Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and its characters. M rated scenes and proofreading credits goes to Shirahane Aikawa, thanks a lot to her help and kindly read her stories here in this site as well.
Chapter XXXVI
Hinata felt dizzy walking under the scorching heat the summer sun emits, they have been walking under this weather for three hours now since leaving the Hidden Leaf village. Being a shinobi their bodies are used to changes in weather, however for some reason Hinata is feeling under the weather
"Are you alright do you want to rest for a while?" Sasuke asked softly upon seeing Hinata walking wobbly.
"Yes…I'm just feeling under the weather I guess." Hinata said looking flushed than usual.
Sasuke sighs and kneels in one knee. "I'll carry you on my back and you can't say no."
Although Hinata doesn't want to impose on her husband, she lets him carry her on his back.
"Why is Sasuke carrying Hinata on his back?" Naruto asked seeing Sasuke carry Hinata like they're newlywed.
Shin simply ignored the other four ninja and (concentrated on) walking. There are a lot of things on his mind right now he has a lot of questions but has no answers to any of them. (That's why he doesn't have a time and care) to even bother himself with their 'little' problem.
After another good one hour walk they finally reached the underground cave that will lead them to Hidden Waterfall village.
"You can put me down now Sasuke-kun I'm fine now."
Sasuke lowers her down and they proceeded to travel towards the complicated entrance leading to the Hidden Waterfall Village.
Upon reaching the said village, Shin's body suddenly felt cold from head to foot.
"What is this feeling?" Shin thought to himself.
"Welcome and thank you for coming in our village, as you can see we are starting to rebuild our village back to its former glory." Shibuki said upon seeing his guests.
"The pleasure are ours Shibuki-sama, Kakashi-sama wants us to give this to you." Hinata said happily handing over a diplomatic scroll Kakashi sent for him.
Shibuki safe keeps the diplomatic scroll inside his kimono pocket and said, "Follow me to the sacred tree, we shall be offering our prayers first for those who died before having a feast."
Sasuke have been keeping a close eye on Shin watching his every move since entering the village. While Naruto walks closely behind Shin and Hinata looking around checking for any suspicious activity and Sakura waiting to move if anything goes wrong.
The sacred tree that was cut into two is tied together in the middle and is being restored back by meticulous measures by tree experts in the village. Upon seeing the sacred tree suddenly a series of blurry flashes has been coming back to him all at once.
"How long has it been?"
"I thought I told you to do it…"
"You promised me…"
"Don't ever let go…"
"Run away!"
"No!"
"Shin, Shin." Naruto called shaking Shin who suddenly has a blank look on his face.
Shin snaps back to the present and violently shoves Naruto.
"What the heck Shin, what just happened and why did you shove me?" Naruto asked loud enough that Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura heard him.
"What's wrong?" The cold voice of Sasuke asked.
"Nothing that concerns you Uchiha." Shin said icily trying to keep a throbbing pain he suddenly felt in his head at bay.
"Are you sure you don't look so well." Hinata said upon noticing the cold sweat forming on Shin's forehead.
"Shut up your voice is making me sick..." Shin returned and wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with the sleeve of his kimono.
Sasuke was about to say something but Hinata stopped him mouthing the words, "We are in Hidden Waterfall Village behave."
Sasuke scoffs but nonetheless follows Hinata.
"Do you want some medicine or something?" Sakura asked to Shin who is now holding his forehead.
"No I'm fine..." Shin said looking away but it's obvious that he's having a hard time breathing and a cold sweat running down his skin.
"It's better if you guys go on ahead to the ceremony hall I'll stay here just in case he needs help…like we all know he needs he's just a tsundere like Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said as she couldn't help but to tease Sasuke who actually was about to say something about it but decided to keep his mouth shut.
"But that's true Sasuke-teme…" Naruto teased his best friend with an irresistible boyish grin on his face.
"Are you sure you'll be all right? We'll stay here with you Sakura-san…" Hinata said worriedly she doesn't really want to leave both Sakura and Shin (she was still worried about the latter) he still didn't have his memories and as much as possible she wants to be there for him. (For her it felt like it's her responsibility to help him in some way)
Sakura sighed, "Don't worry Hinata it's fine we'll follow soon when he recover..." the pinkette reassured the former Hyuga Heiress.
"But…"
"Let's just go Hinata…" Sasuke said annoyed by his wife's concern for Shin and as much as he hate it to admit it pisses him off (and he's already in breaking point with the guy and one of these days any wrong move from Shin will surely set him off).
"W-wait S-Sasuke-kun…" Hinata said as she was being dragged by her husband towards the Ceremony Hall.
Naruto chuckled, "Sasuke-teme is jealous…it's amusing…"
Sakura scoffed, "Like you're no different than him…"
"W-What? What was that about Sakura…"
"Never mind…" Sakura shrug her shoulders while she glance back to Shin who was sitting by the shade of the tree not too far from them.
After offering prayers to the dead, a feast was held that the remaining survivors prepared for everyone. Some signature dishes of the Hidden Waterfall Village are served. As they were eating Hinata suddenly felt like throwing up the fish she just ate.
"Hinata." Sasuke called after seeing her holding her mouth with her hand trying to keep the food in her mouth.
"I…I'm fine."
"If I knew you were sick I would have left you back at our home."
"Go-"
"Don't say sorry it's not your fault, but next time tell me ahead that you are not feeling well so I would know."
"Hai." Hinata said lowering her head, she doesn't know why she suddenly felt sick all of a sudden when she was fine yesterday and the days before.
"You are not eating why?" Naruto said as he stuffs some fish meat in his mouth
"I'm not hungry." Shin said and drinks a cup full of sake.
Naruto pouts before he continue devouring his meal.
After eating Hinata asked permission from Shibuki if they could walk along the village to look for clues they might have missed the first time they went there. Shibuki granted their request and they proceeded to walk along the village.
"Do you want to see where we rescued you Shin?" Hinata asked.
"Hn, sure." Shin replied and shrug his shoulders as if it was not an interesting thing to do.
Reaching the lake where Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto rescued Shin, Shin on the other hand is clutching his forehead as another headache course through him.
"Arghhh!" Shin whimpered in pain.
"Shin!" Sakura called worriedly and went near Shin.
"W-What's the matter now Shin are you okay?"
"I'm fine just leave me alone…"
That night,
Shin is looking up the sky still asking himself things that clouding his mind. He has no memory of anything he only know his name and nothing else besides that. It's frustrating not knowing anything.
"I've been looking for you…" A voice said from behind him.
Shin look away, "What do you want…" he said sharply.
Sakura sighed as she sits down beside the sullen Shin.
"Don't worry everything is going to be fine…" she said trying to reassure Shin she knows that she's only known him for three weeks but she feels like she had known him for a while. And ever since they spent time together (on the shopping incident) she felt a lot closer with him, "I know you'll say that how can I know that everything will be okay…but I'm telling you one thing Shin…always think positive and slowly you'll feel things will be lighter inside you…"
"H-How…"
"Hmm?" Sakura hmmed looking at Shin who turned away with an obvious blush on his cheeks.
"Don't hold yourself back you can ask I'm not going to tell anyone…" she said lightly teasing the blushing boy. "Oh my god Kami-sama he's so hot…Damn it Sakura stop!" Sakura thought to herself as her inner-Sakura unleashes inside her head.
"H-How can I not hold myself back..?" Shin slowly asked the pinkette.
"Just choose to be happy let yourself to feel free…"
"Be happy and let myself be free…" Shin repeated Sakura's words.
"Yes…." Sakura nodded with a smile.
Little did they know that a pair of eyes is watching them from afar…
The next day, Sasuke and Hinata dropped by Shibuki's place to send their goodbyes for they are needed to return to Hidden Leaf Village as soon as possible, leaving the still sleeping Naruto, Shin and Sakura in the inn they rented.
Walking back to the inn, the sharp senses Sasuke and Hinata made them aware of the pair of eyes watching them since leaving their inn and lead them in an open space to deal with them without destroying some structures that are being rebuilt in the village.
Hinata closed her eyes and when she opened it again her byakugan is fully active and pointed to the direction where the three men are closing in. "There!"
Sasuke does some hand seals to produce shuriken in his arm band seal that conceals his shurikens and tosses the flame covered shuriken towards his enemies.
However his enemies only dodged the flame shurikens and separate themselves into two groups, two shinobi in front of sasuke and one in front of Hinata.
"Who are you and why are you following us?" Sasuke asked angrily, he hates it when someone tries to ambush him with Hinata.
"It doesn't matter who we are Uchiha." One shinobi in front of Sasuke mocked and closed his eyes for a short time and when he re-opened it his eyes looked like the description of the eyes the attackers of the villages had.
"You are the attackers!" Sasuke snarled and attacked his opponents at the same time. Even if it was an unfair fight, Sasuke manages to block his opponents simultaneous punching and kicking.
"Byakugan no Hime, although I am not to harm you I will still test your skills." Hinata's opponent said and run towards her.
"Byakugan no Hime?" Hinata asked to herself and went into the defense stance of gentle fist.
When Hinata's opponent closed in on her, he immediately throw fast punches and kicks that Hinata easily dodges.
"Defending is not enough." Hinatas's opponent said and produced miniature yellow orbs in his hand and tossed them to Hinata at rapid succession.
Hinata manages to narrowly evade the orbs and when her opponent was out of orbs, Hinata tosses some exploding tag at her opponent but easily escapes it however the next thing Hinata did caught him off guard.
Hinata appeared directly in front of her opponent and with her lion fist hands she hit her opponent with 8 Trigrams 32 Palms that he was not able to defend.
"It can't be." Her opponent said before Hinata's lion fist connected to his body.
Hinata was catching her breath after her attack with her opponent badly beaten on the ground.
"Serves you right for underestimating my wife." Sasuke said to himself when he saw what happened.
"I've had enough of this!" Sasuke pushes his opponents and does complicated hand seals exclusive to the Uchiha clan. ""Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" A huge ball of flames comes out of Sasuke's mouth burning his opponents' clothes who manages to dodge the technique on time.
With their upper clothes burned, they tear it away and Sasuke saw distinctive tattoo of cross with daggers surrounding it inked to their chest. However Sasuke was only able to catch a glimpse of it as they disappear with Hinata's downed opponent.
"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked to Hinata after their opponents disappeared.
"Hai, how about you Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked looking at the handsome face of her husband
"Yes, we should hurry back to our team there is something I want to confirm."
Shin woke up with a massive headache and was still lying in bed when Sasuke forcibly pulls him.
"Sasuke-kun he just woke up what's the big idea?" Sakura asked after seeing what Sasuke just did.
"He's with them." He cold says glaring at Shin.
"What do you mean teme?"
Sasuke shoves Shin back of the bed, "The tattoo on the nape of his neck it was the same tattoo the attackers have."
"What are you talking about Sasuke-kun, we don't have any concrete proof yet for you to accuse Shin like that." Hinata said with worry in her voice, she treats Shin as one of her valued friends.
"Shut it Hinata I don't need a weak girl like you standing up for me." Shin said coldly glaring at Hinata.
"Why you, I had enough of your insults towards my wife!" Sasuke said in anger and prepares to attack Shin but Shin unconsciously tosses Sasuke away at the far side of the room when he put his hand in front of him.
"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata screamed worriedly for her husband.
Naruto familiar with the attack for he faced Pain before said, "Did Shin just use Shinra Tensei on Sasuke?"
"Shinra Tensei? A rinnegan based attack?" Hinata asked curiously.
"Damn you!" Sasuke screamed and have a fully charged chidori on his right hand as he lunges towards Shin.
"Wait Sasuke-kun." Hinata tried to plead but it fell on deaf ears for Sasuke was blinded enough with rage towards Shin.
"Come here then Uchiha!" Shin's usual dull lavender eyes formed a ripple like pattern resembling Nagato's rinnegan eyes.
"This is serious, do something Naruto!"
Author's Note:Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites and to those reading SH. Sasuke finally loses his cool and snaps on Shin, and for those who think Shin is their son from the future with this new chapter released are your opinions still the same? Kindly leave your thoughts on the review box and see you all next week.