Day 18: Unyielding encouragement
Hinata was pouting, still mourning the loss of her croquette.
Of course it wasn't actually that important. She could cook more when she got home, but she had really been looking forward to them, and having one less was enough to put a small damper on her mood.
Sasuke had apologized by giving her half of his tamagoyaki, and although she didn't think it was an apt equivalent, she had accepted because of course he owed her at least that much.
Still…
"Here we are" Kurenai spoke as the group as a whole halted in the middle of the path. "Takumi Village."
Hinata glanced towards where her sensei was looking, finding a gate with a modified character representing artisan painted on it. Behind it, the top of some of the buildings could be seen, surrounded by cliffs on all sides as well as the typical vegetation that grew naturally in the Land of Rivers.
After having their fill of looking, Kakashi turned towards their clients, and with a nod, the man walked up to the gate, glancing up and calling for someone to open.
They were received warmly.
"It's not often shinobi come to our village, less of all from one of the great five" the leader, an elderly woman with a hunched back, spoke once they were installed inside one of the many buildings of the village. "I thank you for bringing my son and granddaughter back safely" she bowed demurely, hands in front of her poised on the tatami floor.
Hinata stiffened upon hearing this, before relaxing. She had no idea the kind man and Ume were related to the village's head. Maybe that was the reason they were employed to protect them on the way back home?
"Thanks are not necessary. It is our honor as well as our delight to be of help" Kurenai answered, bowing as well. Kakashi followed her lead, and after him, the rest of the genin also bowed.
"My, my, how polite" the older lady chuckled, before calling for someone to guide them towards where they would be staying as they waited for the Hokage's order to be ready.
She, Sakura and Kurenai got a room for themselves, while all the boys would be sharing another.
"But why did they have to go to Konoha?" Sakura asked Kurenai as they were unpacking. "The Hokage could have just sent us here with the instructions instead of making Ume and her dad go all the way to our village."
Hinata was curious as well. They were tasked with returning with the new constructed weapon once it was done, but since they were already here, there was no reason she could see that the two artisans had to go all the way to Konoha first, and alone at that.
"It seems to have been a last minute thing" Kurenai answered, occupied with her bag. "The artisans were already in Konoha for their own business, and when they went to pay a visit to the Hokage, he took the opportunity to commission them. I hope you know how valuable the work of the artisans of this village is."
"Of course!" Sakura replied while puffing up her chest with pride. "I even heard wars were waged over this village, which caused it to be destroyed many times…" she said, her voice becoming smaller and unsure at the end.
Kurenai nodded. "It is a sad reality, but it's the truth. That is the reason the actual location of the village is a secret."
The girls widened their eyes at the new information. "A secret, Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked.
"But… but aren't we in the village right now?" Sakura said as well, stunned.
"It's a front. Although people do indeed live here, it is not in this place where the artisans work, or the majority stays. This location is meant for, when there's danger of an invasion, the people stationed here can give warning to their village, and run away easily if there's opportunity to" Kurenai explained, turning towards the girls with a small smile. "It might not be their main craft, but the people of Takumi Village are shinobi as well. They know how to defend themselves."
Sakura and Hinata exchanged a look, impressed, before looking at the older woman once more.
"Then, Ume and her dad…" Sakura started.
Kurenai nodded. "They are shinobi too, which normally would require for this mission to be a B-Rank… but because there aren't high stakes involved and the weapon commissioned by the Hokage isn't one that's especially rare, this remains a C-Rank unless something unexpected happens."
"Something unexpected…?" Hinata asked with fear. Kurenai looked at her with kind eyes.
"We are shinobi, Hinata" she said gently. "There's always the possibility and we need to be ready for it."
Dinner was served in a rather sumptuous fashion.
After a bath, the group of genin and their teachers were guided to a dining room, where food was already served, placed as if they were in a luxurious ryokan rather than on a mission in a village of shinobi.
Sasuke tuned out Kiba and Naruto's argument over who got to have the last shrimp, and simply concentrated on his own food. So far, this C-Rank hadn't been exactly what he expected it to be. It was too tranquil, too subdued… not that he wanted something to go wrong or anything, but…
Well, it felt too much like some field trip rather than a mission. A vacation, even, considering their accommodations and the food.
"There isn't really much to do except waiting until the Hokage's order is ready, so we might as well just sit back and relax" Kakashi had said as they were fighting over who had to share a futon with whom, earlier in the day. "Not all missions are as calm as this one, so take advantage of it. Relax a little."
This last comment was obviously aimed at him, as he had been the one to subtly complain to his sensei about how they were only expected to sit and do nothing as they waited to return home. He was sure Itachi would have said the same had he been here instead. Still…
He glanced up, catching Hinata's eye, who quickly gasped and turned away, pretending to be paying attention to whatever conversation Sakura seemed to be having with Kurenai. He felt a strange tingle in his chest, having caught her staring at him for apparently no reason at all.
She had been doing that a lot, lately.
…what did it mean?
"Your noodles are slipping."
Sasuke jolted, surprised by the voice, his noodles ironically slipping from his chopsticks. Luckily, they landed back on his plate, so there was no damage done, but it still bothered him enough to turn to glare at the one that had startled him.
Shino returned his stare without flinching. Or at least he thought so. It was difficult to discern his expression with those shades and the high collar covering most of his face. How was he even eating, anyway?
"You're distracted" Shino spoke again, putting down his bowl and chopsticks, apparently done with his food. Sasuke frowned even more. "It's no surprise though. You always seem to be when it comes to Hinata."
"Why are you even talking to me?"
Shino managed to somehow look offended. "Am I not allowed to talk to whoever I please?"
"That's not what…" Sasuke groaned, dropping it. Shino took this as his cue to continue.
"I am not sure of the reason the two of you started to date, and honestly it's none of my business, so I don't really care either, but…"
"…what?" the other asked, sighing, picking at his food while leaning his cheek on his hand. He also didn't care about Shino's opinion on his dating Hinata, but the Aburame was special in that, even though he had unilaterally started the conversation, he would become pissy if he didn't engage him at least a little. And Sasuke had little energy to deal with pissy Aburames.
"It seems Hinata's heart might be changing, although I'm unsure if she herself realizes this" he said, cryptically.
Sasuke frowned, straightening and looking him directly in the eyes through his shades. "What do you mean?"
"I was wondering… what would you do if my confession… that is… if it turns out my letter was meant for someone else?"
"I think that's for Hinata to say, not me."
Shino didn't say anything, instead simply staring at him for a moment that felt too long. Then, his expression changed, and Sasuke could see his eyebrows rising in a clear sign of surprise.
But then he returned to normal, air escaping his lips as he shook his head.
"Hinata's a good person" he said instead of answering. "Trust in her. I'm sure there's a reason she…"
"IT'S MINE!"
Naruto's screech as well as Kiba's indignant cries filled the dining room. Akamaru was barking, seeking to jump onto the table to defend his owner, while both Kakashi and Kurenai let out tired sighs, standing up to keep their students under control.
In the ensuing chaos, Sasuke lost the chance to hear from Shino that which he had been wondering for a long while now.
He found her taking a stroll near one of the waterfalls close to the village.
"You were looking at me during dinner."
Hinata gasped, her body stiffening. When she turned around, her eyes were big and filled with fear.
"Sasuke-kun! You… you scared me…"
"Be a little more aware of your surroundings" he chastised her softly, before stopping by her side. He glanced at the waterfall, the sound of running water calming him considerably. Hinata did the same, and for a short while, they shared that small moment of peace without words.
It didn't last, as Hinata had not yet addressed what he said before.
"So?" he prompted. The girl gulped.
"So…?"
"You were looking at me during dinner" he glanced at her, finding her concentrated on the water and the patterns the waterfall created as it fell. "Don't deny it" he warned, a little more sternly.
Hinata shook her head. "I apologize if it bothered you… I'll try not to do it again."
"That's not it" he grumbled in frustration. Was she doing it on purpose? "You're allowed to look… there's no reason for you to become so flustered and turn away if I catch you staring" he explained, feeling heat on his face and the back of his neck.
The girl didn't answer, but when he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, he found her blushing as well. That made him feel a little better after what Shino said brought back all of those… things he made his best to ignore.
"I…" Hinata started, catching his undivided attention once more. "I've been practicing some elemental chakra manipulation lately…" she admitted.
Sasuke blinked in surprise.
"I'm not sure which elemental affinity I have… but I've been trying water, since it's the most common of the five and… and I'm not really making good progress, but maybe…!"
"There are ways to correctly identify your elemental chakra affinity" Sasuke commented, raising a hand to his chin. "If I'm not wrong, chakra paper can tell you accurately which one of the five you lean more towards. If you're having trouble controlling water it might be it's not your corresponding chakra nature… although elemental chakra is very difficult to control normally, so it also depends on how long you've been practicing and…"
He was cut short at the sound of a giggle that sounded like chiming bells.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun" Hinata apologized when he looked at her with betrayal. "It's just… I'm reminded once more how much you like to train, that's all…"
"What's wrong with it?" he asked, definitely not pouting. Hinata flustered.
"N-Nothing's wrong! I wasn't trying to complain or anything, I was just… I just…!" she bit her lips, fists closing in front of her chest before she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. "I find it… endearing, I guess. That's all."
"Ah…" Sasuke's mouth fell open, not finding anything to say to that.
Another moment passed before he cleared his throat, decidedly turning towards the waterfall and ignoring both Hinata's words as well as how they made him feel as if his whole body was on fire. Really, sometimes this girl…
"So, I assume you came here to this waterfall because you wanted to practice your water manipulation?" he threw a wild guess, trying to steer the conversation as well as shift the overly sweet air created by what Hinata said far, far away from them.
The girl nodded, clearing her throat as well, apparently deciding to do as Sasuke and not look at him. "There's a waterfall in one of the training fields back in Konoha… I find it easier to concentrate when surrounded by the element itself" she explained.
Sasuke hummed. "I never thought of it like that… maybe because my affinity is fire, and being surrounded by it would be a little…" he winced. "In any case, I think it would be better if you were first sure which of the five is your chakra nature. Training one's own affinity first should make things a lot easier on you."
"I… I understand. I will ask Kurenai-sensei about it tomorrow" Hinata chanced a small glance towards Sasuke, who was still only staring at the waterfall, and with a soft smile, said; "thank you for the advice, Sasuke-kun."
The boy shrugged, pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, even as he prayed for a cold breeze to cool down his burning body. Hinata too, was praying in her heart, confused about her own feelings but somehow, starting to understand, just a little more.