"If you want to find Naruto, I suggest you follow and do as I say," Sasuke turned slightly to the side, his gaze meeting a strand of her dark-indigo hair.

With his proximity, he could feel the tensioning of her muscles grow as he maintained his posture forward.

"Naruto…you…know where he is?" Hinata's voice trembled, trying her best not to make any movements while being trapped between Sasuke's intimidating figure.

"I can tell you where he is, but in return you must submit yourself to the Akatsuki and work under Pain."

"Akatsuki?" She repeated. Somehow the word sounded familiar but was unable to process where she had heard it from before.

"You're looking for Naruto, and I'm looking for my brother. If you join me and follow Pain's orders, I can help you find Naruto in return." Sasuke leaned slightly back, taking a glance at Hinata's petrified facial expression.

He paused at the sight of her trembling body before shifting his gaze directly into her eyes. "Don't you think it's a win-win compromise?"

Hinata gripped her palms into a ball. She could feel herself sweating from all the anxiety in the air and the discomforting fear that encompassed the man leaning fairy too close to her.

"H-how can I trust you?" She murmured. After all, Sasuke was still labeled as an international criminal. If anything, he would be the last person she should trust.

"Hn, right now your only option is to trust me. Otherwise, you'd be dead." Sasuke said with a smirk before pulling himself away from the armchair. He stood leaning against the table, crossing his arms and keeping his gaze directed on her.

"How long?" Hinata let out softly, feeling defeated by his words. If only she could figure out a way to escape this situation, maybe she could continue where she left off and find Naruto herself.

"How long, what?" He asked coldly, narrowing his brows.

"How long will I have to follow you?" She replied, trying her best to keep her mind at ease while the thought of Naruto lingered behind her mind.

"…until Pain decides you're trustworthy."

"And if I refuse?" Hinata slightly narrowed her brows. This time a wave of confidence pulsed through her as she lifted her gaze to meet his onyx pair.

"I'd rather not resort to other methods of force so don't make this any more annoying than it already is," Sasuke leaned forward, glaring at the woman sitting on the wooden chair, his face hinted with impatience.

Confused and frustrated, Hinata sat silently, holding herself from letting out tears. She hated this moment.

Running into Sasuke this early into her mission wasn't what she had expected. But she needed this, she needed to find Naruto and she needed to know that he was safe out there.

Hinata gritted her teeth before narrowing her brows at the sight of the man staring down at her.

"Fine…I'll submit to Pain's orders. I'll follow your lead. But promise me this." Hinata stood up, leaning forward to meet the towering man's gaze. "You'll help me find him. You'll help me find Naruto and show me that he's safe."

For a long moment, both stood intensely gazing into each other's eyes. The tension rising from the emotions of anger and hatred.

"Sasuke! It's almost dinner time. Where are you? I can make your favorite dish so just sit tight and wait for me alright?!" Karin blushed as she stepped into the kitchen, smiling and closing her eyes at the image of Sasuke eating her homemade dinner.

"Sa—."

"Karin, show our new recruit where her room is and get her up to speed with the interior layout." Sasuke uttered concisely with a stoic tone as he turned to the side, breaking away from the tension that surrounded him and the woman beside him.

"Don't linger on it and do it fast. We have an early mission tomorrow." Sasuke stepped out of the kitchen with the lingering annoyance and frustration from all this inconvenient matter at hand.

Silence followed and Hinata maintained her posture straight. Somehow, being caught up in the moment exhausted her thoughts, forgetting to consider what time it was and exactly where she was in proximity to the last cave she remembered entering into.

"Hey you, new recruit." Karin stepped forward, furrowing her brows and crossing her arms. "Sasuke is mine, you got that?"

Fiddling with her glasses, Karin took another step closer before continuing her words. "You should know we're a couple so don't try anything around him, alright?"

Hinata stood, slightly confused. From the looks of it, that claim didn't seem to be the case. "S-sure…" she responded, trying her best to hold a genuine smile.

"Listen, I'm only going to show you around because he wanted me to, so hurry up and follow me so we can get this over with." Karin gruffed irritated by the sight of Hinata standing with a sweet little smile. Unsure if she actually understood what she meant.

Hinata followed Karin from behind as she guided her around the Akatsuki hideout with the kitchen being their initial point.

She was led into the living room and into the conference room. Then into multiple bathrooms before entering another hallway that eventually led to multiple bedrooms.

"Yours will be at the very end down the hall. Easy enough, right?" Karin stood, still unsatisfied by the idea of having a new recruit.

The thought of having another female around, possibly a rival for her one and only crush, only deepened her irritation.

"Thank you…for showing me around." Hinata smiled.

"Sure. Oh, and one last thing, make sure to pick up your cloak from Hugo. He usually does the laundry around here. I'm sure we always have another spare of those cloaks lying around. He might find one with your size." Glancing at the appearance of the woman standing next to her, Karin had noticed how much shorter she was and how much more timid she appeared from her outer features. Surely she wouldn't be Sasuke's type anyway.

"Hugo?" Hinata questioned.

"Hugo, the only big guy around here. Orange hair? But don't get him mixed up with our boss. You'll be in big trouble if you insult Pain, got it?" Karin pressed, gripping her arms from the thought of causing any disturbance to their leader whatsoever. He always intimidated her, at times far more than even Sasuke.

"Understood," Hinata responded with a hint of uneasiness. A lingering curiosity troubled her, urging her to want to meet this so-called leader, Pain.

As Karin stepped out of the halls and headed back into the kitchen, Hinata picked up her feet, walking her way over to her designated room.

But, before she could land right in front of her own door, a figure walked out of the room right before hers, causing her to halt immediately before bumping straight into them.

Sasuke stood with an unwavering gaze. He was just about to head back into the kitchen after his long shower and after changing into a more appropriate evening attire.

Today really wasn't his day and the thought of their next mission from Pain was already as annoying and overwhelming as it is.

Hinata stood, noticing his dampened hair and his sleepwear attire. From the sight of him, he didn't look as intimidating as he did early on.

He looked rather normal as if the person standing in front of her wasn't truly what someone would label as an international criminal.

"So, Karin must have finished walking you through it," Sasuke stepped forward, leaning with his arms crossed. "Since you'll be sticking with me during the mission, I suggest you don't try anything foolish."

"I…won't try anything foolish." Hinata replied, her voice soft but steady. "Like I said, I want to find Naruto, so I'm here to do what's necessary."