The next day they packed their bags and went on their journey towards Valley of Hell.

It wasn't a long way but they put up their tents about ten miles from their destination so that they could see Valley during the day. When they went to sleep Sasuke felt uneasy but couldn't put his finger on as to why. Something was just not right. Just to be safe he decided to sleep lightly that night. Hinata felt something as well but her Byakugan didn't reveal anything to her so she left it alone and went to sleep.

Some time later during the night there was a slight sound that woke Sasuke up. His suspicions triggered in that second. He went outside to check was was going on. Hinata seemed to be still asleep. But there was someone there, he could feel it but no chakra and no heat points were detectable to him. They were getting closer to the Land of Sound known to be home to many hostile ninjas. It would make sense to encounter some of them here. There was little chance they would actually attack but he had a lot of enemies, some of which he didn't even know off. He sat on a tree branch and observed for the rest of the night.

She also had an unsteady night. She woke up almost every hour and when she did sleep it was shallow. When she decided to go out of her tent it was still dark outside but she instantly saw Sasuke sitting in a tree with his eyes closed. Hinata made some breakfast and called for him. They ate in silence this morning, both of them scanning the trees surrounding them. Something was definitely not right but they didn't have to say anything to another. They packed and were on their way instantly. They went faster than the day before. When they reached their destination Hinata stood in one place for some time. She understood now why people of Yugakure mistook the water for blood. It was a deeply crimson colored. Color of death was not black she thought. She went alongside the water leaving Sasuke behind. Her thoughts were somewhere she didn't let them go often. She saw Neji's face. She felt a pinch in her stomach she felt every time he crossed her mind. There was no doubt in her mind that his death was her fault. He was her family, her friend and she'd let him die. Over a year passed and his death still hurt the same. Mainly because she knew she hasn't changed or improved enough. It still would have happened now. She still was weak. She felt a sudden, sharp pain in her arm and turned around.

Sasuke didn't follow her when she started walking. She seemed to prefer being left alone but his eyes never left her. She suddenly looked so small. All he wanted was to hug her and make all her bad thoughts go away. But he knew she had to face them alone. When he heard a swish he instantly activated his Sharingan. Five. He saw five chakra signatures approaching. Hinata was so deep in her thoughts that she was hit by one kunai. He reached for his sword and was ready to fight.

When she saw blood coming from her arm she activated her eyes. Five. She took a stance and was ready for another attack. They were different even in their fighting styles. She was mainly set up for defense, he mostly attacked. When their opponents were finally visible Sasuke made a run for it and took two of them at once. She was closer to the others. Hinata hasn't fought in a year. She trained but didn't fight. Right now all she felt was self doubt and she swallowed. But there was no time to think about it and she closed the distance between her and the enemies. They weren't strong ninjas so she didn't have problems fighting them but she saw something in the distance. Another group of people were coming straight towards them. Sasuke saw them too. He felt slightly annoyed by them. He helped Hinata deal with her opponents and they both waited for the others to make a move. Their senses detected more people coming from behind them. Hinata turned away and was ready. They understood the others moves, Sasuke smirked. When both groups were near them both took a leap. She blocked their tenketsus and moved quickly from one to another but was careful not to hurt them beyond repair. Sasuke didn't care for that. His technique was brutal and lethal. He did register that some of ninjas were trying to go past him to Hinata. They were after her. Byakugan probably. This made him angry. When they were defeated Sasuke joined Hinata.

„We should go" he said. There was no time for sightseeing. She nodded and they were on their way. Nobody followed them this time but both of them were vigilant still. They decided to cross the border with The Land of Fire that day. Both making this cross for the first time in almost a year.

When they stopped and set their camp Hinata healed her arm. She'd forgotten about the wound up until now. They were both super conscious about where they were. Hinata felt both attracted and pushed away by the proximity of their home village. She wanted to know how her family was, how her friends were. But she wasn't ready to go back. She felt exactly how she felt the day she left. Sasuke felt guilt and wanted to be out of this country again. He had hurt his friends over and over again in the past and still had no idea how could he just come back and live there besides them like nothing happened.

„Are we still traveling together?" She asked after a while of silence. A long while. He wanted to travel with her and it was strange. Wanting to spend time with somebody.

„Only if you want to"

„Sure" she searched for something in her backpack. She took a map out. „I've already been to the Land of Water and Land of Lightning. I think I would like to visit Iwagakure. But there is Kusagakure on the way and I think it would be nice to see it." He was relieved she decided to keep their distance from Konoha. Village Hidden in the Grass (Kusagakure) was not on his list of places to see but he didn't mind.

„You know they were after you?" he wanted to check her response. It was apparent to him but maybe she didn't notice. She looked at him with a sad smile.

„Well after all this time boys feel the need to chase me" she joked. Of course they were after her. This ninjas weren't so strong to willingly attack Sasuke Uchiha and think they can win. It was a different story when it came to her, not world widely known to be one of the most powerful people ever to walk the United Nations but worth the capture. „Sasuke, there have been attempts to capture me since I was little. This one isn't something I was not prepared for when I opted to leave on my own" it was understandable that she was known to people searching for kekkei genkai, especially the ones that focused around the eyes of some individuals such as her.

„Just wanted to check if you were aware of the fact" he replied. Eye catching was something terrible. He remembered how furious he was when he saw Danzo's stolen eyes. Eyes of his clan. But he didn't see the same raging wrath in her, she was calm and simply down. He questioned her why she wasn't angry.

„I can't blame anybody for wanting something valuable. I do get angry when I am informed about someone who killed one of my family but it is quickly covered by grief and sadness." She acknowledged. „I'm quite possibly more angry at the main house for using the brach house the way they do" she stated further. If she were to say what she hated about the world this would be the first thing to come to mind.

„I've heard about that and I don't know what to think about it. For one I do understand why it was decided upon but on the other hand" he glanced at her and stopped talking.

„Whatever the reason may have been in the past, right now it's simply unacceptable to me" she stated finishing the subject. „How long will it take us to reach Kusagakure?"

„I think we should be there in five days if we take a straight way there" he responded. Sasuke hoped to go past the Valley of the End. She smiled and prepared the dinner. They went to bed early.

Hinata was lying in her tent and thinking about Sasuke. He appeared to be interested in her past. He was being almost charming sometimes. She never expected to be this comfortable in his presence. He seemed to like her which was an odd but pleasant thought. They spent some time together already and she felt as if she could rely on him.