"I was totally gonna win, right Sakura-chan?"
"No," she scoffed. "It was Sasuke-kun's win since the very beginning."
"You're just saying that to make him feel better," Naruto pouted as he pulled out a jar.
Sakura's narrowed eyes softened as she inched closer to her teammate, as if discussing a conspiracy. "Say, where did you get that ointment?"
Sasuke's eyes briefly shifted in their direction before returning to the kunais in his hand. Instead of gossiping like the shopkeepers in the marketplace, they should be preparing themselves. If another C rank mission was available, the other teams would surely beat them to it.
"Remember Hinata, the weird girl from team eight? She gave it to me when she saw me training." A grin spread on Sakura's face as her eyes lit up in understanding. Naruto then snickered, "but she didn't give one to you, right Sasuke?"
He glanced at him, unimpressed. "Who cares about some ointment."
"Uh, yeah Naruto, Sasuke-kun doesn't need any ointment." After a slight hesitation she added, "but it was really cool of Hinata, you should take her out for ramen or something as a thank you."
Sasuke sighed, rubbing his temples as he walked away from them. Clearly their supposed instructor had ditched them once again, there was no need to deal with their never ending chatter.
After the Land of Waves fiasco, not many other missions provided the experience that he wanted but it didn't mean that he had no hope for another worthwhile mission. And if that worthwhile mission didn't appear soon, then he could do some training on his own.
As he continued forward, a puff of smoke burst in his face. Sasuke growled at the man as Sakura and Naruto rushed to his location.
"You're late!" they screeched simultaneously.
Kakashi even had the gall to look offended. At least he wasn't holding a book this time. "This is how I'm greeted after running around all morning for your sake?"
"If it's not a good mission I'm not interested," Sasuke said, crossing his arms.
"It is a mission, just unlike what you've done before," Kakashi sighed. "Hokage-sama will explain this better."
The three genin shared a confused glance.
oOo
After taking a final sip of tea, Hinata set the cup on the table and started nibbling on a pastry. It was without a doubt the best breakfast she has had in many years despite the stellar cooking of the Hyuuga branch cadets. Nothing beats a peaceful morning outside the Hyuuga compound with the kind and patient Kurenai.
The quiet chatter of people passing by their table and the jingle of the wind chimes above her made Hinata think that the quaint little breakfast place was the perfect spot to rest in after a mission. For a moment she wondered why Kurenai hadn't shown her and the rest of team eight the place, but a no pets sign caught her eye. Kiba definitely wouldn't like it.
"Did you like the cinnamon roll?" Kurenai asked as Hinata finished the pastry.
She nodded eagerly, "thank you for inviting me."
"We can drop by more often in that case," Kurenai offered immediately. It may have been a blatant violation of the well known no favorites rule, but she considered Hinata's situation special. She needed that attention.
Hinata's eyes widened and a disbelieving smile formed on her face. "Truly?"
That excitement sent a sharp pang to Kurenai's heart. The implication of her student's wish to be away from home wasn't missed. "Of course," she said. "By the way, Hinata, how is your arm?"
The girl grimaced at the memory; It wasn't a pretty injury. "It's all healed, I think I'm ready to join the exercises again."
"I'm glad." Kurenai's face sombered after a pause. "But now it's time to get down to business." Hinata tilted her head, waiting for her to continue. "Kakashi wants to try something new for his team and he needs one more genin to join them for a few days. I think it will be good for you."
The Hyuuga looked to the side, it was difficult to look at Kurenai's expectant eyes. Instead she focused her gaze on the other side of the street where a young woman in a flak jacket was pulling the hands of her teammates with excitement. They stopped in front of a stall filled with a variety of books. Hinata immediately turned her gaze to the ground, her face burning as the woman caught her eyes and gave her a friendly wave.
Hinata shook her head to herself lightly, focusing on Kurenai's words. "Um, can I know why?"
Kurenai gave her a mournful smile. "You can do so much with your life, but… I fear that your own doubts will drag you down. I want you to be confident in yourself, to be able to make decisions without fear."
Hinata sighed. Perhaps it wouldn't be that bad? Sakura was nice and Sasuke, while they weren't friendly, never bothered her. And Naruto… he was a source of inspiration. Maybe he would rub off on her if she spent time with him?
On the other side of the table Kurenai narrowed her eyes with concern as the girl paled. She watched as Hinata raised her hands to the empty tea cup before her, tapping her fingers on the porcelain though it seemed that she didn't notice. At least she seemed to be giving her words a thought. She could work with that.
Kurenai steeled herself with a deep breath. A feeling of subsequent resignation settled as she picked out her words. It was for Hinata's good. She wouldn't be able to bear it if the young girl lost her life due to the inability to make quick decisions. It was the abuse she had endured— because it was abuse what the Hyuuga clan had done to her and no one would ever be able to convince Kurenai of the contrary— that caused the internal mess in her..
"Hinata," she gently placed her hands around the tapping fingers. "I only want what is best for you and I truly think that is an opportunity for you to grow as a shinobi, and more importantly, as a person. You deserve it."
The Hyuuga's eyes hesitantly met hers with trepidation. After a moment of silence she slowly nodded and spoke quietly. "Okay. What are we supposed to do?"
By the time they reached the office where the mission would be explained, Hinata thought she had a solid idea of the objective. It wasn't quite as bad as she had imagined, but she couldn't stop herself from clutching the bottom of her sweater.
Kurenai wanted her to learn leadership qualities. Hinata knew that she was only trying to do what she believed best for her. If Kurenai-sensei thinks that I can do it… then maybe I do have a chance? Yes, good thoughts.
"I'm sorry I can't stay with you any longer," Kurenai started apologetically though she made no move to leave. After a pause she added, "I've a mission."
"It— it's alright, Kurenai-sensei, I'm sure team seven will be here soon."
"Yes…" she bit her lip before patting Hinata's head. "If you want to discuss anything, I should be back before it gets dark."
Hinata smiled appeasingly, "I'll tell you everything as soon as you're back."
Kurenai returned what she hoped was a comforting smile before disappearing in a flurry of leaves. Hinata's smile dropped from her face and was left with an uncomfortably queasy feeling in her stomach. She could mess up at any moment, and while Kurenai never got mad at her blunders, it could cost team seven an important lesson that their instructor must've crafted very carefully.
How embarrassing.
But now that she thought about it, Hinata hadn't been told what the mission was exactly. Perhaps it was just a search and retrieve type? She could be of some use in that sense. But what if—
"Mission time!"
Hinata just barely stopped herself from jumping in fright before chastising herself. Distraction was bad; it led to fatal consequences and off the chance it was bad etiquette.
"Oh, I didn't know you'd be joining us, Hinata," Naruto said with a grin.
She automatically stood, pulling a graceful bow in greeting. "Thank you for having me."
"Don't be so formal, we're friends!" Sakura waved her hands as she took a seat beside her.
Naruto zoomed to the seat beside Sakura before it could be reserved for the Uchiha. She huffed and turned to Hinata as Sasuke was left to sit on her other side. At that moment the door creaked open and the Hokage stepped in the conference room with an amused smile.
"Though team seven's appearance comes to me as a surprise, it is not at all unwelcome." He added a slip of smile as he made his way before the genin team.
Despite his seemingly frail appearance, the Hokage had a commanding presence that guided all eyes to himself. Even if he wore a paternal smile on his lined face, he still had a frightening amount of chakra that even someone unspecialized in sensory type jutsus was able to feel at a distance.
Instead of heeding that overwhelming presence, Sasuke's eyes were drawn to the petite girl in the familiar oversized sweater that seemed to swallow her already small frame. Clearly she hadn't changed a bit since the academy. And if he went by the twitch of her fingers, there was something stressing her. Could it be the mission? Perhaps today was his day and the grueling mission that he demanded was finally his.
"I have a challenge for the four of you today," the Hokage said simply. Even Naruto was silent at the growing excitement as they leaned in, awaiting details. "Kakashi has brought up the fact that his team is inexperienced in tasks such as reconnaissance and to make up for that, we have a special assignment for you. Kurenai has very kindly allowed a genin of her own team to help us fill in a spot."
Fill a spot? Their team was already… no, if it was what Sasuke was thinking then the team was not complete. After those years of suffering from harassment, he knew the warning signs. This would definitely be a dreaded 'teamwork' mission.
"So what are we doing?" Naruto exclaimed, impatient.
"You four will be divided into pairs of two. First team to return with a complete and detailed map of the area we've assigned gets one mission free week," Kakashi summarized as he rested against the wall.
As soon as Naruto jumped out of his seat and Sasuke opened mouth with a scathing comment already prepared, the aged Hokage raised a hand and all rebuttals fell flat. Beside him, heat rises to Hinata's face as quickly as her hopes.
I may have a chance to team up with Naruto!
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Perhaps his hopes of receiving a better mission were crushed for the moment, but a full week to train as he pleased didn't sound bad at all. Sasuke's thoughtful gaze briefly turned to Hinata's white eyes. He was sure he could do reconnaissance well on his own, but to have a Byakugan on his team wouldn't be an entire hindrance.
The blond scoffed, "why would we want a mission free week? I'm ready to fight!"
Sakura tapped her chin. "Is it so we can dedicate more time and attention to training?"
"That's right," Kakashi said. Before Naruto could say anything else, he added, "Hokage-sama will also be choosing the pairs."
"Lest we forget, that this is no mere teamwork mission," he spoke firmly. "In fact, sooner or later you will ascend to chunin and in order for that to transpire you must hone your skills of leadership. These are necessary and an integral part of shinobi life. That is why our first pair will be Sakura and Naruto.
Almost immediately they both jumped out of their seats, one with excitement and the other upset. Sasuke sighed, turning to the fuss with a scowl. It was a show that he had seen very often during his months as a genin. He turned his gaze to observe Hinata's reaction.
There was a brief but clear flash of disappointment in her eyes. Sasuke was rather offended, but he would let it slide for now. She wasn't a bother during his time in the academy, so he would give her the benefit of doubt.
Hinata tried to not visibly deflate until she realized the implications of the Hokage's words. Kurenai said that she wanted her to develop new skills. Her wide eyed gaze slowly turned to return Sasuke's gaze. Was she supposed to play leader with him?
No no no no no. The world wouldn't be that cruel, right?
"And next up we have Hinata and Sasuke with Hinata as the leader."
The answer was yes. The world could most certainly be that cruel to her, but knowing that didn't stop a shiver from running down her spine as she caught Sasuke's disbelieving eyes. She didn't mind handing over leadership to him, but Kurenai surely wasn't going to have it.
Not only was the pressure of a competition suffocating, she was assigned a partner who was as likely to listen to anything she had to say as Naruto was to ask her out.
"Each pair will need to drop by an entrance checkpoint for a scroll with more details, tomorrow you set out. " As Sasuke's frown deepened, the Hokage gave him a knowing smile. "A good shinobi can turn their hand to almost anything. I'm reluctant at this stage to admit this, but you must be exposed to new ideas. You've all grown far too accustomed and complicit in your ways."
Hinata could only hope that the ground would swallow her as the Uchiha's livid snarl found new targets.
As they walked to the courtyard outside the office Sakura nudged Hinata's side with her elbow. "So what do you think? I was hoping to be Sasuke-kun and you would've been fine too, but no! I got placed with Naruto. I wish we could switch."
Sasuke scoffed to himself. He might have avoided being forced near Sakura for an extended period of time, but having the spineless Hyuuga designated as his leader was beyond ridiculous. If that move wasn't pity on the Hokage's and Kakashi's part then he didn't know what was.
Internally, Hinata had to agree with Sakura. She would probably get along better with Sasuke and Hinata herself would've been happy to team up with Naruto. "Um, I guess Hokage-sama must have a reason and we— we should trust him."
Sakura shrugged, not at all convinced. "By the way, I heard you gave Naruto an ointment, isn't that right?" She nodded as her cheeks were dusted with a pretty pink. Sakura's grin widened. "Well, he has something to say to you."
Naruto jumped at the sudden mention. "I do?"
"Aren't you thankful at all for what she's done for you?" she hissed in his ear.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! Thanks a lot for the ointment, it was really helpful."
The previously cute tinge on her face slowly became a violent red. "It— it was nothing, Naruto-kun."
"Why don't you join us for ramen when we get back from the mission?"
Hinata's hopeful eyes flickered to Sakura who gave her an eager nod. More hesitantly, she looked at Sasuke, who was still glaring daggers at everything before him. He could practically hear her ask, you don't mind, do you? Sasuke shrugged. It was her business if she wanted to join them or not.
"I would like that," she smiled at Naruto. Before anything else could be added, Sasuke's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before pulling her away.
Hinata visibly stiffened at the sudden contact. He must've felt it too, but Sasuke made no move let go as they advanced. She looked back to Sakura and Naruto who both seemed perplexed. Did that mean that it wasn't usual behavior in Sasuke?
Naruto was the first to react, waving at her. "Don't worry, Hinata! He can be a little rough but that's just the way he shows affection!"
"We need to discuss the mission," Sasuke said curtly. What was going through her mind, fraternizing with their current enemies instead of thinking about their next move. She didn't even have the decency to face him and instead chose to prattle on with those fools Sakura and Naruto. Did it hurt her that much to speak to him?
"Oh… yes." Hinata didn't dare add anything else, unwilling to agitate her partner any further. She gave him an apologetic bow when he released her hand and settled on a less brisk pace. "I know that you're better suited to be a mission leader, but we can't deny orders so— so um, let's work together. Both of us deserve input, right?"
A flash of guilt crossed his eyes. It wasn't Hinata's fault that she was chosen for that position, he supposed. She was no Naruto either, she couldn't be handled the way Naruto was handled— no, he definitely didn't feel any culpability at the fear in her eyes— or else her performance could suffer and he wouldn't have it. That mission free week was going to be his and it would be dedicated to training.
"The Hokage said that we could leave tomorrow," Sasuke said without facing her. "But he didn't give us a specific time to pick up the scroll."
Hinata pulled her face into a tiny smile. It seemed that he found her idea agreeable. As he said, they weren't given a specific time to pick up the scroll so they should try to fetch it before the other team. After a falter in her steps she closed her mouth. Sasuke probably knew that already, judging by the path they were taking. They were heading straight to the eastern gate.
As expected, they were able to pick up the scroll. Before Hinata could unroll it he grabbed her wrist. Though the touch was more gentle than the previous, her hand still froze. If Sasuke noticed he didn't comment.
"We shouldn't open it here."
"But I don't think Sakura and Naruto-kun are spying on us," she said with a glance around the area.
He shook his head. "Obviously neither of them are skilled enough for that, but Kakashi might be assessing how we handle information and I'm not giving him an excuse to fail me."
Hinata nodded, biting her lip. He was absolutely right and the fact that she hadn't thought of that beforehand only served to remind herself of her inexistent qualities of leadership.
The pair eventually settled on an empty training field. They sat on the rocks near a river as Hinata placed the scroll so that both could read it. The instructions were just as Kakashi and the Hokage had explained, but now they knew that their objective was Inzai*. And that under no circumstances they could be caught.
Sasuke pulled a smirk at that part. Stealth was something he could do with ease. Naruto and Sakura on the other hand, they might as well say goodbye to victory.
"Say, Sasuke… kun?" The boy shrugged, careless of the honorific and turned to face her. "Hokage-sama didn't mention an exact time to leave tomorrow, did he?"
He paused. "He only told us to leave tomorrow."
"So are we supposed to leave at midnight?"
"It doesn't matter. No rules are being broken by taking that head start."
They glanced at each other before Hinata averted her gaze. "In that case, I'm going to pack. I'll see you at midnight then?"
Sasuke hummed in agreement as he rolled up the scroll, placing it in his kunai pouch. "I need to look at it a bit more."
"Alright," she murmured as he disappeared in the trees. Hinata rose to her feet with a sway, clammy hands holding on to a nearby tree. The journey back to the compound was uneventful but as the gates reached her sight any confidence she had managed to collect vanished in an instant. She couldn't bring herself to waltz into her own house like nothing so how could she even think of leadership?
What would Kurenai say?
With a calming breath Hinata braced herself and took a step forward. She promised Kurenai that she would participate; going back on her word was unacceptable. And if anything went wrong… she had the best genin of her generation in the team. Surely Sasuke would be able to figure something out if she couldn't. But that would only make her baggage to him.
Hinata didn't wish to be a burden.
oOo
As he approached the gate Sasuke found Hinata sitting on a bench, bangs obscuring her eyes and her arms loosely hugging the travel bag on her lap. Without raising her head she stood up and bowed silently. A bit strange for Miss Manners, though he could appreciate the lack of complete formalities. Some things were just too tedious for everyday life.
Hinata stepped beside him with quiet steps under the dim light that the street lamps provided. The chirping of crickets gradually reached their eyes as they approached the checkpoint.
She glanced at him. "Do you have the scroll?"
Sasuke withheld the urge to roll his eyes. He was no fool, forgetting an important mission item was something that could only be expected of someone like Naruto. Without stopping their walk he handed over the scroll. "Who do you think I am?"
"I'm sorry…" Hinata murmured. "This is my first time being designated leader, so I can't mess this up. My father might, I mean—"
"Failure is not acceptable for us, I know." Sasuke waved off what she struggled to speak. Unlike him Hinata was the firstborn, but even so he could relate to that pressure for perfection. At least it seemed that both of them had motives to win, she may end up being more useful than a hindrance.
She bid goodbye to the guards at the gate who returned the gesture with a weary smile. Only the dense foliage of Hi no Kuni, void of any light, awaited them and the echoes of wildlife rang true with each step they took away from the main road. With no civilian clients to hold them back, uncivilized shortcuts were now a viable option.
Every certain interval Hinata activated her Byakugan. She made no comments and Sasuke pushed on, interpreting her silence as a sign that their surroundings were safe. And he wasn't wrong, which was greatly appreciated by Hinata. While she had learned under Kurenai the importance of conveying information, silent communication was gold.
By the time a few rays of light hit their eyes, Hinata raised her hand as she came to a stop. The Uchiha joined her on the branch she stood on with a raised eyebrow.
"We still have half a day left to go," she started, "so I think we should sleep and then continue."
Sasuke paused with a thoughtful gaze. Despite Sakura's displeasing behavior he knew she wasn't dim enough to miss the implication that they should've left at midnight, so there was a good chance that she and Naruto were also making their way to Inzai. But then again, she didn't have the physical condition to travel at a fast pace for long periods of time and Naruto wouldn't leave her behind even if he was able to.
"Yes… we should conserve energy," he concluded. "Let's find a place to rest."
Hinata gestured at the land below them. "There's a small clearing nearby and I don't see any rain clouds so it should be fine."
She was not wrong, Sasuke found with a new glint of appreciation in his eyes. Finding shelter was not beyond him, but the Byakugan was a time saver.
She passed him a bento once they were settled, only receiving a quiet monosyllable of approval. Hinata smiled lightly as she opened her own bento, digging in with her usual manners. After a while of comfortable silence she placed the two empty boxes in her bag and installed herself in her sleeping bag. Hinata did not pay attention to the closeness of their sleeping bags, drifting off to dreamland the moment her head touched the ground.
On the other hand Sasuke was left watching as her tense features softened and her breathing became steady. He shook his head with a frown before settling in his bag. If he didn't move it away it was out of pride. It would seem ridiculous to move it just because they were close, wouldn't it? It was just a mission.
So, what do you guys think?