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 XLII

After a month of travelling an endless road battling every now and then, Sasuke is finally facing the man he once saved, treated as a friend yes he did thought of Shin as a friend even though he irks him to no end with Hinata's closeness with him and now a traitor to them. He felt nothing but pure loathing and rage towards him, the same feeling he once felt towards Itachi before knowing the truth and to Danzo the mastermind of his family and clan's demise.

"Naruto do us both a favor and don't go in between us, this is between him and me!" Sasuke warned seethingly to his friend Naruto and discarded his poncho and Hinata's sword before lunching himself towards the raven haired rinnegan user with his chidori katana covered in amaterasu's black flames.

Shin smirked, "Still impatient as before Uchiha!" He dived towards Sasuke to meet his attack with his own masamune.

When their swords meet Shin saw nothing but pure hatred from Sasuke, if he isn't careful he's sure to kill him this time not that he will let it happen for there is someone important waiting for him as well.

"We are just the same him and me. It just so happen we are from different side." Shin mused to himself and increased the strength he is placing in his sword attacks.

Shin's location above Sasuke gave him slight advantage against him for Shin could power his attack over him, but such disadvantage is nothing to the last Uchiha who fought with different strong shinobis before him. Without any warning amaterasu's flames from his sword grow in volume burning Shin's hand forcing him to back a little, but before Shin could recover Sasuke's strong fist connected straight to his handsome face breaking his perfect nose.

Shin coughed blood this is the first time in a long time since someone punched him straight in the face, the other one being his master Toneri.

"Sasuke remember not to kill him, he's the only one who can tell us where Hinata is!" Naruto reminded Sasuke who is now blinded with rage.

Hearing his wife's name regained his composure from his blind rage state. Yes he will not kill the traitor in front of him but he will make him feel pain and suffering he never knew before.

"I expect nothing less from you." Sasuke smirked darkly, he managed to place invisible chakra wire to Shin in preparation to one of his flame technique he'll be delivering to the traitor later.

Shin smirked back at him after wiping the blood from his nose and tossed his masamune before rushing towards Sasuke who is waiting for him to storm towards him. He tosses some exploding tags to Sasuke who easily dodges them when he leaped off the ground and in returned tossed flame shurikens to Shin that blocks them with his kunai, they parried each other's shurikens until they closed in again and started attacking each other with punches and kicks.

While the two are engaging in a heated taijutsu battle, Shin remembered his last conversation with Toneri.

"Your promise Toneri, I did what you asked me to do!" Shin snarled angrily. It's been a month now since he brought him to her and now Hinata is with him why is he still not releasing him and his sister?

"I still have a task for you to do Shin and unless you accomplish that your sister stays here." Toneri said with his back facing Shin while looking up to the moon.

"What is it?"

"Bring the Uchiha's head to me and I'll let you and your sister free."

"Rin…gomen Hinata." Shin thought to himself and tosses Sasuke away from him with a shinra tensei.

Sasuke was thrown off a few meters away from Shin but immediately recovers from the wave of energy sent to him that broke some of his ribs with the close impact of shinra tensei making it painful for him to breathe deeply. Seeing that this is the perfect chance to execute his plan he makes some complicated hand seals and screamed, "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Sasuke breathes fire from his mouth that travels through the invisible chakra wire he placed on Shin earlier targeting his upper body to burn it with great wave of flames.

"Not so fast…" Shin said as he cut the invisible chakra strings connected to his body Sasuke doesn't have a chance to blink when suddenly Shin is close to him. And blood spurting out of him…

"Just a payback…"

"How is Hinata?" Toneri asked with concern he may not admit it openly but he misses her a lot.

Since their argument a week earlier Hinata was not coming out of her room due to her weakness and depression for too much worrying about Sasuke.

"Still the same, whenever she wakes up she just cries muttering her husband's name over and over again or just stares blankly at the wall in her room until sleep will come to her again." Rin said sadly, she's also concerned about Hinata's state for she misses their story telling about her husband, Konoha and her friends.

Toneri sighs, "I'll talk to her is she awake?"

"Hai."

"Stay here." He instructed and entered Hinata's room.

Toneri sat at the chair beside Hinata's bed and hold her hand where her bones are prominently showing due to lack of nourishment she's taking.

"Hinata…" He called softly this time not in his usual authoritative voice.

Hinata did not move she just remained staring into the wall.

"I hate seeing you like this knowing I am the cause of it." His usual cold blue eyes soften when he saw the lifeless eyes in Hinata's white eyes as he lifts her chin to look at them."What do you want me to do Hinata to make you come back to your usual self?"

"I want to see him. I want to see my husband." Hinata said without emotion.

Toneri leans his forehead over hers, his heart beating rapidly at such contact with his princess and questioned the question that will either make or break him.

"If I let you see him will you come back to me?"

"Yes."

Toneri sighed, "Fine…"

"S-Shin!" Naruto yelled his sapphire eyes widen in shock (did he just only watch Shin as he stabbed his best friend) and he didn't do anything to stop it!

"Damn you!" Sasuke said as he put his hand on his stab wound (on his shoulder) putting a pressure over his bleeding flesh.

"It's fine you'll live…"

Shin wanted nothing but to just kill Sasuke right then but the image of a bedridden Hinata flashed through his eyes making him stop and change the course of his attack (right at the last second).

Both Sasuke and Naruto are surprised with what just happened, why did Shin suddenly stopped and lowered his sword when he can clearly end Sasuke's life.

"I…" Shin was about to say something but Sasuke held him by his clothes glaring coldly to his downcast eyes.

"Sasuke stop it can't you see he doesn't want to fight anymore?" Naruto called from behind and shoved Sasuke away from Shin making the later drop his hold on Shin.

"You better explain everything or I will kill you right here for holding back on me!" Sasuke warned his voice full of anger.

Shin reached for his pocket where a picture of a young Rin smiling happily before the tragic incident in their family occurred and showed it to Naruto.

"She's my younger sister Rin…my most important person."

Naruto stares at the picture and to Shin to look for any resemblance between them, the beautiful young girl does resemble Shin a lot except for their eyes.

"She's cute."

"That picture was taken before our parents are killed and since then Rin cannot walk and is blind. I worked as a mercenary working for different leaders to provide for her until Toneri took interest in my skills. He took my sister as a hostage for me to do anything he wants that includes bringing him to Hinata and killing you Uchiha for her to forget about you. I was willing to kill you if it meant freedom for me and Rin but then I saw the image of Hinata lying weakly in her bed making me stop from what I was about to do." Shin said with all honesty, he didn't know why he confided the burden in his heart with the two men he betrayed but it felt right doing so.

Sasuke closed his eyes clenching his fists tightly that are crackling with small sparks of blue lightning a sign of unreleased anger he's feeling at the moment. Hearing from Shin the condition his pregnant wife is in made him uneasy and angry at the same time.

"I know I did you both a lot of wrong but I will help you save Hinata if you will help me rescue my sister." Shin is a prideful person but in order to save his only family left he will swallow his damn pride and ask the two powerful shinobi's in front of him help save his sister while he will help them reach Toneri's castle in return.

"What do you say Sasuke?" Naruto asked grinning for they will now finally reach Hinata and save her and help Shin save his sister as well.

Although Sasuke hasn't forgiven him yet for his wrong doings before he nods once and walks away from them. "Wait for me Hinata, I'm coming to save you."

Author's Note:Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites and to those reading SH.