Sakura can feel Sai's anxiety before he even turns to them. He stands silent, waiting for instructions.
Lady Hinata is trying to ride the cramp keeping her breathing under control. "Is it going down?" Sakura asks, and her lady nods along, a shivering breath leaving her mouth.
"Ok, good."
Sai gives a step inside the room, "Should I call for Lord Minato?"
"No." Sakura is shaking her head before he even finishes. They will call for Lord Minato when they need Lord Naruto here. And by the looks of it, Lady Hinata is just at the very beginning of labor. "We have to wait."
Sai stands still, his eyes focused on Lady Hinata. His hands aching in need to be of use. "Should I- should I bring something?"
Not like he could just go and get something. They are in hiding, even here. He would have to ask for the one servant allowed here, or Lady Hanabi, or Lord Hiashi. And he knows none of them are available now.
"I'm f-fine," Lady Hinata shares. Her body is more relaxed now, her arm resting instead of grabbing at Sakura's. Her gaze now glued to her medic, "This is… it has to get h-harder, right?"
Sakura nods. "Yes. Yes, the contractions will get harder in time, your cervix has to dilate to let the baby out."
"How long- how long w-will it take?"
"Depends on every woman. It can go from 12 to 24 hours, my lady."
Hinata snorts. "F-fun."
"If you can stand." Sakura grabs Lady Hinata's hand, brings her other hand to her shoulder. "It can help you withstand the pain better, make the contractions easier."
Whatever can help her, if these contractions are to work as a baseline. Hinata stands with the help of Sakura and they stand inside their small room. They look at each other, knowing they can't really go out and strut around the compound.
"Maybe we could use the hallway," offers Sai, and Hinata gives him a smile.
"I'll go ahead and ready the room, then." Sakura starts opening the bags she brought along as well as taking out the blankets she had asked Lord Hiashi to prepare beforehand. Her hands move steady and with intention, but she can't help the way her heart seems to beat at her throat.
The young lord is coming.
Itachi keeps himself quiet and lets the sound around him surround his presence, helping him keep hidden. He doesn't know what to make of him finding members of the Uchiha so quickly.
Lord Naruto had told him his information had come in handy. So he's sure they were able to confirm the routes he had shared.
But why would Madara keep the same routes unchanged?
Pure pride, most likely.
The Uchiha group remains close and Itachi tails them. They haven't noticed him, and they won't notice him until it's too late.
The group grows lax the more distance they put between their mission and though Itachi could try to pry information from afar by eavesdropping, he decides otherwise.
They are a small group. Small enough to be at a disadvantage in any other mission. And enough for Itachi to overcome without them even noticing. What can 4 people do to an Uchiha who has mastered the sharingan?
He feels him a second before seeing him standing tall in front of him. A second later and his face would have crashed into Itachi's chest. Itachi.
The man who ran from his own clan and allegedly betrayed them all.
The only man who seemed to have a chance at standing against Madara in their ranks.
The only man who they have all agreed, they would rather avoid.
The man that came out in their conversations and they spent time and time again coming up with strategies as to how to outwit him. Escape him. Evade him.
He doesn't know why Itachi hasn't put him under the sharingan's influence, but at least this means he has a chance to get out of this alive. Earn himself some time for his teammates to catch up on his absence. For them to look for him.
He jumps. Keeps his distance and throws technique after technique towards Itachi. He can barely see the man dodging the fire balls thrown at him. His chakra will deplete shortly thanks to this, but better to reach the limit of his chakra than to lose his life.
Once he is under the sharingan's illusion there's no escaping it. He won't be able to escape whatever Itachi wishes for him to happen.
He squats on a branch. His eyes glued to Itachi's figure moving around, barely a shadow. His mind intent on keeping himself as far as possible.
For as long as he can.
The whole venture doesn't last long, as Itachi remains at a distance and none of his attacks land. Not even near the man.
"Have you calmed down?" Itachi asks, and the man is too scared to even scoff in answer.
"You are the one that came out of nowhere and all."
"Sure, but I did not attack you."
His breathing is labored and all kinds of thoughts are swirling inside his mind. "And what do you want?"
"To talk."
Itachi's voice is soft, as always, and he's out there in the open, looking vulnerable. And he lets himself believe -maybe foolishly- that this man is here for just a chat. He falls to the ground and lets himself unguarded, but at a distance.
"What about?"
"Could you share with me any news about the clan?"
Now he snorts. "You do realize you are thought of as a traitor, right?" Itachi's eyes remain on him, but he makes a point of keeping his gaze on the mans' chest. Not like Itachi would have that much trouble forcing eye contact.
"What do you want to know?" he continues. Information is important, but it comes after his own life.
"What's Madara doing now?"
His eyes to every part of Itachi's body but his face, he walks closer, careful step after careful step. "Waiting, as I'm sure you know. He's keeping tabs on the wife of the Nine-Tails."
Itachi remains quiet and though he tries to lengthen his words, he comes short before being in range for an attack. "So for now, we're just checking movement and planning, you know," he either outruns Itachi -which is impossible- or injures him somehow and then tries to put distance between them. "The plan is still to get the Nine-Tails out and about, anyway."
Is Itachi fooled by his acting? He can only hope so. One chance, he has, if any at all. He sends chakra to his legs, keeps his attitude calm and unassuming until he feels the distance is close enough to go for an attack.
He's up in Itachi's face the next moment, his hand on his kunai. Everything feels correct, he may still have a chance. Itachi doesn't react and he digs the kunai deep into the man's stomach. He twists for good measure. He intends to jump backward the next moment but his feet are glued to the ground.
He fights it for a couple seconds, until realization starts creeping in.
Itachi's hand rests on his shoulder. His voice soft as always. "Thank you."
Ah. Of course. It was Itachi for fuck's sake. He never stood a chance.
His eyes fly upward, towards Itachi's. They are black still. But it is a fact he is under the sharingan's technique. And when Itachi uses it…
Nice yet deadly. He could have tortured the information out of him, yet he chose to get it through conversation. Were his other teammates under an illusion too?
None of them will come out of it alive.
At the end of the day, no matter how nice Itachi seems, how tame his appearance looks, this is the same man who killed his own parents when he was given the order.
Sakura keeps the checkups constant. She takes notes in a paper of Hinata's contractions. But although they seem to keep on coming they are not enough for Naruto to come.
And Hinata so desperately wants him here with her. But she keeps quiet. She keeps on walking with Sai for a while through the corridor. Then she takes a rest. Sakura guides her through the more powerful contractions, then time keeps on ticking. Hanabi comes check on her, then her father. Both visits are cut short, because life must keep on as usual. Lord Minato is calm and only strengthens his inspections.
Hinata's safety depends on this.
She sits and tries to read, caresses her belly as she takes deep breaths. Walks some more. Sakura and Sai try to keep her mind off the fact that she is soon to give birth. And they mostly succeed.
Until Sai offers to walk again down the hallway, and half-way through, as Sai is talking about something Hinata can't really hear, she feels herself pee. A trickle down her legs that she can't stop and then a splosh that makes her grab at her torso.
Sai is next to her, his arms around her back. "Lady Sakura," he says. His voice calm yet filled with emotion.
They walk slowly towards the room and sit Lady Hinata into the bed Sakura prepared.
Sakura's hand moves along Lady Hinata's belly. Everything is normal. And then she waits and looks at her lady.
A couple of seconds later Hinata's face contorts in pain and she does her best to keep the moan of pain inside her mouth. She half succeeds. Sakura can only pat her back.
"When it's time for labor I'll give you something for the pain, but the contractions you'll have to endure." Her voice is laced with apology and Hinata can only nod along.
"Lord Naruto," begins Sai.
"Not yet," Sakura writes down Lady Hinata's new contractions information. Her head shaking no as she answers. "Lord Minato will come eventually, just wait."
Lady Hinata sits and then lays on the bed. The pain disappears, but her heart is still thumping in her chest. Feeling nervous about what's to come.
Sai looks nervous like she has never seen him before. His hands stiff at his thighs, he sits and then stands, then sits again. His attempts at talking make Hinata laugh and then another contraction comes.
Sakura checks on her, times the contraction then writes it down. Sai looks at her for whatever new order she may give, but she doesn't. They have to wait still.
Lord Minato comes to find Lady Hinata lying on her bed, in the middle of one of her contractions. He holds his breath with her, reminiscing about times long gone.
Sakura informs him that the contractions are coming faster each time, but they are still too much apart.
Sai sits in the corner of the room, then leaves to guard the door when Lord Minato sits near Hinata.
Her forehead is pearled with sweat and she's doing her best to calm her breathing as she's coming from a contraction. He brings his hand to her hair, gently patting down her head. "You're doing so good."
Lady Hinata looks up to him and he doesn't know if it's him or his words but she breaks down and she hurries to hide her head on his legs. Her arms grabbing at his clothes.
He doubles over, "It's okay, you're okay." He hears her shuddering, "we're all here for you." There are still a few hours till night, so neither her father nor her sister can come in freely. But he knows what she's probably wishing right now anyways. His hand presses at her back, little pats to calm her down.
"Don't worry, Naruto will be here when you need him, okay? Just hang in there. The moment you feel it's too much, you tell me and he'll be here in a moment. Okay?"
Lady Hinata's sniveling face nods against him, but she doesn't let go.
And he doesn't leave.