Some more naruhina this chapter, but sasuhina continue to move forward.

Chapter 5: Like the stars chase the sun

"I'm telling you Hinata-chan, it was boring, but also really tense? Diplomatic missions are weird."

Hinata smiled as she glanced at the blond. Naruto had arrived back from his weeklong mission the day prior and they were on their way for a lunch date.

As much as he complained about the dullness of diplomacy, he spoke of his mission with his usual enthusiasm and Hinata could only bask in his energy.

"I suppose it's to be expected with Iwagakure's…history," Hinata mused. "But I'm glad you're back, Naruto-kun."

Their hands brushed as they walked side by side down the streets of Konoha. Naruto's broader hand carefully took hold of hers.

"Heh, me too," he said with a shy grin. "Iruka-sensei made me take a bunch of scrolls to keep studying while I was away and he's gonna have me do a practice exam tomorrow, but at least I get to spend an entire afternoon with you today."

"Yo. Naruto, Hinata-chan, sorry to interrupt."

"Shikamaru-kun, hi."

"Oh man, what does Kakashi-sensei want now?"

Shikamaru shrugged lazily. "Some nobles from the capital are passing through the village and wanted some face time with the Hokage. Hokage-sama wants to make sure they meet his successor. We're going to need to prep you before the dinner."

Hinata frowned but forced the expression away when Shikamaru shot her an apologetic look. "I guess our lunch will have to wait for another day, Naruto-kun."

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto squeezed her hand and she squeezed back before letting go reluctantly.

"It's fine," she said with a smile. "Good luck with the dinner."

"I'll see you later," Naruto promised. He then left with Shikamaru and Hinata watched as his back disappeared into the crowded streets.

Sighing to herself, Hinata played with the folds of her skirt for a moment. Shaking her head, she decided to head back to the compound and change into her ninja attire. She briefly checked on the Hyuuga working dedicatedly on the reconstruction, bringing them refreshments and thanking them for their efforts. Then, clad in comfortable clothes with her kunai pouch fastened around her upper thigh, Hinata made her way to the training grounds.

Fortunately, she was able to find a free, secluded spot and began to train. After stretching carefully, she moved through routine katas flawlessly by muscle memory, mind peacefully blank. Hinata continued the repetitions until she had worked up a slight sweat. Next, she practiced her strikes on a tree stump, focusing on precision and controlling the amount of force where her wrapped palms made contact with the bark.

Once the muscles in her arms began to ache, Hinata moved onto the Kaiten. She went through the motions without expending any chakra, her purpose being to perfect the movement itself. Hinata found that after using the technique she would be a hit by a momentary spell of dizziness. Although it lasted only a few seconds, this could mean the difference between life and death in a battle and Hinata had every intention of overcoming it.

Neji was probably the only Hyuuga capable of using Kaiten from whom Hinata would feel comfortable asking advice, however having that conversation while he was still recovering seemed too cruel.

She tried adjusting the speed and angle of her spin with no improvement. Ensuring her body was well-balanced also didn't seem to help. Huffing out a frustrated breath, Hinata tried to clear her mind before trying again. This time, she pushed chakra from the soles of her feet when stopping only to end up skidding through the dirt and falling to her knees with a yelp.

"That was too much chakra."

Hinata gasped, jumping to her feet.

Sasuke sat in a casual sprawl atop the tree stump. He only raised a brow at her defensive stance.

Hinata relaxed, letting her arms fall to her side. "Sasuke-san," she greeted.

He inclined his head. "Hinata-san."

There it was again, the slight twitch to his mouth when he said the honorific, the suggestion of teasing. Hinata relaxed further.

It had been a week since she'd given him the photo album and two tins of Hyuuga-grown matcha and whole tea leaves. He'd been obviously upset and she'd feared she'd been the cause, but since then he'd sat down for tea with her two more times at Naruto's apartment while she was over watering Naruto's plants. He spoke of the missions he took and inquired about her own plans and the attempts at conversation, however stilted, convinced her that he wasn't angry at her.

"Using chakra to stabilize your feet is a good idea, but you're using too much, so you end up stopping abruptly," he said. Both his voice and gaze were steady and Hinata felt a sense of calmness settle over her.

Hinata hesitated for a moment. It had been years since there had been an Uchiha in Konoha, but Hinata had been warned the dangers of using clan techniques in front of a sharingan user. Still, she reasoned she was only practicing a simple spin.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata threw herself into the spin. This time she slowly increased the flow of chakra to her feet and was able come to a controlled stop, head free of dizziness.

Dropping her stance, Hinata beamed at Sasuke.

He smiled back, a quicksilver flash across his face. He climbed down gracefully from the stump and said, "Let's spar."

Hinata's smile dropped open into a gape.

Sasuke was taking off his cloak. "Just taijutsu. Promise I'm not trying to steal any Hyuuga secrets," he said carelessly, dropping his unclasped cloak by his feet.

Hinata blinked. As far as she knew, Sasuke already trained with Naruto every day on top of tackling as many missions as he could get assigned to. "Ah, I just thought Sasuke-san might be too busy to spar with someone at my level," she admitted. "Naruto-kun's jounin placement exam is coming up soon and he's been busy training and studying every day. He said you're taking it too?"

Sasuke cocked his head and in the next instance he cleared the distance between them to stand right in front of her. Hinata just barely managed to avoid flinching.

"Hinata," he said in a deadpan tone, head bent to peer into her face, "You're forgetting I was top of our class in the academy. I'm not worried about the placement exam.

Feeling a tinge of embarrassment, Hinata shook it off and straightened her spine. "Somehow I find it hard to believe that Sasuke-san was top in every curriculum," she asserted, "I remember we were graded on cooperation and class attitude."

Sasuke's dark eye seemed to glint in amusement. "Coming from someone who got an F in positivity?"

Hinata couldn't hold back a small gasp, blood rushing to her cheeks. "H-How…?" She couldn't finish her sentence, hit with the mortifying memory of that particular report card and her father's disbelieving glare.

Sasuke only smirked before backing away and settling into an insouciant fighting stance. "If you're so worried about wasting my time, then don't. Come on."

Hinata couldn't deny the small thrill she felt at the opportunity to train with someone as powerful as Sasuke. She had barely settled into her own stance when Sasuke struck out. Hinata parried his blow and used the momentum to spin into a crescent kick.

Her ankle was caught in a firm grip, but Hinata twisted her body to kick her other foot at Sasuke's left shoulder, forcing him to release her. He followed quickly with punches and kicks that left her with little time to do anything but try to dodge.

Hinata focused her attacks on Sasuke's weakened left side. She might have felt bad about it if she were arrogant enough to believe she had any business going easy on Uchiha Sasuke in a fight.

It seemed to work at first, her hits landing more often, but as they continued to fight Sasuke's defense improved. Hinata felt herself moving faster than she ever had during a spar, forced to keep up with the speed of Sasuke's attacks.

Hours passed by, neither of them willing to call it quits. Hinata had always had a habit of training to the point of exhaustion and it looked like Sasuke had no desire to cut their sparring short. Eventually, Hinata found herself collapsed on the grass, chest heaving. Sasuke was standing above her where he'd just thrown her over his shoulder to the ground. He was bent at the knees and breathing heavily.

"Not bad," he said. He gazed down at her, but she made no move to get up, fatigue keeping her grounded. Still, she smiled up at him, high off of adrenaline and endorphins.

"Sasuke-san…if it's not too much of a bother, could we do this again sometime?" Hinata asked.

A look of surprise seemed to flash across Sasuke's face. "Sure," he agreed.

Hinata smiled wider, finally heaving herself into a sitting position. "Sasuke-san," she started, and he waited for her to finish, his brows tilted in a mild expression of curiosity. "If you don't need to study for the placement exam, why didn't you take it as soon as you got back?" Hinata hugged her knees to her chest, looking up him with knowing eyes.

Sasuke frowned at her and Hinata found herself able to classify it as more grumpy than scary. "I'm leaving," he said gruffly.

Hinata hid a smile behind her hand. "I'm sure Naruto-kun appreciates it," she said.

Both the Uchiha and his cloak were gone, but she thought he might have heard her anyway.

"Hinata-chan!"

Hinata squeaked as Naruto nearly bowled her over. He started to swing her around in his arms and she giggled at his exuberance.

"Congratulations!" Hinata hugged him back once he'd set her back on her feet. "I guess everything went well?"

"The exam was a breeze! You're looking at Konoha's newest jounin!" Naruto announced, striking a flashy pose to show off his flak jacket.

"But still acting like such a genin," Sasuke said, walking down the steps of the Hokage Tower. He'd apparently chosen to forgo the jacket that came with his promotion.

Hinata smiled at Sasuke over Naruto's shoulder. "Congratulations, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke nodded placidly at her even as Naruto yelled. "Hey, you were a genin for as long as I was! You'd think you'd be a little more excited to graduate from D-rank missions!"

Hinata winced, Naruto having shouted into her ear. Stepping back, Hinata tugged at Naruto's sleeve. "Should we head to lunch?" she asked.

"Yes! Ramen and beer time!" Naruto cheered. "C'mon, Sasuke, first round's on me!"

When Hinata glanced over at Sasuke, their eyes met and his exasperated look nearly made her laugh. It had been close to two weeks since they'd first sparred and, having trained together at least five more times since then, Hinata was beginning to suspect that Sasuke was funnier than most people would give him credit for.

"If you want me to eat ramen again, then yes, you're definitely paying for it," Sasuke remarked.

"Oh, Shino-kun," Hinata called, spying her friend emerging behind the Uchiha. "Did you get called in for another mission already?"

Shino shook his head. "I was simply submitting my mission report." He looked over at Sasuke and Naruto. "I hear congratulations are in order."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, man! Who told ya?"

"You did. You were very loud," Shino said bluntly.

Hinata had to look away to stifle her giggle. Her gaze ended up catching Sasuke's again and seeing the glint of shared humour in his dark eye made it impossible to hold back her laugh.

Naruto threw his arms in the air. "How long were you standing there?!"

Shino let out a dissatisfied sigh. "I was walking behind you the entire time."

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto shrugged carelessly. "Well since you're here, wanna join us at Ichiraku's?"

"It would be my pleasure," Shino said. His serious words sounded almost sarcastic but Hinata knew he said them with the utmost sincerity.

They walked together as a group, Naruto leading the way with Sasuke right by his shoulder. Hinata lagged behind habitually, conversing quietly with Shino about his recent mission escorting a Hi no Kuni noble as well as his plans to lecture at the academy. She didn't realize they'd reached Ichiraku Ramen until Shino gently tugged her by the elbow, preventing Hinata from walking into Sasuke.

The other teen's frame was much larger than her own and Hinata had to tilt her head to peer through the gap between his shoulder and the doorway. She didn't see anything unusual, Naruto was walking toward Sakura who had already gotten them a booth in the busy restaurant.

She looked at Shino reflexively. His new coat didn't hide the bottom half of his face the way his genin one did, but this didn't make Shino's face any easier to read. But as his teammate of over five years, Hinata could tell he'd divined something more from the moment than she had. She resolved to ask him later.

Sasuke was still standing motionless in the doorway.

"Um…Sasuke-san?" Hinata tried.

He didn't look back at her, but he did step into the restaurant allowing Hinata and Shino to follow.

By the time the three of them reached the booth, Naruto had already slid in next to Sakura. Shino promptly took the seat across from the pink haired kunoichi. Eyes darting between her companions, Hinata chose to sit next to Shino both for her friend's comfort and to allow Sasuke to sit with his old genin team.

As promised, Naruto ordered them all ramen and beer. Conversation centered on Naruto's excitement of finally being a jounin and was carried by himself and Sakura. Sakura made valiant but unfruitful attempts to coax Sasuke into joining. Naruto didn't appear to be having much luck either. The Uchiha ate his ramen with the same level of concentration he approached sparring.

For their part, Hinata and Shino were content to listen and make passing comments.

"Jounins get to go on so much cooler missions! I've been stuck reading boring textbooks or going to boring meetings, the only action I've been getting is sparring with this guy," Naruto was saying, pointing at Sasuke. "And then the bastard started ditching me the past two weeks!"

Surprised, Hinata darted a glance at the dark haired shinobi, seeing an annoyed tilt to his frown.

"Cut the dramatics," Sasuke scoffed. "I have better things to do than spar with you every single day."

"But it's so boring otherwise! Just studying and bureaucracy!"

Hinata's attention drifted back to Naruto. He spoke so expressively, his blond hair seeming to almost glow in the low lighting of Ichiraku and Hinata felt that she could watch him forever. A bubbling sense of joy filled her at the thought that all his studying and preparation had paid off. Naruto was a jounin now and perhaps with the exam over he might have some more free time.

"You're going to Dango-ya after? That's a good idea! Ino said they put up some new decorations, really dressed the place up like a date spot."

It took Hinata a moment to realize the comment had been directed at her, so caught up in her staring. Hinata waved her hands in front of her blushing face, a little embarrassed. "Ah…I just thought it would be nice to get dessert after," she said.

Admittedly, Hinata had chosen Dango-ya precisely because Ino had told her the same thing after a date with Sai. Glancing at Naruto, Hinata found him smiling at her in a similarly flushed state.

Sakura grinned at her, face cupped between her palms and an empty glass of beer by her elbow. "Don't worry, we won't third wheel. You guys can have a cute date together, you deserve it." She leaned her face further into her palm, green eyes sliding past Naruto to the hidden figure on his other side. "I wish…" Sakura trailed off with a frown.

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed and cut a line between his two teammates. "Sasuke, why don't you –"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, voice low with warning.

Hinata clasped her hands over her chest where a growing sense of dread was settling.

Shino stood, a noisy movement at odds with his usual muted gestures. "We should leave," he said definitively. "Why? Because we have finished our meal and are occupying a table while other patrons wait to be seated."

Glancing at her friend with relief, Hinata stood as well. "Naruto-kun, we should — the dango…"

Naruto looked at her and his blue eyes softened. Grinning slightly, he said, "You're right, Hinata-chan. Let's go get some dango."

They left the shop, Naruto yelling a loud goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame.

Out in the cooler air, Hinata felt more at ease.

"Ah, this was awesome," Naruto said, stretching his arms above his head. His back cracked and Sakura cuffed the back of his head with a grimace. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her. "Would have been nice if Sai and Kakashi-sensei would have been able to join," he continued blithely, "All of Team Seven back together. And Hinata-chan, of course."

He grinned at her, but Hinata didn't smile back and instead nudged a little closer to her teammate. "And Shino-kun," she reminded him.

Shino was stiff at her side. "I must go or I will be late meeting Iruka-sensei to discuss my lesson plan," he said, leaving swiftly.

Hinata was watching him go with a small frown and so missed the arrival of a messenger bird. When she turned back around, Naruto had an unfurled scroll in hand and was looking back at her with a guilty expression.

"Oh," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan," Naruto said. "It's probably going to last at least a week."

"God, Kakashi-sensei has the worst timing," Sakura huffed, concerned green eyes turning to Hinata.

"It's alright," Hinata said with a weak smile. "Maybe this will be Naruto-kun's first 'super cool' jounin mission."

Naruto huddled closer to Hinata and gave her a crooked grin, their faces just a few inches apart. "I'll make it up to you," he promised, private words just for her ears.

Hinata nodded up at him, her smile becoming something more real. "Mm."

Naruto's eyes lingered for a moment longer before he stepped back. "See ya later, Sakura-chan. And you, you bastard, you better be ready for a spar when I get back or I'll track you down myself!"

"You're so needy," Sasuke mocked. Naruto flipped him off even as he ran off down the street.

Hinata frowned. Though Sasuke had been talking about Naruto's demand for daily spars, his words prickled at her skin. Was Hinata the needy one, so often the cause of Naruto's remorse for fulfilling his duties?

"Hinata?" Sakura called worriedly.

Hinata turned to the other girl, immediately easing away her frown.

"Are you sure you're okay? I'd go to Dango-ya with you myself, but I've got a shift at the hospital," Sakura said with a sympathetic frown.

Shaking her head, Hinata assuaged the pink haired kunoichi. "Don't worry about me, Sakura-san. I'm glad we got to celebrate together at least. Good luck with your shift."

Sakura nodded. "I'll get going then." She hesitated for a moment, looking at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun," she started, before stopping. Her right hand grabbed the elbow of her left arm in an unusual display of nerves. "…Nevermind."

With one last look at Sasuke and a wave to Hinata, Sakura left.

Hinata turned her face to the sky, eyes closed. The sun was still shining brightly, affording her some warmth despite the crisp autumn weather. When she opened her eyes again and looked around she was startled to find Sasuke still there. She blinked up at him questioningly.

Sasuke only tilted his head, gesturing down the street. Confused, Hinata followed him as he began to walk. Their shoulders were nearly brushing and Hinata realized that Sasuke had slowed down to make up for her tendency to trail behind.

Recognizing the path Sasuke was weaving, Hinata brought her hand to her lips to contain a soundless gasp. Sasuke strode confidently through the shop's door, holding it open after him with a backward glance at Hinata.

Bowing her head in thanks, Hinata stepped into the cutely decorated store. As Hinata took in the two-person tables filled with couples, her eyes unexpectedly met Sasuke's and she felt her cheeks pink.

Chancing another glance out of the corner of her eyes, Hinata marveled at how unbothered Sasuke looked in the midst of such a romantic atmosphere, head-to-toe in all-black against the soft pinks and reds of Dango-ya.

Feeling a little flustered despite her companion's indifference to the situation at hand, Hinata quickly went up to the counter and ordered. Within a few minutes she was back at Sasuke's side with a stick of dango in each hand. Hinata held one out to him and he eyed it with an impassive face for so long that she nearly withdrew it. He finally accepted it and she breathed out in relief.

It was now that Sasuke looked a little uncomfortable, eyeing the only free table tucked under a large cut-out heart.

Hinata allowed herself to imagine Sasuke sitting directly under the pink heart for a moment and was barely able to hold back a giggle.

Somehow the situation made her recall the lilac slippers she'd found neatly arranged by the door of Sasuke's family home, as if waiting for her. Eyes softening, Hinata decided to save him from his misery. "We don't have to sit here," she said.

When Sasuke turned to stare down at her, Hinata second-guessed herself. "N-Not that you would have wanted to —"

She cut herself off abruptly when she felt a hand on her head. In a blink of an eye it was gone and Sasuke was heading out the door.

"Come on," he said, "I'll walk you home."

They walked in silence, Hinata nibbling on the red bean paste flavoured dango. Slowly, Hinata became aware of the eyes directed at the boy beside her. Though he seemed uncaring of the attention, Hinata found herself taking the lead to gently guide them down a more secluded path.

Once they were free of prying eyes, Hinata continued to feast on her dango. She was onto the egg flavoured middle dumpling when she noticed that Sasuke had yet to touch his.

"Sasuke-san doesn't like dango?" Hinata asked, a small frown lining her brows. "I'm not too sure of Sasuke-san's preferences but I got bocchan dango because there's a matcha flavoured dumpling."

Sasuke looked down at the stick of dango in his hand and took a tentative bite of the green coloured ball, bypassing the red and yellow ones entirely. He chewed thoughtfully then said, "It's fine."

Nodding with a satisfied smile, Hinata focused on her own treat once more. By the time they reached the Hyuuga compound, the skewer in Hinata's hand had been scraped clean and deposited in a convenient waste bin along the way. Turning to say goodbye to Sasuke, Hinata found two dumplings, yellow and red, presented before her.

Reflexively, she took the dango stick and then looked up at Sasuke. "Thank you?"

Sasuke huffed. "Don't thank me for something you paid for.

"For walking me home then."

A sigh. "Don't thank me for something I offered to do either."

"Sasuke-san doesn't seem to like being thanked," Hinata observed, amusement playing at the corner of her lips.

Sasuke's lips pursed, almost like his face wasn't sure what emotion to settle on. Instead, he shook his head. "See you, Hinata-san."

He flickered away before Hinata could return the farewell.

Hinata eyed the dango in her hand for a moment. Ultimately deciding not to let it go to waste, she took a bite.

Gonna try to bag all the sasuhina cliches. Besides I think Sasuke probably spends 90% of his time training and Hinata's been known to overdo it as well. It's a big part of their lives considering they're ninja, so training together makes sense!

Also did you catch that Sasuke waited for Naruto to take his jounin exam so they could move up ranks together? But he'd never admit it because he's a tsundere. He also got Hinata the slippers she wore last chap.

Thanks everyone for reading!

MVH