The next day came.
The team ventured out to go to Peach Village.
Sasuke was up front, he was speeding fast leaving the three girls behind.
Naru was mumbling to herself, "Sasuke let's rest here for awhile." She said as they reached a stream. "Oi I'm hungry and it's past lunch."
Sasuke stopped at the other side of the stream.
The girls too stopped. Hinata and Tenten took out their lunch and they sat down.
The other two followed soon and they ate in their little circle.
The four of them remained quiet.
Naru rested her back on the grass. She stretched. "It's better here than sleeping on the ramen shop. Although when I slept there last night I dreamt that I was eating a thousand bowls of ramen." She started.
"Yeah that's nice." Tenten said uninterested of what she was saying. "Dumplings anyone?" She asked them.
"Me I want one." Naru said as she picked the last one and ate it.
Sasuke drank his water then stood up. "We need to go."
Hinata and Tenten fixed all the things. Sasuke and Naru didn't even bother to help.
...oooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
Night came and the travelers were weary.
They walk the paths of the forest.
"Are we there yet?" Naru asked.
"If we were there I think you'd know." Tenten said trudging along.
They reached a clearing minutes later. And Naru suggested that they call it a night.
Then they put the tents up. Three of them.
"Why are there three tents?" Naru asked.
"Well one's for Hinata and I. One's for Sasuke and then there's you." Tenten informed her.
"Since you're a girl now I don't want you sleeping in my tent." Sasuke said as he fixed his stuff. "And well because you snore when you are sleeping."
"I don't snore. And it's not as if I'm going to do something to you. I'm still a guy at heart." Naru stuck her tongue out.
"Excuse me what did you say?" Hinata asked her voice a little shaky.
"Yeah could you repeat what you said because I thought I heard you say, I'm still a gay at heart." Tenten said looking at Naru.
Sasuke smirked at her. "Poor confused dobe. Sometimes I pity you."
"Okay, okay that's enough. You guys get twigs or any thing we can burn to make fire. It's starting to get cold." Tenten pushed Naru who was a bit sulking.
After they were gone Tenten said, "I swear I really did hear her say that."
"Me, too…" Hinata agreed.
"It's not like it's a bad thing... I mean..." Then Tenten took a glance at Hinata. "So Hinata… Do you still like Naru, I mean Naruto?"
Hinata blushed. "Y-You know about that, Tenten-neesan?"
"Well I noticed it a few years back… And Neji told me." Tenten said as she sat down on a trunk lying around in their little campsite.
"He does know… I mean he's always sneaking up on me." Hinata sat beside her.
"Eh." Tenten uttered without interest. "So what do you do now that she's a girl?"
"I tried moving on… and get over him…" Hinata said tapping her fingers together.
"Move on? That's not going to work… Well I don't know for you but for me… It's kinda hard. I really like this guy but he seems uninterested in me… So I tried to move on… But I can't!"
"…Maybe you don't want to move on…" Hinata said slightly smiling.
"Why are you smiling?" Tenten asked looking at her quizzically.
"Neji-niisan likes you very much. But he doesn't know how to express it. He's really…" Hinata was trying to think of what to say.
"Are you going to say shy? Because I don't think he is." Tenten said. "And what gave you the idea that I like him?"
Hinata smiled. "Everybody knows about you liking him."
"Same goes for you. Well in your case Naruto doesn't have a single clue but in mine. He knows it very well. But still the same goes for you Hinata-chan.." Tenten said tickling her.
"Stop that…!" She said giggling and blushing at the same time.
Tenten stopped then said, "You know you used to stutter so much but you kind of changed. Hmm…Maybe you did move on."
"Maybe…" Hinata smiled a small smile.
...oooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
While Hinata and Tenten chat about their lives.
Naru and Sasuke was walking in the forest and picking up twigs.
"Hey Sasuke I'm not gay, okay?" Naru then threw a twig and it landed on Sasuke's head. It fell on the ground.
Sasuke began to curse under his breath. "I never said you're gay. It's just that everybody thinks so."
Naru clenched her fists.
Sasuke held his hands up. "Look I'm not in the mood to fight with you."
"You're the one that's gay." Naru said.
"I'm not the one stuck in a girl's body. I swear sometimes you're like Orochimaru."
"Come again?" Naru looked at him. She was surprised that he brought that up. It had been a year or so since they retrieved Sasuke from the snake monster.
"What?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"I just think you're gay because all these girls throw themselves on you but you never do anything."
"Like what?"
"I don't know but with all that attention, you know…"
"Actually I hate it. All this attention that I don't want, it sucks." Sasuke said.
"I don't know, I think it would be a great thing. I mean even Sakura likes you and she's not that easy. She doesn't fall for just any guy." Naru said.
"So you're saying I'm not just any guy." Sasuke looked at Naru.
"Yeah I mean you're talented, you're not that bad looking and –" Naru then glanced at Sasuke he was smirking again. "I'm not going homo on you. It's just that you know Sakura always confides in me and tells me about you all the time."
Sasuke won't stop smirking.
"Wipe that smirk right off your face, bastard!" Naru then hit him with a twig.
"You don't have to be so violent about it!" Sasuke said rubbing his head.
Then they continued to their task.
"You know the only girl I think that doesn't really give a damn about you is Hinata and umm yeah there's also Tenten. Of course Tenten wouldn't go after you. She's got Neji. But Hinata I don't know…" Naru said.
"Stupid oblivious moron…" Sasuke muttered.
"What did you say?"
"I said she's okay."
"Really? You like her?"
"Yes… But not really… I mean she's… I don't know –"
"What weird? Is that it?" Naru said.
"She's not weird. Where'd you get that idea?" Sasuke looked at her, a little puzzled.
"Nah…"
The two of them arrived in the campsite.
Sasuke then made fire and they stay there for the night. They ate and exchanged few words. They were sleepy.
...oooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
Morning came.
After a few hours of leaping and jumping from tree to tree they reached a dirt road. And there they can see the village itself. It was a fair village but a small one. They were near.
Now they walked slowly, not slow like strolling under moonlight but slower than they were speeding a while ago.
They went past a farm. But the main village was still a bit far.
"Hey you two," Naru called the attention of the two people in front of her. "Don't you two get bored, you're really quiet…? You don't speak… What's up with that?"
Hinata looked at Naru. "Anou…"
"Don't bother explaining him why you are who you are, Hyuuga. He won't understand." Sasuke said.
"Word of advice Naru don't bother the quiet ones." Tenten said.
"Quiet ones?" Hinata tilted her head.
"Nothing…I mean you're both quiet. And well… It's just that I haven't noticed it until now but you two look nice together." Tenten suggested.
"Yeah you've got your similarities." Naru said.
"Similarities? What are you talking about?" Sasuke said looking at Naru.
"I don't know you both came from a clan…? And you're both quiet and well… you two have black hair." Naru then took a look at Hinata who had slight shade of pink in her cheeks.
"That's stupid." Sasuke said.
"Yeah I don't know about their similarities… And you know not all couples have lots of similarities. Some couples are complete opposites but their relationships still work out." Tenten then said. "I'm not really an expert with these kinds of things but I think that there are people who seek security by seeking people who have traits that they don't have. And then they eventually get together."
"That's very insightful…" Hinata sighed.
"Okay enough we should get into business. This route we are taking is heading towards the back of the village. I think we can site the said notorious group here and we can attack them head-on after." Sasuke explained.
Then a villager came walking towards them. He was an old man carrying a rice sack on his back.
"Excuse me, you four look like nice healthy young people… Could I please ask you a favor?" The man said.
"Sorry but –" Sasuke was cut off by Tenten.
"Of course, sir." Tenten said politely. "What might be the favor?"
"That cart over there." The old man pointed over at his back. "It's full of rice sacks. I need to get those to the village before sundown. But I doubt I can do that because my lower back is aching and my son is currently sick. He can't help me with work today."
"We can help you mister." Naru then went to the cart and pushed. "Help here guys."
"Hey what about our mission?" Sasuke said.
"Oh you're ninja from the Fire Country… What's your mission I might know some of it, if it has some connection with our Peach Village." The old man gave the rice sack to him and he took it. "Thanks sonny."
"Well there was a tip that a notorious group attacks your village." Sasuke answered.
"Notorious group? Attacks? There aren't any of those happenin' in our sweet little town. Who did spread that rumor?" The old man asked.
"Anou… Our Hokage told us about someone telling her about it. She never told us who said it, though." Hinata said answering the old man's question.
"If you kids really want to know ask Eaji, that woman leads the village with an iron fist and fingernails with polish." The old man grinned as he walked.
After a few minutes they got to the village.
All of them saw that the village was rather nice and clean. It didn't look like there was an attack.
On the contrary it was as peaceful as ever.
...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
Disclaimer: The usual apply.
On to the next chapter...
