Chapter 3

As the lazy sun settled below the rocky mountains, night finally came.

Hinata and Sasuke kept jumping from tree to tree, already in the process of their mission heading towards the Sand Village. They barely interacted prior to this mission but Hinata knew this would happen, therefore, she had to conduct herself. It was fortunate how they haven't encountered any ninjas who would be after this scroll. Good. That meant there will be no problems on their first day. She was still slightly worried about the lack of teamwork though.

Sasuke was already far away from Hinata, almost as far as leaving her behind. He didn't care about her and he wouldn't, really. They were practically strangers. They never had a word to each other, not even during the time when they were kids.

When he noticed that Hinata was out of his sight, he stopped for a moment just for her to catch up, though, she didn't appear.

"Are you serious?" he thought to himself. "Just how slow can she get?"

A few minutes passed, yet, there were still no signs on her arrival. A little troubled by this, Sasuke turned back to see where she has gone.

On his way back, he saw a tent assembled and was ready to use. "What the hell?" he thought to himself. "Who is camping there? I didn't see that when I passed here."

"S-Sasuke-kun!" Hinata called out as loud as she can in her soft-voice, waving at him nearby the tent. Sasuke heaved a heavily sigh as he made his way down to her. His rough landing staggered Hinata. It was obvious Sasuke didn't like what was going on.

"What the hell are you doing?" His tone of voice sounded irritated.

"I-I'm sorry. I tried calling you but you never answered me so I thought that maybe I should prepare this tent," she nervously explained to him. "And since it's dark, I think it's better we take a rest and restore our energy for t-tomorrow," she then said as she looked up at the sky. Seeing Hinata stare up at the sky made Sasuke look up as well. They both stood there, staring at the night sky.

A bleak wind blew strong, forcing the trees to rustle and the leaves to dance. The spontaneous sound of nature conquered the quiet area; something which they haven't heard in a very long time. It was pleasant to their taste, leaving them silent to enjoy this moment.

Hinata held her hands behind her. "I…" she broke the silence. "I also…knew you would come back when I wasn't present in your sight," she smiled, still having her gaze focused up at the sky.

Sasuke just stood there with a morose expression. "I wouldn't bet my life on it."

Hinata didn't say a word after and just stood there, smiling at him pleasantly. This somewhat chafed Sasuke but he didn't bother turning this into an argument. Though, he was definitely not fond about the idea of them resting right now. She was already taking a break? If they just kept moving on, they'll arrive at the Sound Village in no time and they will be done with their mission.

"There's no need for breaks. I just want to get this mission over with. Let's get going," he said in an attempt to leave but Hinata unexpectedly grabbed him by the shirt.

"I-if we sleep early tonight, we can go early tomorrow. We really need enough rest to be able to f-fight those who will be attacking us tomorrow," she fought her fear as she held to him. She knew this was best for the team therefore she tried her best to act as a leader.

Sasuke glared at her. He didn't want to waste time 'sleeping.' Really, that was the last thing he wanted. Hell, they just started this mission a couple of hours ago.

"Seriously," he muttered as he shoved his arm away from her grip. "We have no time to waste on sleeping."

"We're not wasting time," she said. "D-don't worry. I promise you we will continue early tomorrow morning."

Sasuke sneered at her but his intense expression was soon broken by a sigh. He reluctantly went inside the tent and dropped his bag on the ground for his head to rest on. Hinata followed him inside as she made her way to her bag to unpack the food and her sleeping bag. It was silent inside the tent but this was expected. Hinata understood Sasuke was someone who hated rowdy people therefore she stayed to her true quiet-self.

Sasuke gazed up at the tent, quite annoyed how things didn't go the way he wanted it to. Honestly, he would just leave her behind to die if he has to but something in him just can't do it right away. Was it because he knew the ANBU was keeping an eye on him? No, that can't be. They would only make a move unless Sasuke acted suspiciously, as in trying to take someone else's life. However, he never planned on killing her. It definitely wasn't because he cared about her being either, no. It was probably because he wondered what she meant before. He closed his eyes as he recalled Hinata's keen statement in the Hokage's office. I will also trust you, Sasuke-kun. That…that was what caught his attention. That was what made him slightly, just slightly, interested in this girl.

Will she really trust this traitor?

He knew that if other females were to be in the same team as him, they would be all over him, yelling out his name irritably. Perhaps they won't do the same in his current state but, that was how it has always been ever since he encountered females. If other males were to be in the same team, they would shoot death glares at him, complaining non-stop and asking why they should be working with him. However, with Hinata, he was the one questioning why he should work with her. She showed slight fear and nervousness rather than infatuation or confidence which all the females he met displayed before. Hinata was definitely different from everyone else.

Sasuke fixed his gaze upon Hinata as she was preparing food. This girl changed quite drastically. As far as he could remember, she was very timid and wouldn't be able to say anything unless people gave her 'plenty' of time to speak. As for her physical features, it was a drastic change as well—her body has matured and her hair was rather...longer.

"You…" Sasuke abruptly said.

Hinata staggered as she heard him. She then turned to face him. "Y-yes? Did you want something?" she questioned, nervously.

Sasuke paused for a second and this time, he studied her face and her eyes. "You grew your hair…" he said, uncharacteristically.

Hinata froze in surprise but, her face expression soon softened. Her white lavender eyes were stuck on Sasuke, wondering why he suddenly stated that.

Sasuke stared back. "What?" he inquired in his usual tone of voice.

"E-eh? Ah, it's n-nothing," Hinata awkwardly replied as she held a bundle of hair on her fingertips. "I didn't think you would notice…"

He sighed. "Everyone would notice," he shifted his body to his side, turning away from her.

When Hinata saw his back facing her, she couldn't help but remember the way everyone treated Sasuke. His back was emitting a need of comfort, she could tell somehow, but she couldn't do anything for him. The dark cloud around his heart won't ever fade unless someone completely understood his pain. She knew she lacked that and the only person who truly understood him was Naruto. Sasuke was nothing but vile, and she still didn't hold a grudge against him. She knew Sasuke had his family was massacred and honestly, that was more than enough to understand why he went to seek for revenge.

Hinata stood up with a hand full of food. "A-aren't you going to eat?"

A long waited silence followed up after and she took the hint that Sasuke didn't want to answer her. Slowly and carefully, trying to avoid as much noise as she can, she exited the tent. Sasuke's eyes followed her as she left but soon closed them in attempt to sleep.

"EHHH?!" Naruto exclaimed as he heard the news from Tsunade. "Y-y-you teamed Sasuke and Hinata t-together?!" he kept stuttering, unable to believe what he just heard.

Sakura stood next to Naruto, shocked by this as well. "Tsunade-sama, why didn't you ask us to accompany him in this mission? We are his former teammates," she stated.

Tsunade slammed her hand on the table. "I know that!" she yelled, slightly irritated. "But we need you Sakura, a medic-ninja, to help heal the people who suffered from the war. And NARUTO!" she yelled even louder, causing Naruto to flinch. "You need to rest. You've done more than enough for us."

Naruto scratched his head and answered, "I've had plenty of rest already." He then paused, thinking. He couldn't shake off this question that was bothering him. "Why did you choose Hinata of all people?"

Tsunade stared at him and plopped herself on her chair. "When I thought about this mission, the first thing that I thought about was the eyes Hinata possessed. Then I realized, Hinata is most appropriate girl for this mission," she paused. "She's strong, quiet, patient and understanding," she then shot a glare right back into Naruto's eyes, "Isn't that so?"

Naruto jerked in realization. She did have a point.

"B-but…I can't help myself worrying about those two. Sasuke isn't mentally stable yet," he frowned, simply worried. He then turned and walked towards the door. "Granny-Tsunade, maybe I should really go with th—"

"Naruto," Tsunade cut him off. "I know what you're thinking right now but from what I saw today, Hinata seems to be completely aware of what she's getting herself into. She isn't the same Hinata you used to know." Her eyes stared at Naruto. "Let's trust them for now. That's the least we can do."

All Naruto could do was stare at his hand that was so close to opening the door knob. Maybe she was right. Sasuke needed some time to himself and the person who he can tolerate right now was probably, Hinata.

Hinata.

His mind recalled the event during the time she confessed her love to him after the moment he thought about her name. He noticed it. Hinata did really change. She matured so much throughout these years and was able to express her love to someone who didn't really notice her until that moment. He was fighting Pein when that happened, but she still went out there to protect him. It has been a long time since then and he didn't say anything. He can't. He didn't know what to say. He still doesn't know what to say.

Sakura studied Naruto as she thought back during that time she tried killing Sasuke. Ever since that day, she knew her existence was only displeasing him. They do hangout together from time to time, but something was off; the atmosphere always seemed heavy.

"Naruto," Sakura muttered his name. "I guess we'll just have to trust them, just like Tsunade-sama said," she fought her breath. She didn't want to admit that being around Sasuke was rather intimidating for her. This would definitely be worse for Hinata, but since Tsunade has teamed them up, she decided to trust them.

Naruto grunted. He clutched his hand into a fist, trying his best to listen to what they were saying but he still couldn't shake this eerie feeling. "Sakura-chan...Granny-Tsunade," he paused as loosened his hand, lowering it to his side. Slowly then, he recalled Sasuke's menacing expression ever since he made it back to Konoha. "I know what you're trying to say but..." Naruto grit his teeth, looked up at the door and slammed it open. "I gotta go after them just in case!"

"NARUT—" Before Sakura could even yell out his name, he was already gone. As anxiety overwhelmed her, she turned to perceive Tsunade's reaction to this.

The fifth Hokage heaved a deep and disappointed sigh. "Let him be," she said. "I would like you to go after him but I really need you to help the patients in the hospital."

Sakura's pink-coloured-eyebrows furrowed. "Yes," she said as she anxiously looked throughout the opened door.

"Hmm…" Hinata hummed as she stared at the logs she collected around the forest. "I've collected them b-but they're useless without fire…" Her head tilted to the side as she thought of possible ways to light them in fire. She then stared at the tent, wondering whether she should ask Sasuke to use his fire-style technique but she knew he wanted all the time he can get to himself, so she decided to leave him be.

"Ah!" A sudden idea occurred to her. "Maybe I can do that hand drill…"

She created a tinder nest on top of the log. "A-alright," she said to herself as she took a spindle and placed it on the bark. She then positioned the spindle between her hands and started spinning it. After hours of attempting this tiring task, she sighed in disappointment.

"T-this is too hard…" she muttered. "B-but…I must try again." She took the spindle once again, however, by the time she placed it on the bark she heard a scuffing noise.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu," Sasuke unexpectedly appeared, performing his fire-style technique. A remote amount of fire gushed out of Sasuke's lips, startling Hinata as wind blew across her face.

"I can't sleep with all that noise," he snarled. His menacing gesture frightened her a bit.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed by the fact that the noise he mentioned about was her speaking to herself. Sasuke went back inside the tent to resume his attempt to sleep. Hinata just gazed at the food and the fire, thinking about what just happened.

The flames on the logs danced around, creating sounds of static, popping and crackling. Hinata stared at it absentmindedly, enjoying the warmth the fire was emitting. "So warm," she placed her hands in front of it, smiling. She prepared food for Sasuke a while ago and placed it next to her. Her gaze then focused on his food and started thinking if she should give it to him. But seeing Sasuke's menacing expression previously frightened her not to do so.

She breathed deeply as she picked up a stick next to her. Her thoughts were full of Sasuke and…Naruto. The moment she thought of Naruto's name, the confession flashed before her immediately. Her fingers played along with the sticks, unconsciously making her draw Naruto's face on the soil.

"Naruto-kun…" she muttered as she dropped the stick beside her complete drawing. She drew Naruto's signature grin. She breathed deeply and brought her her knees towards her chest, hugging it. She missed him, she really did. It has been a while since she confessed to him yet Naruto said nothing in return. This was something to be angry about, but Hinata was understanding. Besides, she already knew about his feelings.

Sasuke stared at her through the barely opened hole of the tent's entrance. His stomach growled boisterously, annoying him endlessly. He was hungry, oh so very hungry. Tossing his pride to the side, he decided to get up and exit the tent to eat whatever Hinata had left. Though when he exited, the girl sitting across from him didn't stir despite the fact he made it evident he was going out. He walked a couple of steps behind her and saw a drawing of Naruto's face.

"You drew that dimwit," his rough voice abruptly escaped him, breaking Hinata from her thoughts. She flinched and backed away from him. "I-I'm sorry!" she apologized in reflex, and tint of red flushed her cheeks.

Sasuke didn't say anything, he just stared at her. But after a while he asked, "Why are you apologizing?"

Hinata peeked through her right eye and positioned herself demurely."I-I'm s-sor—"

She was cut off when she felt Sasuke glaring at her. "I-it's nothing," she answered, hoping he wouldn't get too angry about this.

Sasuke disregarded her statement and sat down. "I need food," he said, expecting her to have already prepared something.

"Eh?" Hinata stared at him dumbfoundedly, causing silence to follow up. Sasuke glared back at her. "Didn't you hear me? I need something to eat."

"Y-yes," Hinata flinched. "Of course, I have it right h-here..." she said as she carefully grabbed the lunch she prepared for him. Sasuke took it from her and didn't hesitate to take a bite, slow bites.

As he was eating, silence occurred once again. Hinata couldn't help but study him, which caused the man who's eating to feel slightly uncomfortable. He abruptly stopped feeding himself and just held the lunch box on his hands. "You should sleep," he demanded, not looking at her as he was focusing on his food.

Hinata widened her eyes and swiftly turned her head away from him the minute he talked. She just realized she was staring at him but that was because she didn't expect him to ask for food. "Y-yeah," she answered him as she stood up, walking towards the tent. "G-good night."

The young Uchiha disregarded her statement and just continued eating his food. His eyes absently gazed at the fire as he was eating. His night went on like this for a brief moment.

A/N: Gahhh~ I'm sorry. I know I said this many times, but looks like the story is going to be a tad bit slow since I'm writing this where all characters in character. ; 3; So bare with moi? Anyway, I wasn't really going to let Naruto chase them, but we all know how Naruto is... he won't listen to anyone when he's worried XD

So there you have it guys! :) Thanks to those who reviewed! You guys are motivating me to write more~ And just wondering, is this chapter a bit too long? If so, should I just keep them short like the first two chaps?