Sasuke pulled the grey shirt over Hinata's head, dropping it somewhere behind him before claiming her mouth with his own. She fisted his hair, deepening the kiss. It had been so long since the two had been alone together, since they'd been able to enjoy each other's company so fully. Hiashi had been keeping his eldest daughter busy, hard pressed to keep her away from Sasuke. Committing himself fully to the village had also kept Sasuke occupied. Tsunade had insisted that team Kakashi reunite; she'd also assigned the other members of Taka to Yamato. Sai was a free agent of sorts, training with both Team Yamato and Team 7. It had been difficult to readjust to his old comrades.
Sasuke walked into the open field, a rush of nostalgia. It was the same exact place they'd first united as team 7, where they had tried naively to snatch the bells from their sensei. Sakura was standing next to Naruto by the three log pillars, her hands clasped behind her back as the pair chatted animatedly.
"That's different." Sasuke muttered to himself. It had been a long while since he'd seen them in such a relaxed setting but Sakura seemed far more interested in the blond boy than he remembered.
"Sasuke!" The girl called out, waving him over. "You made it."
"Where's Kakashi?" Sasuke asked as he walked up to join the huddle.
"Late as always." Sakura laughed, a nervous sound. The three of them were on edge. Naruto had chased the Uchiha for so long, it didn't seem real. The encounter felt fabricated.
"Not a lot changed then." The dark haired boy noted.
"A lot has changed." Naruto argued, his brilliant blue eyes shifting to meet Sasuke's. "I just hope you can keep up with us."
"Hn." Sasuke looked over his shoulder in the direction he'd come. "I have no doubt."
"Already?" Sakura asked, referring to the clear competition that was already ramping up full force.
Sasuke lifted Hinata, pinning her roughly against the dark comforter, as he fell between her legs. A quiet gasp of surprise escaped her lips as he kissed roughly down her neck, cupping her breast hard. The urgency in his touch was new; the aggression both exciting and concerning.
"S-Sasuke-kun?" Hinata whispered, tightening her grip on his hair as he nipped at the soft skin of her neck. He thrust into her with force, burying himself deep inside. "Ah." She whimpered, letting her legs fall further apart. She dug her nails into the flesh of his back as he moved roughly against her. She was warm, inviting. He could relax buried deep in her embrace. Hinata's hand slipped leaving deep scratches down the left side of his back. Sasuke shuddered, resting his face in the bend of her neck as he fisted the blanket on either side of her. The force of his actions grew with each thrust.
"You'll have to learn to work as a team." Kakashi noted, landing gracefully on the tree branch above Naruto and Sasuke. "You are all three formidable opponents on your own but by operating separately, you are working against yourselves."
"CHA!" Sakura bore down on Kakashi unexpectedly. Kakashi's face fell as she rammed her fist into the branch where he had stood seconds ago. The silver haired ninja had narrowly missed the blow, being preoccupied with bringing the two boys together. Kakashi had underestimated her once again.
"Impressive." Sasuke noted, observing as Sakura emerged from the broken ground and splintered bark .
"I told you I wouldn't be a burden forever." She mused. "Kakashi-sensei is right. You two are working against each other, when we should all be working together."
"It would help if Naruto would stop running into this half cocked." Sasuke remarked.
"Hardly." Naruto scoffed. "You're the one trying to do it all on your own."
"Knock it off you two." Sakura demanded. "We can actually win this if the two of you can get it together for just a little while."
"As bossy as ever." The dark haired boy remarked.
"Yeah that hasn't changed." Naruto mused.
"Idiots." Sakura grumbled. "I guess I'll just do it myself."
Hinata fell to the bed next to Sasuke as the pair worked to catch their breath. Light markings decorated the pale skin of her hips and her long hair was a tangled mess. She crawled under the comforter and shifted onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows.
"I guess the training didn't go well." She stated. Sasuke's gaze didn't waver from the ceiling above.
"It went fine."
"Don't lie to me." She scolded, tracing small circles on his bare chest. "Talk to me." He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest. She could feel his heart thumping against his rib cage.
"It's strange." He admitted. "Being with Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto."
"But overall productive?" She teased, resting her palm on his cheek, urging him to look at her.
"Not exactly." He sighed, shifting slightly towards her. "We kept getting in each other's way."
"Because you don't know how to work together." Hinata sighed. "Honestly you and Naruto are going to have to work out this thing between you."
"What thing?" He asked, playing coy.
"The jealousy, the power struggle, I don't actually know what it is and I don't think the two of you do either." She admitted. He fell silent, not wanting to confirm her suspicions. He was jealous of Naruto. He worked so hard and sometimes it felt like Naruto just stumbled into success.
"How?" Sasuke asked.
"A good old fashion duel I guess." Hinata laughed, resting her head on the pillow. Sasuke fell silent, laying back to stare at the ceiling again. After a moment Hinata pushed herself back up to look down at him. "I was kidding."
"Yeah." He nodded. "I know, I was just thinking."
"Don't do anything reckless." She pleaded. "There is a lot at stake for you now. Instigating trouble with one of the Hokage's favorite shinobi would just make things more complicated."
"I know." Sasuke slid out of the bed, pulling his pants on over his naked body. Hinata's eyes rested on the scratches that decorated his broad back. She had broken the skin only one time before, their first time.
"Does it hurt?" She asked, sitting up in the middle of the bed.
"No." He answered curtly, sitting on the edge of the bed to her left.
"I didn't mean to upset you." She whispered.
"You haven't." He glanced over his shoulder at her, offering a gentle smile. "I'm just tired of thinking about team 7 for the day."
"We can talk about how I am absolutely forbidden from seeing you in anything less than an official capacity." She offered with a slight shrug.
"You're turning into a little rule breaker." Sasuke chuckled, leaning back to rest his head in her lap.
"It's a stupid rule." She noted, running her fingers through his hair. "Neji thinks my father already knows about Danzo's indiscretions."
"Do you?"
"I don't know." She admitted, closing her eyes. "I want to say no, but he hasn't always been the most honorable or gracious…not to me anyways. I can see the darkness there."