"..." Normal chat.

ABC. Thought.


Chapter 7


Early in the morning

Today's weather sure is suitable for traveling, warm and I can see the clear sky, sun ray here and there, a little bit windy but at least we're not expecting rain any time soon. Once having prepared everything, I put on my backpack and head to the village's gate. There, I find Naruto, along with Sakura and Sasuke are waiting by the trees, also carrying traveling backpacks on each of their shoulders.

"Nina-chan!" Both Sakura and Naruto greet me the moment I arrive to the appointed meeting spot. While Kakashi is still nowhere to be found.

"Let me guess, he'll be late again."

"You don't say."

Their expressions quickly turn bitter once I mention of our one of a kind teacher. And instead of going on rampaging and complaining like the other two, Sasuke's actually being comfortable in his own zone. Leaning onto ones of the tree nearby and staying dead quiet. But something in those horrifying dark orbs of his are telling me that I won't be able to escape from him this time for sure...

I shouldn't be worried too much, I'm sure he's not going to kill or torture me over something like this. Beside, it's not like that Uchiha would get me that easily even if he wants to. Not to mention that I still have Naruto and Sakura to back me up if anything goes wrong.

"Sorry, I ran over a cat and had to take it to the vet."

Finally, after like an hour, the white haired man appears right before us by using Shunshin no Jutsu (Teleport/Body Flicker technique) and greets us with his shameless smile as usual.

"Yeah, right!" Naruto and Sakura yell, Sasuke glares at him intensely and I can only sigh.

Ignore his students outrage, Kakashi tosses me the delivery package, our main objective for this journey, implying that I will be taking the role of keeping it safe till we reach to the destination. "Here."

Why would he let me/her keep the package? Is it some kind of another test?

The same question arises when they watch Nina putting the important item (kind of) into her backpack, while Kakashi just smiles an innocent smile and urges us to move our feet. Despite being the one who caused us to be late to start the quest. "Alright now boys and girls, let's get moving! It would be unprofessional of us if we let our customer wait, would it not?"

"Right." We answer him in mono tone and everyone starts running, slowly forming into a team position. With Kakashi leading us up ahead, Naruto is right behind and then me, Sakura and Sasuke.

As we're passing through the tree branches, Naruto slow down to my pace and whispers to me. "Hey Nina-chan. Was it true that you and Sasuke weren't playing tag yesterday?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, we weren't." I answer him casually, soon our eyes meet and I notice that he's bearing quite a serious expression. Which is quite rare, since it only happens unless there's an opponent or something important. I wonder what happened once I was gone yesterday. Did he get into a fight with Sasuke or something?

"Then what made him chasing after you like that?" As they're talking, Naruto's gradually recalling to Sasuke's face at that time, since he's too intrigued with playing the tag game to bother with it until now.

Stoic and calculating, The Uchiha didn't look like he's having fun with a friend. It's more like he's going after an enemy.

"Well, uhm... You could say that he and I had some misunderstanding?" I avert my eyes away from him.

For some reasons whenever looking into those deep blue orbs, I can't seem to lie perfectly like I always do. Perhaps when we started acting like close friends, I had subconsciously lowering my guard down toward him.

After hearing my answer the boy frowns. Indicating that he doesn't believe in my words.

"Anyways, it's all in the past. We're all good now. No need to worry about it too much, okay?"

Therefore I lie, by assuring him that there is no longer war between me and the Uchiha boy in hope for Naruto not to do something reckless.

"If you say so..."

Fortunately after hearing so his expression soften up, much to my relief. Thanks god that it works, because the last thing I want is having our teammates fight each other in the middle of my very first mission.

Sensing someone is glaring at him, Sasuke turns to that direction and sees Naruto sticks his tongue out at him the moment their eyes meet. Annoyed by his teammate playful attitude, he frowns but decides to let it go. What's with that moron?

Hmph! I bet bastard was bullying Nina-chan! Man, and here I thought that he had actually taken Kakashi's words seriously and started being nice to her. If only had I knew much sooner, I would have done more than just simply burying him with clones, you know!

Naruto cringes his teeth at the thought as it reminds him of the time he's still at academy, helpless and weak. Without having anyone but Iruka to accept him. From now on, I won't let anything like that ever happens to her again!

A moment later and Kakashi suggests us to take a break and have lunch at a vacant space on the way. Once arrive, everyone quickly finds a comfortable spot for themselves to enjoy food or drink that they have prepared inside their backpacks.

Noon already, huh? Time sure flies when you don't pay attention to it. While looking for the bento box inside my backpack, I come across the package that Kakashi has given me this morning. Staring at it, I let out a sigh. It's only a D rank mission. I should be fine, right?

"Sasuke-kun, here. Have one!" Sakura happily shares her home cooking with Sasuke as they sit next to each other under a tree. While Naruto's left behind sitting in the middle of the area, watching them with a cup of noodle in his hand and me, well, Omurice. Kakashi's probably somewhere up on one of the branches reading Icha Icha tactics.

After an hour of resting, we continue our journey until the sun is set.

"How much farther until we get to the village?" Asked Naruto when everyone gathers in the middle of the area.

"We should be arriving there in the morning."

Kakashi answers then orders each one of us to get prepared to spend the night in the woods. Naruto collects rocks on the ground for the campfire while I search for some dry branches around the area. Sasuke will go catch some fish at the stream not too far away and expecting to have Sakura coming along since her task is to collect water.

Despite Naruto's protest to go with me, I assured him that I would be safe alone without having Sasuke breathing down my neck since Sakura's there to keep him company. But oh how wrong I was...

Hearing the unnatural sound of snapped tree branches behind me, I spin around and behold. The unwelcome Uchiha Sasuke.

And I don't see any net or fish in his hands. Both of his shoes and clothes are quite clean, bearing no sign of having contacted with water or whatsoever. Did he really go fishing or just outright ditching his job?

"I didn't expect you to hunt that fast." Trying my best to stay calm, I say. Holding the branches closer into my arms as I watch him getting closer for every step.

"Neither Naruto nor Sakura could have possibly known that I activated Sharingan back at the Land of Waves. Because Naruto was unconscious and Sakura wasn't there. So there's no way you could have learnt the story through those two. And Kakashi's also out of the question..."

My eyes widened and I almost gasp out loud by the info he's shared. Oh crap! I missed out that part in panic cause of his threatening using the Sharingan.

"Speak, who are you and how much do you know about us."

This is bad, I have to find a way to get out of this or at least drive him away from that idea. "Are you going to assume that I'm a spy just simply because you caught me one time watching sunrise near your home?"

Sasuke stares at me for a short moment before answering. "Not just once, I had seen you wandering around Uchiha district early in the morning for several times already."

Good, he caught the bait. Or so I thought that he did, whether on purpose or not.

"And you didn't think that I was only trying to do something's called exercising?" Therefore I try to reason with him, hoping that some of it will get into that thick skull of his.

"I call it observation." Yet Sasuke's just too stubborn to apprehend.

"You're not making any sense." I shake my head in defeat.

"And you could have picked another path to work with your so called *exercising*, there's no reason for you to have to be there. Unless..."

He's not wrong, sadly. If only had I known that Sasuke could be such a bother like he was right then, I would have never set my feet into that goddamned place.

"Well excuse me for not finding any banner or anything lying around to inform myself that it's restricted."

Perhaps if I can keep the conversation long enough, Naruto would notice our abnormal absences and starts searching. There's a good chance that he's on his way right now.

"Enough beating around the bush and spit it out already, who are you working for!"

However Sasuke's gotten impatience, and that is not longer a question but a demand as I notice he's reaching for the Kunai sitting inside his Shinobi's pocket. I suppose my tactics didn't last very long with him.

If Sasuke somehow receives a wild vision that I'm related to the people who murdered his entire clan, especially Itachi, things won't end up nicely like last time. I can sense Kakashi's nearby but he doesn't show any sign of interfering. Great, I bet that damned crow is enjoying this.

Taking the chance that Sasuke's unguarded. I throw a bunch of dry branches into his face to distract him and attempt to escape. Our campfire is quite close, it won't take much time to get there.

"Running again, are we? But not this time!" Figured this would happen, Sasuke has prepared his tool, a rope dart, and quickly aims for my legs. Successfully causing me to trip and fall onto the ground.

"Ouch..." Pain hits me hard since I fall flat on my face but luckily my noses doesn't break. Frustrated and hurt, I just lay there and remain silent as Sasuke approaches with a victory smirk on his face.

"Well? Feel like talking yet? Pretending to faint is useless."

Doesn't receive any response, Sasuke squats down next to me and puts the Kunai's blade up to my neck. And I can see it in his eyes, which are cold and deadly, that he would split my throat in any second without hesitation. "Hurry up while I'm still being nice."

"What's with this change of mind? Not going to use Sharingan on me anymore?"

Show me what you've got. I've been through much worse than this little threat of yours.

"Using my power is a waste on the likes of you." He replies calmly, and I can sense a tin of mockery in his tone.

*The likes of me* huh? How I wish that I could beat him to a pulp right now. I cringe my teeth at his insult. If that pretty face is a little bit closer, he would have eaten some nice fists.

No! I can't do that, not good, I have to calm down. No matter how much I want to kick his ass, I have to solve this conflict in peace, not violence. We are suppose to be allies, not enemies. Goddamn it.

Guess there's no choice but to drag that guy into this, since he's the only one who can get me out of this mess without causing any damage. "Kakashi-sensei, you are here. Aren't you?"

"This trick again? Don't you think that it's getting old already?" Sasuke frowns, pressing the sharp blade closer to my skin and leaves a cut, starting to draw blood.

Great, this idiotic hasn't realized that his ex-anbu of a teacher's been here all this time watching his melodrama. Paying no mind to the Uchiha, I continue calling out to him. "Sensei! If you're not coming out, I'm going to tell the Third Hokage that you're mistreating me when we get back!"

Kakashi definitely won't risk having me killed right here, by one of his students no less, since he hasn't gained any proper info about me yet. He's probably waiting to see how I'd act in this kind of situation. And too bad for him, I'm already out of ideas.

"Alright, alright. I'm here." And just as I thought, the white haired man appears right before us soon after. Much to Sasuke's surprise. And thanks to Kakashi's cold blank stare, the boy finally releases my neck from the Kunai's blade and stands up.

"Say something to that thick head, will you?" I ask him, trying to get up as well but failed.

"Hmm... What can I say..." Closing the book in his hand, Kakashi scratches the back of his head and acts like he's lost in the middle of conversation. Despite having watched everything from the start.

"Tell Sasuke to stop being paranoid! What else?!" I nag him to be serious, while struggling to get the damn rope off my legs.

Ever since I arrived to Konoha, Kakashi has been following and studying my actions, background way more than Sasuke does. That's why I'm quite confident that he understands me much better than that brat.

"Well?" Sasuke stands there, waiting for his teacher's explanation patiently.

"She's right, Sasuke. I'm sure everything is just a misunderstanding. You can trust me, Nina is not a spy." Kakashi smiles and tries to calm the fuming Uchiha before him.

Yeah, that's right. I've definitely got nothing to do with that cursed clan of his. As if I hasn't know everything about it already. After successfully free myself from being captured, I hide behind Kakashi for some aids.

"And what makes you think I will believe that?" Sasuke snarls, hands still holding the Kunai firmly and looks as if he would jump in to stab me in any second.

"Then do you have any proof to prove that I'm a spy?" I chime in, ignoring his intense glare.

"You still haven't answered me how you know what happened at Land of Wave."

"I told her." Kakashi explains casually, surprising all of us. "Right, Nina?"

His eye glances at me and I immediately nod like no tomorrow. "Y-Yeah! I begged him to tell me about you guys prior missions since I was too anxious for my first!"

"Yup! And I couldn't resist those puppy eyes of hers." He adds to make it sounds more convincing.

Not buying our words easily, Sasuke asks me. "Really, then why did you lie about hearing this from Naruto?"

"Because Kakashi-sensei asked me not to tell anyone that it's him who told me that." Lying through my teeth, I reply without a second of holding back. "Right, sensei?"

It's not until seeing Kakashi nods to me in return, Sasuke's able to calm down and stops showing killing intent toward me. In the end, the argument has been settled in peace between us, or so I hope that it is thanks to his obvious expression of saying *I will trust you, for now* to me and Kakashi.

As it's getting late, Kakashi urges us to return to our spot to eat and rest for tomorrow trip. Therefore both I and Sasuke oblige, and while on our way back. Kakashi hands me his handkerchief with a bit of remedies lying inside. "Here."

"What are they for?"

A little confused but I take it anyway.

"To cover that wound."

He says, pointing at a specific area around my neck.

Oh right, I totally forgot about it due to all the chaos just now. If Naruto sees it, he's going to make a big fuss for sure.

Quickly, I use the handkerchief to wipe away the blood on my skin and remedies to heal. And once we get back to our campfire, my wound's been healed completely and nothing on me is showing sign of having gone through an assault.

"What took you so long!?" Worried, Naruto approaches me to ask.

Tired of waiting, Naruto had to collect the dry woods himself to start the fire. And Sakura had to catch the fish for our dinner due to someone who was suppose to do that job had ran away.

"I got a bit lost." I explain as we approach the campfire. "It's quite dark out there, you see."

"Sasuke-kun! You suddenly left when we're heading to the river, what happened?! where did you go?!"

Sakura sticks close to Sasuke the moment she sees him, but the boy ignores her and takes a seat near the campfire. She then follows and sits next to him, offering a cooked fish but he rejects her completely. She soon turns silent and eats the food by herself, a little bit disheartened.

Jeeze what's with him acting so emo for? Wasn't he the one who threatened and almost wanted to kill me just now? I watch the odd couples from afar in confusion while enjoying delicious grilled fish with Naruto.

Sasuke volunteered to take the night shift, despite Kakashi's saying that it's not necessary. Naturo's annoyed that the boy's acting all so tough. Sakura's worried for his health since he didn't have anything for dinner. In my case, I just didn't care because from now on he wouldn't be having anymore excuse to bother me and slept through the night peacefully.