In the previous Chapter:
Even though she had the emotional maturity of a full adult, no amount of psychological strength can make up for her age. Her young adult optimism was only temporary. Sooner or later she would realize the disadvantages to their relationship and this will end. However, he still had plenty of time before reality would kick some sense into the girl, until then...
I must hurry, I can't leave Hinata alone with that man for too long! Sakura ran through the forest, pushing her chakra to her feet to get bigger leaps. Night was quickly approaching and she wanted to at least get to their first destination. She tried shaking off the thought of an unconscious or possibly missing Hinata and returning to find no one.
As she approached where she had left them she could hear voices. "Hinata Im back!" Sakura huffed and saw that both the Snake and the Hyuuga were sitting peacefully having a pleasant conversation. They noticed her arrival and stood up. "I-I have the leafs." Sakura panted handing them to Hinata, she threw Orochimaru a glare from the corner of her eyes daring him quietly to try anything.
"I'll finish on another time." Orochimaru deadpanned with a sigh.
"Thank you Sakura. Here Orochimaru-sensei I have some hot water here." Hinata fumbled through her bag, looking for her spare thermal canteen.
"We need to double our pace. We lost a lot of day light, if we can get to our first check point before night I can avoid having to deal with Tsunade later." Orochimaru grumbled as resumed leading the way.
What the heck?! He didn't even thank me! I had to run all that way and he just moves on! Sakura fumed angrily, her hand clenched in a tight fist but nonetheless she bite her tongue. The last thing she wanted was to provoke any conflicts between the group and with Hinata here she had to be extra careful not to put her in any danger. "Come on Hinata! Really, how can you stand him? Your patience rivals that of a buddha."
The two girls followed behind the Sannin. It was then she noticed something was different about Hinata. "Hinata...your hair...was it always up?" Sakura asked. She looked at how nicely her bangs framed her face and with her normal length pulled back it made her think of a doll. Her face flushed a light red as she began to fumble her words. "Teehee. Don't get so flustered you look nice with your hair pulled back like that. Your face isn't hidden underneath that curtain of hair. You know Im sure Naruto would like it."
Hinata's heart skipped a beat at the name. Naruto... she continued to look forward at Orochimaru. She saw as he snuck a look at Sakura, his face slightly stiff, no doubt suppressing himself. He then looked at her and locked eyes. Don't tell me that made you jealous! Honestly Orochimaru! A smile spread on her lips. "Naruto...he hasn't crossed my mind recently. Have you heard anything from him?" Hinata turned to Sakura. Even though she hadn't minded before, she knew everyone knew about her less than subtle affection for him. In recent times though someone else was her new source for affection and with self respect to herself. She carried herself with a little more confidence as she awaited Sakura's reply, no she wasn't going to lose her composure anymore...not for him at least.
Sakura was taken aback at the lack of enthusiasm. Or more so, the normal reaction of Hinata. Usually she would be fumbling and a nervous wreck at the mere mention of her teammate. Hinata...you really have grown a lot since then havent you? Sakura cleared her throat and replied sheepishly. "N-no actually. I haven't heard anything from him...or anything about Sasuke. With all the damages I have been busy at the hospital and helping Lady Tsunade with her recovery."
At that moment Orochimaru let out a small scoff that mocked Sakura's words. "Still recovering? Really now! Tsunade is being quite the baby. Speaking of Naruto, he cut me in half once when he was in 4 tails form. But I guess time is catching up with Tsunade, quite the pity." Orochimaru leered as Sakura was visibly insulted by his words.
"Don't you dare belittle Lady Tsunade you Snake! I'd like to see you go toe to toe with her without using your forbidden technique, then lets see who will come out on top!" Sakura growled through her teeth. No I can't let him get to me! Im better than this. His mind tricks wont get under my skin. She sneered at Orochimaru as she choose her words carefully. "But since you bring up time, how long will that Zetsu body last exactly? Sooner or later it will begin to rot right?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at the taunt. Just as clever as always this girl. He let out a chuckle in his throat that sent goosebumps through the two girls. "As sharp as ever Sakura. I forgot you can be quite clever at times, but as it so happens this one will last me for quite some time though there is also my other goal..." Orochimaru let his sentence hang in the air. The two girls were smart enough to know what he meant.
Hinata looked nervously at him. That's right he wanted the sharingan, b-but he still wants to go after Sasuke-kun for it? Or is he just saying it to get under Sakura's skin? Hinata saw the pink haired kunoichi glare daggers at the man, her heart dropped as she saw her hand reach for a kunai. With force Sakura burst more chakra to the soles of her feet propelling her forward. She drew her kunai above her head ready to stab Orochimaru in the shoulder. Without a second thought Hinata launched herself towards Sakura.
Caught off guard by the timid Hinata, both girls fell to the ground. Sakura's kunai slid on the ground away from sight as she was pinned down by Hinata. "Auugh, Hinata? What, why..?" For a moment Sakura lay still in shock of Hinata's defense. She hadn't expected the Hyuuga to come to Orochimaru's defense. It was then that Sakura saw something that sent chills through her spine. Within the heiresses pupil-less eyes she saw a fierceness directed at her. That look in her eye...she has never had this look, ever!
"Hinata, careful!" Orochimaru pulled Hinata from her shoulders off of Sakura as he gave the pink hair kunoichi some distance. He looked at Sakura wearily as the shock of Hinata's pounce had stunned her senses. "Hinata you shouldn't have intervened. Im more than capable of taking care of her. You could have gotten hurt." He whispered in her ear, his lips playfully close to her ear. He resisted the urge to nib at it and instead let his hand run through her hair. The strands soft against the skin as he drew his hand back. He managed to get a small blush from her cheeks as she looked at him with tendering eyes, the stone cold glare she had given Sakura melting as she looked at him.
He stepped forward and looked down at Tsunade's disciple. "It appears I have hit a nerve, let me remind you kindly to control your temper. Don't try and act so cocky of your strength girl. You may have been taught by my former teammate but you are completely useless to me, serving no more purpose than a pitiful watchdog. If you get in the way of the mission I will see fit to put you in your place." With that said Orochimaru motioned for Hinata to follow and resumed their travel.
Hinata folded her arms impatiently as she stood in front of Sakura. She didn't dare stare her in the face again or the amount of disgust she felt for the pink kunoichi at that moment would be apparent. She heard as she shakily stood to her feet, her stare at the back of her head almost itching her scalp. "Come on Sakura we must not fall behind." Without looking at her Hinata followed behind Orochimaru.
Through the rest of the trip all three remained silent. Sakura felt an awkward tension in the air from the other two members. She wasn't sure whether to be unsettled more by Orochimaru's seeming threat or Hinata's reaction. Why would she step in to protect him? I know she is his student but to confront me in his defense? He must be pulling some strings on her. Thats it! I have to keep him away from her as much as possible, anything he touches or is near becomes corrupted. Just like with Sasuke...no I will not let Hinata be corrupted too! She may be timid and gentle but I am not.
It wasn't long before they were at the edge of the forest in an opening. A small village was beginning to turn on its lanterns as night fell. It was obvious this was meant as a resting point as the most common buildings were inns and taverns. Despite its small size the streets looked compacted with people from all around, both peasant and shinobi alike. "Stay close." Orochimaru ordered as he pulled his hood over his head and began to lead the way through the maze. He grabbed a hold of Hinata's hand giving a small squeeze as he lead her through with Sakura holding onto the Hyuuga. He wanted to have another word with her but without Sakura's presence.
Hinata understood his subtle message and squeezed back. "Ah here we are." Orochimaru turned sharply into an alley that lead down to an underground tunnel. Hinata let go of his hand and was a little puzzled. "You have got to be kidding me. What is it with you and being underground?! Seriously you take this snake thing a little too far!" Sakura grumbled. She shivered at the thought of being potentially trapped in a claustrophobic space beneath the earth.
Orochimaru rolled his eyes at the girls. Even Hinata was being a little hesitant. "Well unless you prefer to stay with the unflattering crowd you are more than free to. I on the other hand prefer to be away from everyone else's eyes." Orochimaru walked in disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel. "Hey wait a minute! Geez can you believe him Hinata?" Sakura grumbled. Hinata let out a heavy sigh. It was obvious Sakura was not going to even try and get along with Orochimaru today, hopefully this tunnel was just a front and a nice place was awaiting on the other side. "Come on Sakura, stop complaining. The sooner we get to where we are staying the sooner we can finally rest."
Sakura blushed at Hinata's behavior, she was feeling ashamed of complaining now. Well... if Hinata can put up with him so can I! She isn't complaining so neither should I! After all I am the stronger of the two here! Yeah, that's right! I have to stay strong. If Im lucky maybe I can also find some information about Orochimaru that can work to my advantage. Sakura followed closely behind Hinata, nervous as their foot steps echoed through the brick walls.
They didn't walk long before they came into a clearing. There was a small pond along with a tall building that had beautiful flower patches. It appeared to be dark inside with only small clusters of light spread throughout the property and no visible windows. They could hear voices of other patrons eating dinner inside indicating others knew of this place. Both girls stared in awe at the atmosphere. It seemed almost enchanting with the night falling around them. "My holes in the ground are cozy and away from public eye, I enjoy my solitude." Orochimaru slid open the entrance door and gestured for the girls to walk inside.
Sakura scolded herself mentally at giving him any doubt, the inn if you could call it that was extremely lavish. There was drapery on the walls and scrolls with paintings of various scenes of stories. "What is this place doing down here?" Sakura murmured to herself. However she was overheard by Orochimaru. "Definitely not a family inn. There are quite a handful of these throughout every country I know of. They give service to the more...frowned upon individuals of society." Sakura looked about the room and noticed the doors had a slot on the sides which paper could be slided in. Some had these papers but each was different. One was the picture of an eel, another of a hammer, there was also a snake...
There seemed to be no hostess of any kind in sight. "Hey is this one ours?" Sakura pointed to the one with the snake. Orochimaru ignored the pink hair and walked through one of the corridors as if he were at home. "Don't be silly, I don't use snakes for everything. That would be retarded." Orochimaru deadpanned slightly agitated with the incorrect assumption.
The two kunoichi quickly trailed behind him attempting to get as much of the layout memorized as they walked along. They could hear muffled voices coming from the rooms but it was hard to hear any distinguishable words. The walls must be sound proof. Sakura thought to herself. Appropriate for the shady they arrived at a door near the end of the property that had a white flower tag on the side. Orochimaru opened the door and let himself in as the two girls followed.
Almost immediately their eyes feel on the occupant inside. He was eating a salad at the table with a cup of water on the side. He gave a small wave of acknowledgment to the newly arrived teammates. "Hope you don't mind I started without you. It is 7 and time for dinner."
"K-Kabuto! Why are you here?!" Sakura was astonished at the sudden appearance of the silver haired man. Little was known about him after the battle and Orochimaru refused to divulge any information about the spectacled man. He somehow had convinced the council to desist any attempts of tracking him much to Sakura's disappointment. She had wanted to make him atone for all the damages done. "I called him to help us. Having two medics at our disposal is quite the upper hand and being a spy nearly all his life, I find his abilities will be useful in tracking down our culprit faster." Orochimaru explained taking off his cloak and tossing it aside.
"Yakushi, Kabuto its nice to meet you." Hinata piped up giving a small bow. Kabuto turned to her somewhat interested. Hinata Hyuuga and Sakura Haruno? This is a rather odd combination for Lord Orochimaru to be paired with. Although its obvious Sakura is here acting as Lady Tsunade's eyes, Hinata has her bloodline trait to perhaps subdue Lord Orochimaru? No, there are plenty of other more capable Hyuuga and she is an heiress. So what is her deal?"
Orochimaru saw Kabuto's eyes linger on Hinata. "Sakura is here under Lady Tsunade's request and as the main medic of the group. Hinata here is my most recent pupil. I made a deal with the Leaf Village and the Hyuuga Clan was kind enough to offer me some hospitality." He watched as the silver haired man settled the doubt he had on his mind. "I assume this won't be a problem for you in particular...right Sakura-chan?" Orochimaru sneered at her unfavorable position. In her mind she probably thought she had Hinata on her side but in reality if it came down to it she was at a severe disadvantage being three to one.
Sakura chewed on the side of her mouth in frustration as she looked from one face to another. "I have to send a report to Tsunade tonight so it'll arrive by tomorrow morning. Should I include Kabuto in said report or was this quiet planning on your part." Orochimaru didn't have an honest answer and looked towards Kabuto to reply. "I suppose you would have to sooner or later. If your not being followed already when we arrive at Mist no doubt Konoha shinobi will report in to Tsunade as well. It's alright Sakura you can be honest in your report." Kabuto smiled a rehearsed smile and the pink haired kunoichi retreated further into the house with a final scoff.
"I see she isn't going to make our journey very enjoyable." Kabuto grumbled, his face changing dramatically to one of annoyance. "Don't worry it won't be for long. We just have to find an appropriate moment when to shake her off. For now at least we have to keep her with us." Orochimaru assured his former assistant as he set water to boil. Kabuto looked nervously at Hinata and back at Orochimaru a little astonished he would speak openly like this in front of the girl. Hinata saw his mistrust in her and quickly tried to explain herself. "Don't worry I am on Orochimaru's side. Sakura is...a friend so to speak but this mission doesn't concern her. I agree we should shake her off as quickly as possible after arriving at Mist."
Kabuto saw the sincerity in her stand and relaxed. "I can't imagine someone so sweet like you would take sides with Lord Orochimaru. Forgive me but I thought of you as naive as well." Hinata giggled at his opinion of her but nonetheless, she had to at least cooperate with the silver haired shinobi for Orochimaru's sake. "Hinata I've been meaning to have a word with you...on the subject of Sakura." Hinata became serious as she listened for her instructions. "Keep a close eye on her. I feel she may also have her own agenda on behalf of Tsunade. Though I am not certain. I trust you to find out any hidden motives she may have and keep her trust in you strong. As infuriating as it maybe, perhaps playing the weakling role will come in handy with her."
Hinata considered his words carefully. He was right...she hated the idea. However, he did have a point there. Sakura is determined, strong-willed, foul-tempered, and at times over-confident in her abilities or under-confident. If she exposed her new self to her it may make Sakura weary of Hinata and arise suspicion to herself. "Please excuse me." Hinata bowed a small smile playing on her lips. She left the two men alone as she went after Sakura to keep an eye on the pink haired kunoichi. After today's fuss she had to regain her trust. She had no choice but to play the weakling, in the long run though it will most likely prove a wise decision for an opening later on.
Kabuto looked on nervously as Hinata left him and Lord Orochimaru alone. Something else also caught his attention. The way the heiress walked...was not the same as Sakura. "What are you thinking Kabuto? A rather powerful mix we are, aren't we?" Orochimaru chuckled. Ruffling his own hair, Kabuto shook his head slowly. It was obvious his former master had an influence on the once timid girl. However, Orochimaru didn't seem at all bothered by the "weak" burden. The only logical conclusion is that his training has proven effective with the soft Hyuuga, so much so that he didn't mind her. "No. Frightful is a more adequate word. Wouldn't you agree?"
Sorry for the late update~Stay Awesome! :3