Sasuke did not bother to hide the spike of his killing intent that Hizashi's words inspired. Even if Sasuke was not so connected to Hinata now, she was still his responsibility given to him by the Hokage. Harm had come to her and it was his failure.
"Explain." Sasuke demanded.
Neji almost always looked grim but the disgust on his face was surprisingly evident for a Hyuga. "They're cowards."
"Neji." Hizashi reprimanded.
"Then tell him the truth."
"I would appreciate the truth," Sasuke drawled. "Or whatever is close to the truth in a ninja village."
Hizashi frowned. "The truth is that the Hyuga is fracturing. The Main House is losing control over the Branch. The Branch was hoping… that she could be our figurehead."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You would make her clan head?"
Hizashi said: "She has the pedigree, which would make her transition less fraught. She does not have any loyalty to her father, probably the opposite. Her seal would have been a problem but-"
Neji hissed a warning but it was too late.
Sasuke sighed. This was exhausting. "You're trying to figure out how to remove the seal."
"Remove it or modify it so that every clan member will have it without the threat of punishment hanging over everyone's head." Hizashi quietly admitted.
"How?" Sasuke asked.
"We have writings from our ancestors, but they are incomplete. Neji has been searching for the rest of the scrolls."
"But there are no seal masters," Sasuke argued.
"We're fighting for freedom," Neji retorted. "We will rise to the occasion no matter what."
Sasuke blinked against his headache. "Get to the point. Hinata is blind. I thought you told your Head she was blind. She's useless to your cause now."
Hizashi paused, as if for dramatic effect. Fucking Hyugas. "She cannot be Clan Head with such a disability, yes. Either our current Head does not believe my report… or he is tying up loose ends. No matter how 'useless' she might be, she still is a representative of the Main House's failure."
Sasuke was too angry he could not stand having these people in his house anymore. He did not want to hear about clan infighting in his mother's kitchen. "We're done here. Tell your Clan Head that if he touches Hinata, I'll send Jugo to tear him apart myself. He's very attached to her now. It would be his pleasure."
Hizashi's eyes widened slightly. "My brother does not know we have come to visit."
"Find some way to tell him anyway." Sasuke ordered. "She's my responsibility and she will stay here from now on."
Neji cast his gaze over the water-stained walls and the rusty stove. "How will two of you protect her in this…?"
"Your clan head was able to send someone to kill her without your knowledge." Sasuke said flatly. "Get out of my house."
Hizashi stood and nodded. "Until next time, Sasuke-sama."
Kami, Sasuke hoped not. Maybe it was overkill, but he followed the two until he was able to close the gates behind him. He walked back to his kitchen and inspected the room with a fresh eye. He had not been in a hurry to build his new house. For two bachelors who were used to living on the run, in caves and hideouts, this was almost luxury. But Hinata carried herself like a princess and had lived in close proximity to one of the most powerful people in the world.
He wanted to sleep but he needed to send a message to Yamato. Or maybe Naruto would gladly be the go between for today.
Whatever. Sasuke trudged upstairs and encountered Jugo sitting in front of the closed door.
"What are we going to do, Boss?" Jugo asked.
Sasuke was not surprised or upset that Jugo had been listening in. "We need our new house now. I'm not looking forward to laying the foundations."
"It'll be good to have her with us." Jugo nodded. "And then she will not be able to reject you when you ask for her to join our clan."
Sasuke smirked. Jugo's scheming was paying off.
"I'm sleeping on your bed until Naruto gets here." Although as soon as he said it, he regretted that he would have to be in a completely separate room from Hinata. Damn, he was so attached to her already.
"Okay, Boss. I'll let you know if she wakes up."
Sasuke came close so he could briefly brush his hand over Jugo's shoulder. Jugo brightened and Sasuke had to turn away, suddenly embarrassed. Sasuke did not say anything before he disappeared into the bedroom down the hall.
oOo
Surprisingly enough, Sasuke's nap was deep and dreamless. By the time Naruto's chakra tickled at Sasuke's awareness, Sasuke felt rested and somewhat like a living human being.
Unlike the Hyuga, Naruto did not come into the house. Something had changed in Naruto over the years. His personality seemed almost too big to be contained in any kind of building anymore. Sasuke did not know if this had always been this way or if it happened the more Naruto communed with the Kyuubi. The more settled Naruto seemed, the more power seemed to burst from his seams.
Sasuke clenched his fist against the cuff on his wrist. He wondered how his chakra would look like if he did not have to wear it. People turned to Naruto when he passed like sunflowers looking for the sun.
No one would do that for Sasuke, probably.
If Naruto was the sun, then today he was a scorching heat on a dry day. His anger bubbled over into his chakra. If Sasuke was not so used to these types of moods, it would have been an unpleasant assault of chakra. But Naruto was not trying to hurt anyone. He was just frustrated.
"How is she?" The Hokage asked in that raspy voice of his.
"Still sleeping off the effects. Jugo is monitoring her, but we might need to get a med nin out here if she does not wake up soon."
"Sakura-" Naruto started then stopped when Sasuke made a face. "Fine, not Sakura. Even though she's the best med nin in the village."
Sasuke did not want Sakura finding out how he felt about Hinata. Sakura was attuned to all of Sasuke's moods. She would know.
"I don't want more people in my house than there has to be." Sasuke shrugged. "We don't even know who attacked her. If it's an outside shinobi or mercenary how did they sneak in? And if it's an inside job…"
Naruto huffed and ran a hand over his closely cropped golden locks. "There's no evidence left. Someone came in after she left and even cleaned up the blood. There was a team involved at the least. The Nara are investigating and seeing if anyone has any kind of clue of what happened last night. But we're going to have to get Hinata's testimony."
Sasuke felt as agitated as Naruto looked. How much did Naruto know about the strife in the Hyuga clan? Would Sasuke have to spell it out? It would not be the first time that a Hokage missed such an important development in the politics of one of the most important families in the Village.
Sasuke's jaw clenched as he looked across the now barren land of what used to be a proud complex. He did not like that it felt like history was repeating itself. It left an ashy taste on the back of his tongue. In that moment, he was very tempted to gather up his two remaining members and leave this stupid place behind.
But Naruto would not let them leave. And both Hinata and Jugo wanted to make a go at fitting into this new community.
Why stay in a place that did not want them? That was Sasuke's mindset at least. Would there ever be a place where they could settle down and be safe?
Probably not. Better to face the demons he knew.
"I'm keeping her here," Sasuke said. "We can protect her better than the Nara have."
"The Nara did not know she was going to be attacked." Naruto argued.
"Did anyone know she was going to be attacked?" Sasuke said slyly. "Was someone supposed to be watching out for her in the first place?"
Naruto sighed. "I know I made her your responsibility but that was a formality. If you don't want to have this burden anymore…"
Sasuke made sure that his face was carefully blank. "I already said she is staying." He bit out.
Naruto nodded. "Just checking, dobe. I have another meeting with the ANBU, but there is a lot we should talk about if she is going to stay here. Let me know when she is awake."
"I will. And Naruto?"
Naruto, who had turned to leave, stopped. "Yeah?"
"Let Yamato know I would like to speak to him."
A small grin teased at the corner of Naruto's mouth. "And what am I, a carrier pigeon? Talk to him yourself!"
Sasuke squinted. "Does Yamato even live in a house? Or does he find a tree to sleep in every night? He just shows up randomly. I'm not going to waste my time looking for him. For all I know he sleeps on the top of the Hokage tower."
Naruto snorted and shook his head. "I'll let him know." He agreed before kicking off the ground with a powerful strike of feet and disappearing into the afternoon.
By the time Sasuke walked into the house, he found Jugo and Hinata sitting at the kitchen table. Hinata's hair hung limply over her bare face, but she looked pleased to see Sasuke when he walked in. Jugo jumped to his feet to retrieve a cup of tea for Sasuke and topped off Hinata's cup of orange juice.
Sasuke slid into his own seat with a sigh and accepted his tea with a nod of his head.
He wanted to reach out and brush Hinata's hair behind her ears. He wanted to see her Byakugan and the micro-expressions that she made with her eyes and eyebrows that had been hidden before. She was so expressive.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
He supposed he could go and call for Naruto, but the kitchen was tranquil and Sasuke did not want to ruin it. He was tired of visitors.
"I'm tired," she said.
She looked tired. Instead of being proud and straight, her shoulders were slumped. The laugh lines around her mouth seemed more pronounced with her frown. Hinata carefully cradled her cup in her hands but her grip looked weak, like she would drop the cup at any moment.
Sasuke wondered if she was talking about only being physically tired or if she was emotionally tired as well. Nin politics tended to do that. Everything was literally life and death.
Jugo tutted and pushed a shallow bowl of freshly sliced strawberries closer to Hinata's elbow. He balanced a set of chopsticks on the rim. "You need to eat."
Hinata smiled. "I don't know how good strawberries are going to taste with my juice."
Jugo huffed and made to stand up. "I'll make you something then."
She caught his elbow before he could get too far. "I'm teasing, Jugo-san. I appreciate all your effort. My stomach is feeling a little sensitive and will probably be like that for a while. But as soon as I am ready to eat, I will let you know, okay?"
Jugo slumped back into his chair and sighed. "I just feel so…" He lifted up his hands and clenched them in frustration. "I can't believe I'm just sitting here."
Sasuke idly drummed his fingers on the table as he thought. "It's curious."
"What's curious?" Jugo asked.
"Well, when you went to the house there was no one there. But blood was there?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes," confirmed Jugo.
"Naruto just told me that there was not any blood. Someone came inside and cleaned up after you were gone." Sasuke said.
Hinata set down her cup slowly, deliberately. "Was someone watching the house?"
"Someone was still there to monitor the house." Sasuke clarified. "It could not have been an outsider. They would have left the village as fast as possible to avoid detection."
Jugo's killing intent spiked as he stood up abruptly. His face was thunderous and his voice a growl. "It was an inside job?"
Sasuke did not try to calm his friend down. Anger was a reasonable and expected emotion. The problem came when Jugo was consumed by it. But Jugo was lucid enough.
"That's what the Hyuga seem to think."
"The Hyuga?" Hinata gasped. "What do they want with me?"
"I'll kill them." Jugo said quietly.
Sasuke rested his elbow on the table and then his chin in his hand. Some of the fight seemed to leave Jugo's posture when he saw Sasuke's indolent pose.
"I had an interesting conversation this morning with Hizashi." He proceeded to explain what happened to Hinata, since he was sure Jugo heard most of the conversation this morning. "What I want to know is, who reported the crime?" Sasuke sat back and used this now free hand to gesture at the people in the room. "It wasn't any of us. ANBU could not have seen Hinata on her way here or else they would have stopped you to interrogate you, or they would have demanded to come on the property. Everyone must know about the attack by now. But rumors always have a source. Who is our source?"
Jugo started pacing.
"There-there's another thing we need to consider." Hinata said. Her face was bowed so her hair was blocking it from view. "I don't know if I actually killed my attacker."
Jugo stopped pacing so he could stare in shock at Hinata. "What do you mean?"
"I…" She paused.
Sasuke scooted his chair even closer to her. She reached over without looking at him and blindly gripped his empty haori sleeve.
"Now that I think about it, I was afraid to kill him." She said. "I remember thinking: 'what if this nin belongs to Konoha? What am I going to do if I kill a villager?' I think I killed him, but I didn't check. I didn't want to check."
Sasuke sighed and leaned into Hinata's hand so she would know it wasn't directed at her.
"Are we sure he was a nin?" Sasuke asked gently.
"Yes." She nodded. "I couldn't identify his chakra patterns, but I haven't met a lot of people here yet. But all shinobi have a very strong chakra flow, it's easy to see."
Jugo slumped into his chair. "Easy to see?"
Hinata looked at Jugo and even though Sasuke could only see the side of her face, he could still see the pulsating veins of her Byakugan. "Yes."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed but he set that tidbit aside for later. That was not was what important right now. If she did not recognize the person that meant they could rule out some of the Nara, Naruto, some other people from T&I, but most importantly: both Hizashi and Neji.
"This is quite the mess." Sasuke said.
"I'm sorry," Hinata said. She still had not let go of him, but now she quickly withdrew it like she thought he was going to be angry at her for the imposition. "I just…"
Sasuke did not need her explanation. They were all outsiders, no matter how many times Naruto said otherwise. This was not Orochimaru's hideout. There, Sasuke and Jugo could deal with problems with violence. It was expected of them, because only the strong survived. Not in this village. There were laws here, consequences for murder. It would have been justified, but if someone could manipulate the evidence in a certain way…
"If he survived, it might have been for the best." Sasuke finally said.
With an unexpected yell, Jugo surged back to his feet and grabbed the sliding door that led to the porch. He ripped it off its track and threw it deep into the yard.
Hinata leaned forward, towards Jugo instead of away. Her eyes were focused on him intently.
"Oh." Sasuke said mildly. Jugo turned, guilty. His cursed form slipped off him like water.
Sasuke continued in his same unbothered tone. "I was just going to burn the house down, but if you've decided to demolish it, that's fine."
There was a moment of shocked silence then Hinata covered her mouth with both hands as she laughed.
Jugo smiled sheepishly and came back to sit at the table. Sasuke pushed the bowl of strawberries so that they sat at Jugo's elbow. Jugo accepted the unspoken order as he picked up the chopsticks and ate.
oOo
Yamato and Kakashi showed up the next day just as the sun was high overhead. A couple of lazy oxen followed after them as they towed two large carts of wood behind them.
"I thought that was the nin who could just- woosh." Jugo made a gesture with his hands. Sasuke interpreted it as a movement to indicate something growing. Or exploding upwards, that worked too.
Sasuke, rolled his eyes. He was coated in concrete up to his shins and it was itching like crazy as it flaked off his skin. They had spent all morning measuring, digging, and pouring concrete so they could anchor massive support pillars and Sasuke was sick of it. But he did not trust the contractors in this town, and it was bad enough he was going to have to hire a plumber and electrician.
"Yamato is not about to make my life easier." Sasuke huffed.
"Yamato," the nin in question called, "is not going to waste his chakra growing new wood." He stopped and looked at the timber. "It wouldn't be treated wood either, so if you want your house to rot in a few years…"
Sasuke decided to ignore Yamato. Instead, he turned to Kakashi. "And you?" There was no way he was going to help.
Kakashi picked his book out of his pocket and waved it in the air. "It's such a nice day outside, and I thought, it would be nice to sit outside and watch my former student attempt to build something."
Sasuke's glare was hotter than the midafternoon sun beating down on them. But he understood Kakashi's true motive when Kakashi ambled his way over to the covered porch where Hinata was sitting. The build site was actually where the garden had been to his old house. So, it was close enough that Hinata could still be in the shade but still be in view. She had both her eye shield and veil on today, along with the loose clothing she preferred to fight in.
Part of Sasuke's motivation for starting the build today was the fact that he wanted to get Hinata and Jugo into the new house as soon as possible. His old one was sturdy, but it was half derelict with lack of care. It was not as defensible as he would like. Sasuke wanted his new house to be a fortress.
The other part was the fact that Naruto would not be able to call on Hinata or demand Hinata show up at the Hokage Residence if Sasuke was busy. Of course, Naruto could do whatever he wanted. But Sasuke was starting to suspect that Naruto's radio silence indicated that the Hokage was planning something. Sasuke just could not figure out that something. Yet.
Sasuke watched with narrow eyes as Hinata greeted Kakashi and Kakashi settled down next to her. He briefly wondered if Kakashi was going to interrogate Hinata on behalf of Naruto. But Kakashi leaned against the wall and brought his book up to cover his face. Hinata stared out serenely into the yard, so it was clear they were not talking.
Yamato's voice called Sasuke back to the task at hand. An attendant who followed Yamato and Kakashi was working on unhooking the oxen from the carts so she could lead them back to the lumber yard. Yamato thanked her before turning to Sasuke.
"You owe me for the material costs, by the way. I'm not that grateful."
Sasuke was already regretting this. "Of course not," he said through gritted teeth. "Jugo can you please show him the plans?"
Jugo nodded. "Sure thing, boss!" He wiped his dusty hands on his equally dusty pants and pulled out two pieces of paper that were once carefully folded but now a little worse for wear. He opened them up and moved next to Yamato. Jugo started to painstakingly explain his decisions and the thought process behind them.
Sasuke moved over to the materials he and Jugo had been acquiring over time and idly listened as Jugo and Yamato debated where would be the best place to start. Sasuke started organizing his haphazard pile. Usually, he was fine with just having one hand but sometimes not having two was a hassle. If he trusted that Sakura would not hold it against him, he would have accepted an arm from her.
Maybe that was not fair. Naruto was right, she was a good medical nin. She was ethical. But he did not want to have an arm and have to think of her every time she saw it. He did not want her to think she had a connection to him that way.
But that was a thought for another time. Jugo called Sasuke over.
He was half tempted to hire those contractors.
Hinata's movement caught his eye has she stood up. She briefly went inside the open kitchen doorway then came outside with a cup of water for Kakashi.
Or maybe he could do this with Jugo like he planned.
oOo
By the end of the day, he was ready to sleep for a million years. He and Jugo had been taking watch in shifts overnight. It probably was not necessary tonight, but Jugo and Sasuke had survived this long for a reason. He did not want to stay up, but Jugo had done a lot of the heavy lifting without complaint. The least Sasuke could do was let Jugo sleep first.
Most of the foundation and framing was done. Yamato knew what he was doing, and his corrections and guidance were more valuable than what Sasuke and Jugo had managed to glean from books. Yamato also made wickedly dark jokes that had Jugo boisterously laughing and Sasuke grinning.
It was productive and Sasuke felt a little more at ease in his skin. Peacetime was strange for a warrior, but this was good. It was something.
He thought about the scroll in his room. Maybe he could read it to pass the time. He paused, then moved to intersect Kakashi.
Kakashi, who stayed for dinner even though he was not invited and had not helped, was making his way off the porch to walk home.
"Kakashi." Sasuke said.
Kakashi stopped and half turned to look at Sasuke. Yamato clapped Kakashi on the shoulder before heading out of the compound.
"I have a question for you." Sasuke said. "I want to show you a scroll."
"Oh, a scroll," Kakashi said with exaggerated excitement. But he followed Sasuke anyway. Jugo was showering. Hinata was still on the porch and watched them leave. She knew about the scroll, but it was as good as useless to her.
In the bedroom, Sasuke handed Kakashi the object in question. Kakashi unrolled it and spent a few moments looking it over.
"Are you trying to get back into the Academy?" Kakashi asked with raised brows.
Sasuke ignored the joke. "I found it in the one of the old storehouses."
Kakashi looked bored. "And…?"
Sasuke huffed. "If you let me finish. When I found it, it was disguised under a complicated genjutsu. I can't figure out the code, but something about this is a code. I just know it."
"You just know it, huh?" Kakashi murmured but he unraveled it a little more.
Sasuke pointed at a symbol. Before Hinata burst into his room the other night, he had been looking at that symbol.
"And this… this looks familiar. Doesn't it?" Sasuke hated how hesitant he sounded but he was so unsure. His brain was certain he had seen it before. But where? When?
Kakashi placed the scroll on the nearby desk and ran a finger over the symbol thoughtfully. Then he swept it off the table and placed it on the floor. Kakashi backed up then walked a circle around the paper so he could see it from different angles.
Sasuke watched silently. He was not bothered by those antics. It just confirmed what Sasuke thought. There was something there. Even Kakashi was intrigued.
Kakashi bent down, rerolled the scroll with a flick of his wrist and tucked it underneath his arm. "May I borrow it for a day or so?"
"What is it?"
"I don't know." Kakashi said. "But you're right. It's familiar. I might even have to ask Tsunade."
"It's related to a medical seal?" Sasuke asked. His curiosity was definitely piqued.
"Not exactly. I…" Kakashi's brow furrowed in thought and his lips pursed underneath his mask. "I've seen so many seals since I was appointed Hokage, I'm not sure if I saw it then or before that. But if it's something a Hokage would know, Tsunade can help me narrow it down. Or…"
Now, Sasuke was starting to get impatient. "Or?"
"Or maybe it's a clan thing."
Sasuke jerked in surprise. "A clan thing?"
"Do you know the Senju Clan symbol?" Kakashi held up two fingers in a crescent moon shape, crudely mimicking a part of the drawing on the paper.
Sasuke could not quite recall the Clan symbol. "Are they similar?"
"Enough to make me suspicious." Kakashi said.
"Okay," Sasuke decided. "You can have it for a week. You might need at least that long to let Tsunade sober up."
Kakashi laughed. "I'm going to tell her you said that." He walked out of the room and back to the porch. He said goodbye to Hinata and a freshly washed Jugo before using the Shunshin no Jutsu to teleport away. Hinata visibly flinched in surprise.
"Showoff." Sasuke muttered. Jugo laughed.
oOo
Once Sasuke showered, he joined Hinata on the porch. She had not moved locations all day except to eat and use the restroom. He wondered if she did not feel comfortable in the house or if she wanted to stay near someone at all times. Yesterday, he went to pick up some more of her belongings and to investigate the scene. He had not found anything useful. But Hinata had smiled when Sasuke informed her that her gifted drawings were on their refrigerator, so the trip had not been completely wasted.
He sat next to her, closer than necessary probably. Hinata, ever bold, just shifted so she could rest her head on his shoulder. Jugo, who was lounging on the other side of Hinata, did a double take. He waggled his eyebrows at Sasuke in a silent question.
Sasuke smirked. He closed his eyes and tilted his face towards the warm light of the setting sun.
"Were you bored today?" He asked Hinata.
"No." She said. "Kakashi-san was good company. He read me some of his book."
Sasuke's eyes snapped open. "He read you his, uh, his romance?" His face was burning hot.
Jugo snickered.
"No?" Hinata sounded confused and she sat up to look at him. "Does he like romances? This one was non-fiction. About the fire kingdom."
Sasuke relaxed his shoulders and Hinata turned to look at Jugo.
"What?" She asked. "I feel like I'm missing something."
Jugo chuckled. "Oh, even I know Kakashi is infamous for his 'romance' books."
Hinata frowned. "Is it because he is a male? Is that so strange?"
"No!" Jugo said, almost rolling back and forth on the floor with mirth. "It's because those romances are-"
Jugo went pale as the realization hit him that he was about to explain Kakashi's pornography habit to Hinata. Sasuke's still present smirk widened. "Oh. Oh nevermind." He said hastily. "Just forget I said anything."
"Well now I'm curious." Hinata said. She patted Jugo's shoulder demandingly. "Tell me what you were going to say."
"No!"
"Tell me, tell me." She said teasingly, leaning over to follow him when he tried to roll away.
"No!" Jugo giggled then gasped as he almost fell of the porch.
Sasuke caught Hinata's arm so she would not overbalance and gently brought her back to his side. "He has a habit of reading dirty books, Hinata." Sasuke explained. "Erotica."
"Oh! Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Hinata paused, then giggled. "Well, that would have been more interesting than a history book."
Jugo did fall off the porch this time.
oOo
Coming up: Sasuke and Hinata have a meeting with Naruto. Tsunade is still as sharp as ever.