Chapter 12: Escort Arc

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Playing the Role of the Byakugan Princess

Chapter twelve

The Escort Arc

After we accepted the mission, we all went our separate ways to head home to pack for the trip. We have two hours before we have to meet at the front gates so that gives us plenty of time to make sure we pack everything we need. While we are packing, Asuma is going to swing by the hotel where our clients are staying at and pick them up. When I make it to the compound, I head straight to my bedroom to begin preparing for the mission. As I set up my backpack, thrills were bouncing around inside me. I am actually going on a C-rank mission. For the past twelve years, I have been kept locked inside these village walls and I get to explore the world now! Not that Konoha is a tiny place, far from it actually. I am just ready for a change in scenery. When I am done packing, I double check my backpack. I do not want to forget anything or underpack since we are going to be gone for at least two weeks. Over the years, I have dabbled in the art of fūinjutsu just sightly. I can't do anything major though, nor do I have any talent in it I have come to realize. I am just decent enough to wear I can create scrolls that will seal and store food, water, clothes, and extra weaponry. Since scrolls are lightweight, that means less items in my bag which saves me from carrying a heavy backpack. After I am satisfied with my packing, I restock my weapons pouch and head towards my father's office to notify him that I am leaving for a couple of weeks. I knock on his door and slid it open.

"Otou-san?" I say as I peek my head in. As usual, Hiashi is sitting down at his desk and writing on a notepad. I hope I do not have to do that much writing when I become the Head.

He doesn't look up. "Yes, Hinata-chan?"

"I am just informing you that my team and I are about to embark on a C-rank escort mission," I tell him. "We will not be back for a couple of weeks."

Hiashi glances up at me and raises his eyebrows. "A C-rank mission this early in your Shinobi career? That is unusual and rather impressive." I smile as I soak up this rare compliment. "Can you tell me more about this mission?"

I quickly give him the rundown leaving out the part where I asked for it. I do not know how he will react to that, if it is a good or bad thing in his eyes. "I have to meet them at the front gates in fifteen minutes so I have to leave soon."

Hiashi nods in understanding. "Ah, well good luck," he says. "I doubt you will, but try not to let your team down or tarnish our clan's reputation. This is your first time stepping out of the village and most people will instantly know who you are just by looking at your eyes."

I bow. "I promise I will not." Geez, give me a break. Like I want to do something embarrassing to make myself and our clan look stupid.

After saying our good-byes, I shut the door and hurry over to the front gates. Since I left the house a little early, I thought I would be the first person there. However, I notice that someone else has already beaten me here when I arrive. Shikamaru leans against the left gate with his arm crossed and his eyes closed. Is he seriously taking a nap standing? Curious, I tiptoe over towards him and got close to his face, activating my Byakugan for extra measure. He looks awake to- shit he's opening his eyes!

"Agh!" Shikamaru hollers as his reflexes kick in and he clasps his hands together to extend his shadow towards me. I quickly jump backwards and hop out of the way. When he realizes it is just me, he retracts his shadow and throws me an annoyed look. "What the hell were you doing standing so close to me like that?"

At least I know that my training with Asuma in being evasive and quiet is paying off. "I was just testing my theory to see if you were sleeping while you were standing," I explain.

Shikamaru looks startled as he sweatdrops. "Wh-what?" he says before shaking his head. "Nevermind. Just… don't stand close to me like that again. Especially with your Byakugan on."

I deactivate my Byakugan and pretend to appear hurt. "What's wrong with my Byakugan?" I ask, lowering my eyes. "I know they make my eyes look freaky by surrounding them with veins, but I cannot control that."

Shikamaru shifts uncomfortably at my fake sadness. "Ugh, great," Shikamaru groans. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you. I just reserve my personal space for only one person: me."

Why do I find so much fun in teasing people? It is so hilarious to me! I smirk and flick my hand. "Nah, I am just messing around with you," I tell him as he gives me a dumbfounded look. "I am not like other girls who get angry or depressed over the littlest of things."

Shikamaru rolls his eyes and looks away. "Humph. You're just as troublesome as other girls," he comments.

I roll my eyes back at him. "Oh, please," I say. "I know for a fact that you enjoy my company better than Sakura's. I don't give you the killer intent or threaten to hit you every time you piss me off."

"You're both troublesome in your own ways," Shikamaru replies as he rests his hands behind his head and turns towards me again. "You're just more relaxing to be around. Sakura reminds me a lot of my mom: uptight, shrill, always overreacting…"

"Whose shrill and always overreacting?!" I hear Sakura suddenly yell as we turn our heads and notice her walking towards us.

She stands near Shikamaru and places her hands on her hips as I cover my mouth to hide my smile. Oh, shit. He's in for it out! Unlike Ino's yelling, I find Sakura's funny. Hers is more just loud and boisterous rather than mean and annoying. Shikamaru sighs and goes back to closing his head. "Great, I have to put up with this for the next two weeks," he complains.

A tick mark flashes on Sakura's head as I rest my hand on her shoulder to calm her nerves. "Don't worry," I tell her. "He's already called me troublesome, before you came, so you are not the only one he has ragged on."

"I am going to have you stay near me during this mission so you can be the remedy to all my headaches," Sakura tells me as she rubs her temples in annoyances.

I laugh. "I am pretty sure you will be fine."

We converse for a couple of more minutes before Asuma finally decides to grace us with his persense along with our two clients. Norio Takara, despite the worry lines crinkling his forehead, appears to be in his early thirties. He is fairly tall and slender with thick glasses, tousled brunette hair, a brown mustache to match, green narrow shaped eyes, and unusually large ears. His getup is a little strange to me, wearing a jade green long sleeve shirt with brown vest over it, brown pants, and black shoes and is carrying a grey backpack. I guess I am just used to Shinobi wear and kimonos.

The little girl, Michi Takara, is absolutely adorable, resembling her father in the ear and hair department. Except, her shoulder length straight hair is styled more easily with a black headband pushing her bangs back to expose her large blue eyes. Unlike her father, her clothes dictates that she knows a little more about fashion than he does by wearing a yellow tank dress with brown sandals and a light green backpack to match. Just going based off her looks and height, she appears to be around eight or nine years old age, only slightly older than Hanabi.

"I see you all came here early," Asuma says. "This is our clients, Takara Norio and Takara Michi. We will be escorting them to Yugakure on this mission. Our duties involve making sure they arrive there safely and protect them with our lives if trouble arises."

"It is nice to meet you," Michi greets as she waves and bows. Awh, she is so sweet and mannerly! At least we do not have to handle a brat on this mission.

Her father's greeting is not as polite as his daughters. "Are you sure these three can protect me and my daughter?" he asks Asuma, sending us suspicious glances. "They are just kids." Shikamaru throws him a glare as Sakura and I give each other an annoyed look. Dude, we can totally kick your ass ten times fold.

Sensing the silent tension that is rising from his students, Asuma gives Norio a reassuring smile. "Even though they are young, these three are more than qualified enough to protect you and your daughter," he tells our client. "In the rare case that they cannot, I will be here. I am a Jōnin, an elite Shinobi, so you should not have any worries while we are around."

Norio sighs in relief and turns to look at us. He seems more open this time. "I don't mean to doubt you kids," he begins. "It is just Michi and I were attacked by a group of bandits on our way to your village. We manage to escape, but barely. This is why I sent the request to be escorted back to my village this time around and why I am being hypersensitive about our wellbeings."

Our ill intents towards Norio immendelity vanish after he explains his reasonings. "We understand your situation," I tell him. "I would be a little cautious as well if I had to rely my life on some preteens that I did not know." Sakura shoots me a look that screams "hypocrite" when our Inner selves were just bashing him for saying that about us seconds ago.

Norio grins and scratches the back of his neck. His mannerisms reminds me a little of Naruto. "Good! I didn't want you guys to think I'm some kind of jerk," he admits. Pssh, after basically saying you do not trust us with your lives? Nooo, never!

Asuma begins walking ahead of us. "It is going to take about five to six days to get Yugakure so let's get to moving," he orders. "We do not want to waste anymore time."

As we beginning moving, I take in my surroundings. The trees located outside of Konoha seem to be three times taller than the ones inside of the village. While the trees in this universe are abnormally tall, they are breathtaking to look at and I bet it would be cool to live up there in one of them in a treehouse or something. New goal on my bucket list: transfer the Hyūga clan from the compound to live out in the wild. Ha, I would be worse Head ever if I did that. I continue to gaze around some more as I take in the colorful arrays of flowers, the different shapes and sizes of plant life, and the scurrying of small mammals. Unlike my past life, this world seems to actually care about the environment and takes more pride in protecting and taking care of it.

After an hour of just walking in peaceful silence, Norio decides to break it with some small talk. I guess he's feeling awkward and doesn't like to be chilling in complete silence for long periods of time. We do not mean to, but that is just the dynamic over our group. Overall, we are pretty laid-back and easygoing and enjoy moments like this, especially during this beautiful nature walk. "It seems like you guys appreciate the nature that is around us. I suppose I can see that since you guys live in a beautiful country." he comments. He glances over at me. "Especially you."

I point a finger at myself. "What about me?" I ask, puzzled.

"The way you are observing everything and soaking it all up with wide eyes," Norio explains. "You seem to be the most excited about nature." Damn, he's good at reading people on the fly like I am. Sir, would you like a pair of Byakugan eyes to go with your skills?

"This is my first time outside of the village so I am just making sure I notice every little detail," I tell him.

Norio appears to be enthralled at my words. "You have never left your village before? No wonder you are looking around at the world as if you were a blind man who just gained his eyesight for the first time." Uh, nice simile? He pats the top of his daughter's head, which draws her attention from the book she is currently reading, and she glances up at him. "I used to travel around a lot in my younger days before Michi was born. Now that she is a little older, I decided to take her on her first trip. Konohagakure is one of my most favorite places to visit."

Michi grins. "I loved Konoha! I can't wait to go back soon!"

I smile down at her then focus my attention back on Norio. "What made you decide you wanted to travel?" I ask. We have days until we reach our destination. Why not take the opportunity and get to know our clients?

Norio adjusts his glasses. "I love learning and gaining knowledge. I believe that the more you know; the more better off in life you are going to be. This is why I made it my goal to travel to as many different places as I can before I die. Our world is so vast and it offers so much. Why not take the chance to explore it? Everytime I stumble across something incredible, I spend some time studying it and writing down my observations in a notepad. I have many notebooks back at home just filled with pages and pages of stories of my adventures, the things I have witnessed, and the conclusions and facts I have came up with and discovered over the years. I plan on publishing all of my work before I die so everyone can read for themselves how amazing our world is and what secrets lies in it. Sure, we can simply learn about our world through encyclopedias and history books. But, when they are reading my work they are seeing things from an actual person's point of view and that will help them connect better with the world and understand it more instead of merely just having fact after fact thrown at them.

"With the details and personal touches I plan on giving my books, I hope it inspires people to take the chance and see the stuff they are reading about in person. My target audience for my book would be, as you guys would call it, civilians. Many civilians are afraid to travel because of rogue Shinobi, thieves, bandits, and more. I do not want those small percentage of bad factors to scare people into not broadening their horizons. Because, the ones who simply just stay within their village their whole lives are missing out. I know Shinobi get the chance to see the world because they go on missions. This is my way of seeing it without being one, even if there are many risk factors involved."

"You have to be one dictated person to pursue the dream you have," Sakura points out.

She and Norio are both correct. Civilians tend to rarely leave their villages, roaming no further than a few miles away, unless they request protection from Shinobi or from another source.

Norio nods. "I am not that great, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve to protect me and my daughter in most situations."

"Oh, really? What can you do?" Sakura asks.

"I have picked up on a few jutsus here and there," Norio admits. I notice this seems to have caught Asuma's attention as he flicks his eyes over towards our client. It isn't everyday that a civilian knows ninjutsu without training.

"Are you a retired Shinobi?" Shikamaru questions, deciding to take interest in the conversation.

Norio shakes his head. "No, but my wife was one. She had taught me some over our years together."

I pick up on the word was. "Oh, she is the one that is retired then?" I ask.

The man gives me a sad smile. "No. She passed away six years ago when Michi was only two."

I widen my eyes. I didn't expect that. "O-oh," I say lamely. "I'm so sorry." I cast my eyes over at the little girl who appears indifferent about the topic of her deceased mother as she listens in. I guess that is an acceptable emotion to feel if she was that young when her mother died. She probably doesn't remember her that well, if at all.

Norio fumbles his glasses around some more. "Do not apologize," he tells me. "The mentioning of her does not effect me in a negative matter anymore." That is good that he has moved on then.

"If I may ask, how did she pass?" Asuma asks. Despite his casual demeanor, I know he is searching for information. It isn't common for a Shinobi to settle down with a civilian.

"I do not wish to go into detail," Norio politely replies. "But, I will just say that she was killed on a mission." Well, that dampens my excitement for this current mission, and for being a Genin. The thought of dying on a mission hasn't crossed my mind until now. I can tell Shikamaru and Sakura are thinking similar things by the expressions written on their faces. "It was during the days when Yugakure was still considered a Shinobi village, though they were slowly transitioning to a tourist attraction. Just a couple of months ago, we fully switched over to one because we are famous for our hot springs. The money that Yugakure was making based off our springs along was more of an income than missions were bringing in. While most of the Shinobi in the village decided to retire early and enjoy a more peaceful life, there is still a few Shinobi running around. Their main jobs now is to protect the village and go on more simpler missions such as running messages, helping out around Yugakure, or standing as guards."

I suppose it makes sense for a smaller village like Yugakure to convert over to a tourist village if they are making more money that way. Even though the village receives income from the missions, so do the Shinobi(s) that perform them. "Yes," Asuma says. "I heard about the recent transitioning. It sounds like the change is going quite well for the village." He looks over at his students. "When we arrive at Yugakure, how about we visit these famous hot springs? My treat!" One thing I like about Asuma is that he is always treating his sweet little broke students.

"No, it is my treat," Norio cuts in. "You guys are taking the time and risking your lives to escort us back. It is the least I can do."

Asuma chuckles. "Well, it is our duties to do so," he says, shrugging. "But, if you insist I am not going to complain!"

The hot springs in Konoha are a popular place for Shinobi to visit, especially after a long mission, to unwind and relax their muscles and regain their chakra. I have been there a few times with Sakura and Hanabi just for recreational and bathing purposes so I am eager to soak in the ones in Yugakure to compare the two.

The rest of the day is spent listening to Norio tell us about his life and of Yugakure. He has actually lived a pretty interesting life from all the things he has done and experienced. Norio's parents were Shinobi so that encouraged him to enroll in their Academy to become one. After only a couple of months being a Genin, he quit being a Shinobi to become a scholar and study about our world. From his teachings of being in the Academy, and his brief Shinobi career, it made it a little easier for him to learn some jutsus. Curious, I wanted to pull a Naruto and randomly ask what kind of jutsus he knew. But, despite claiming he views himself as scholar instead of ever being a Shinobi, I know those are his secrets would have told us what they were if he wanted to. His daughter made a comment here and there indicating that she wants to follow into their father's footsteps when she is older after her first trip to Konohagakure. When dusk began to fall, we stop traveling for the day and start to set up camp.

"Hinata, you go out and hunt for dinner," Asuma orders. "Shikamaru, please go out and grab some firewood to create a fire. I will go around and create a border while setting up traps. Sakura, I would like for you to stand guard over the camp and watch over our clients while we are gone."

I activated my Byakugan and head off in search of small prey. While my team and I can live off the disgusting food rations, I do not think Norio and Michi will take a liking to them. They will most likely akin to eating a rabbit or a squirrel over that, though Norio might be used to rations since he travels a lot. I quickly locate a rabbit and hurl a kunai at it before it can take off. It pierces through its head, killing it instantly. While I would have freaked out in my past life, I can thank the Academy for desensitizing us for moments like this for survival. After hunting down enough small mammals to feed all of us, I proceed to skin them and head back to camp. We are lucky to be in a forest right now with so much options for food. I wonder how Shinobi in the Kaze no Kuni survive in the harsh desert climate if they are tired of living off food rations?

After dinner, we unrolled our sleeping bags while our clients resign in their tent for the night. I could have brought a tent, but Shinobi tend to just sleep underneath the stars incase we have to leave in a hurry. Those suckers can be rolled up while a tent will take longer to take down. Shikamaru had decided to take the first watch, so he can just sleep through the rest of the night, followed by me, Sakura, then Asuma. As we all head off to bed, and Shikamaru to his post up in a tree, I feel restless. I toss and turn for a while before finally giving up on going to sleep and stare at the starry sky. Being my first time camping out in the wilderness, I would have found the whole thing relaxing and joyful. However, Norio's comment about how his wife died still echos in my mind. What if I die on this mission? What if I cause one of my teammates or clients to die? Missions aren't just going out, completing, and arriving back to start a new one. It isn't just that easy. There is a lot factors involved and I haven't thought about the negative aspects of things until now.

Paranoid begins to attack me. Are we being watched right now? Shikamaru could have drifted off to sleep and not be paying attention. I quickly activated my Byakugan and sense nothing around us but a wide awake Shikamaru. Good, he is still up. I deactivated my Byakugan and turn on my side, trying to calm down. Overthinking is exactly one of the ways that could lead to my death. I cannot prevent death. If I am meant to die at a certain moment, then I will die. No amount of training can evade the outcome. Though, it is ironic that I am afraid of dying since I have already done so once before. Except, my first death was quick and painless; I didn't even know I had died until I was reborned. I guess I am more frightened about the possibility of dying in a painful way. The only time I had experienced true physical pain is when Itachi stabbed me with his sword a few years ago, and that hurt like a bitch. But, that sort of pain only lasted a few seconds. Dying a slow and painful death is my new worse fear.

Since I am not able to obviously sleep at the moment, I decide to climb up the tree and keep Shikamaru company. It is far enough from the campsite to be able to talk freely without waking up the other, but not far enough to where we cannot quickly alert them. "Hi," I say as I sit down on the branch next to him.

Shikamaru arches an eyebrow. "Can't sleep?" he asks, yawning "I could right now."

"I can take over your shift for you and make mine a double," I offer.

Shikamaru shakes his head. "No, I'm not going to let you do that. I only have an hour left anyways. I can wait it out."

I shrug. "Okay."

"What's wrong this time?" Shikamaru asks, catching me off guard. That is the second time today he has realized I was feeling more differently than usual. "Are you still thinking about how Norio's wife was killed?" Damn his exceptional perceptive skills.

I nod. "More on the terms of never thinking about the possibility of getting killed, like an idiot. It is basically in our job description."

"It isn't idiotic. It is reasonable that those thoughts have never crossed your mind," Shikamaru says. "It has obviously never crossed mine or Sakura's. Pretty much, all three of us has lived a comfortable, lavish, and mundane life up to this point. Nothing terrible has happened to us yet to cause us to think more cautiously and/or negatively. While the Academy indirectly taught us that being a Shinobi is dangerous, no one has ever outright said to us that we might die in battle someday, only implied."

"I just thought I had enough common sense to know that I could easily lose my life one day," I tell him, lowering my eyes. "I asked for a C-rank mission without thinking about the possible repercussions and, now, I am second guessing myself."

Shikamaru sighs. "Look, there is only enough room for one person on this team to complain." I look over at him as he throws me a hearten smile. "Stop beating yourself up. It isn't like you. You're going to have to either take things in stride or continue to worry over mere possibilities."

It is kind of hard not to worry when you know what dangers the future holds. And, to be honest, I am starting to forget when certain situations happen and what happens. Like earlier, I had totally forgotten that Team Seven goes on their mission in the Land of Waves because of all the new changes that keep happening. "How do you stay so relaxed and laid-back all the time?" I ask. Maybe he can give me some pointers.

"Me?" Shikamaru asks before pondering over my questions. He shrugs. "I really don't have any serious goals or dreams to chase after. I have the mindset of wanting to just act like a cloud and float carelessly through life. I pretty much just want to life an unremarkable life and then simply die of old age." That makes me wonder if he really wants to live that sort of life or has that sort of thinking because he finds things easy and grows bored fairly quickly because of his high IQ?

"Why did you become a Shinobi then?" I question. I half-smiled. "We tend to not live very unremarkable lives."

Shikamaru glances up at the stars. "Actually, many Shinobi do. In times of peace, there isn't a lot of dangerous and life threatening missions to go on. A lot of missions are escorting, border controlling, search and rescuing, and so on. Occasionally, someone will come across a higher ranking mission that involves tracking down a missing nin, for example. That little moment of your life will become more than unremarkable, but you have a high chance of completing the mission without too much troubles.

"But, to answer your question, I never really had a good reason to become a Shinobi other than to follow into my parent's footsteps and protect Konoha. My folks are both Shinobi. My mother is a Chunin and my father is the Head of the Nara clan, plus the Jōnin Commander of our village. I would never hear the end of it if I refused to become one. It would just be too troublesome for me to deal with."

"You speak about your parents so casually," I say. I would feel even more pressured than I do now to impress my parents and live up to their standards if they were mine.

Shikamaru just shrugs. "Yeah, they hold special titles. But, I just see them as my mom and dad." Oh, you will see them as more than just that when you are older and have experienced more things.

"Well, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to me vent," I say to him, patting his back. "I don't want to be too troublesome for you."

"Don't thank me," he replies. "I mean, that's what friends are for."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Friends, huh? That is another thing I haven't thought of. I guess we are not on acquaintance terms anymore since we all spend so much time together. I smile to myself. Friends. Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, and Sakura are all my friends. I like that.

Suddenly, I sense someone approaching us. Shikamaru and I briefly glance down to see a pink headed girl climbing up the tree. She pops her head up and meekly waves. "Hi, guys!" she greets.

I wave back. "Can you not sleep as well?"

"Well, I saw you get up and assumed you were using the bathroom," Sakura begins. "But, I grew worried when you didn't come back so I went to look for you."

"In other words, you can't sleep," Shikamaru states.

Sakura nervously smiles. "You caught me. Mind I join you two?" she asks.

"I don't care," Shikamaru responds while I nod. Sakura makes her way over and sits down beside of me. Good thing these trees are huge and these branches can support all this weight or we would be falling to the ground from it snapping.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asks, lazily looking over at Sakura. Oh, we are starting this again?

"W-what do you mean?" she stammers, giving us a fake grin. "I am fine!"

I wave my hand. "Oh, save it. There is no use in lying," I warn her. "I already tried that earlier with him and he saw right through me."

Sakura blinks. "Huh?"

"Are you worried about getting killed on missions and you feel like an idiot because it has never crossed your mind before?" Shikamaru asks, getting straight to the point.

I giggle as Sakura appears stumped. "H-how did you-"

"I just had the same conversation with him," I explain. "He is just assuming that you have the same worries as me right now."

"I'm not assuming when it is obvious," Shikamaru comments.

Sakura lowers her eyes. "I just feel very useless compared to you guys," she admits.

"Woah, why?" I question.

Even Shikamaru seems taken aback by that statement. "Yeah, why?"

"You both are remarkable and are strong enough to easily defend yourselves in battle," Sakura continues. "The only thing I am good for is hiding behind a bush and casting genjutsus."

"Hey, don't call Shikamaru remarkable or he will freak out," I tell her as he shoots me an annoyed look. "But, there is nothing wrong with that! That just means you can daze your opponent and then launch a surprise attack on them. A good Shinobi is one that hides within the shadows. That's you!"

Sakura doesn't seem convinced. "Well, but-"

"Plus, someone like Shikamaru would kill to be in your position," I interrupt. "Hiding and simply casting a genjutsu. It doesn't involve any hard work at all!"

Shikamaru rolls his eyes. "Will you be quiet?"

"In all seriousness," I begin. "Genjutsu isn't easy to master. It does take hard work and excellent chakra control. As you become more experienced, you are going to be a force to be reckoned with. Do you know how bad you can mess with someone's mind? They are under your control and you can do whatever you want to them and make them see whatever. That's lethal." I try to think of some more positives about her. "You are also very intelligent and have obtained a lot of knowledge over the years. You have read more about history and terminology than Shikamaru and I have put together. That is good information to know for different circumstances."

While Sakura and I both studied a lot in our days at the Academy, we studied totally different topics. She took the time to read up the history, politics, and other details of as many clans, villages, Shinobi, and so on as she was allowed. I just studied different ways to make myself a better Shinobi to protect my clan and Konoha, such as chakra control.

Sakura made a "pfft" sound in disagreement. "Name one," she dares me.

I sweatdrop at her response as I quickly rack my brain for an example. "If we ever come across a rouge/missing Shinobi from a certain clan or village, you could be able to predict what his background is and how he might fight from what you studied of that clan and village." Ehhh, I hope this is a good enough example to convince her, even though it is a little vague and uncreative.

Sakura sighs. "I guess I am not going to get any better if I just complain and throw a pity party."

I smile. "When we get back to Konoha, maybe we can spar or something?" I offer. "I don't think you and I have had one just yet. I am willing to bet you are better than you think."

Offering to spar with someone is the same form of casual invitation as asking a friend to hang out. It is a weird concept to think that a good way to strengthen a bond with someone else is by beating the crap out of them. Nothing screams you're my friend more than bruises and scars. Shinobi are weird.

Sakura smiles and nods. "That would be nice," she replies.

Shikamaru yawns. "You know, I thought my shift was going to be peaceful and I would be able to count the stars. Instead, I got to play therapist and hear you two complain about your feelings. You two are so troublesome."

I shift my eyes over to him. "We listen to your complaints everyday," I mumble.

Shikamaru ignored my snide comment. "Well, it looks like my watch is over now," he informs me. "It is your turn to take over so I am going to leave the party a little early. Goodnight." He jumps down from the tree and heads back to camp.

I look over at Sakura as she looks longly at him as he takes off. "You can go back, too," I tell her. She flicks her eyes over at me. "I know you are growing tired."

Sakura pauses. "Will you be okay by yourself?" she asks. "I can stay if-"

I wave my hand to dismiss her question. "I will be fine. You need to rest before it is your turn to watch."

Sakura smiles. "Alright. Goodnight, Hinata. And… thank you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Hmmm, for what?"

"For trying to make me feel better."

"Oh, that?" I shrug. "Don't think me. That's what friends are for!" Okay, I totally know I just copied Shikamaru's line he said to me. But, it was heartfelt and meaningful to me.

Sakura widens her eyes slightly than nods. "Right!" she agrees and jumps down.

The second and third day went by just as same as the first: traveling for most of the day and telling each other stories. During the afternoon of the fourth day, we finally made it to the Land of Hot Water's border. After walking through the country for a couple of hours, I could not tell the difference between this country and the Land of Fire. Both countries contain very dense forests. There might be more difference as we move along, though. I can see this country having more bodies of water than the Land of Fire just because of its name.

"At this rate, we will be in Yugakure around tomorrow in the late morning," Asuma informs us.

Good. I'm ready to sleep in an actual bed, bathe in a shower, and pee in an actual toilet and not in a bush.

Norio frowns and a worried expression crosses his face. "Just be careful," he suddenly warns us and we shoot an alarmed glance at him. "This is around the place my daughter and I were attacked." As he says that, Michi grabs a hold of her father's hand and squeezes it in fear.

Asuma looks over at me, but I am already thinking two steps ahead. "Already on it," I tell him. "Byakugan!" My vision extended a kilometer out as I search for any signs of danger. Nope, nobody hiding here. Everything is good over hear. I think the coast is-wait what's that? As my vision met its limit, I swear I saw a figure near a tree. I look back at Asuma. "I think I see something, but I need to go a little further to check it out."

I run up and tree and traveled hundred more feet and expanded my vision again. I gasp as my stomach churns at the horrifying sight. There is an elderly man, definitely a civilian, that is pinned against a tree. He has been slashed in the chest, as there were three deep wounds visible, and he has several wound stabs through his body. Fresh blood is spewed everywhere, hinting that this man was just murdered. I notice a strange symbol placed right underneath the dead man's feet: an upside down triangle within a circle. It had been written in blood. Why does it look so familiar? I need to go back and warn the others.

Before I can move, I notice some movement to my left. I move my eyes over to my left, ranging away from the man about forty feet and I almost fall out of the tree and terror and shock. A shirtless young man with slicked back grey hair and purple eyes was on the run. He is carrying a three-bladed scythe on his back and is wearing a Yugakure forehead protector and an amulet around his neck, with the same shape as the symbol on the ground. I know what the symbol stands for now. It is related to the "religion" of Jashin and the man proudly wearing it is none other than Hidan. And… he is heading right towards me and my team.

Fuck. We are dead.

Author's Note: Okay, what in the world has Hinata done that has made Team Ten meet Hidan so early, if she has done anything at all? Do you think the group of people that attacked Norio and Michi has anything to do with Hidan at all? Hidan is somebody that would make me shit my pants if I had to fight him and I am so excited for the next chapter. That is why I posted this chapter early! Next chapter is action packed so be prepared! *insert scary ass Hidan's theme here*

P.S I went and edited my grammar, to the best of my ability, in the past chapters. Thanks everyone for pointing out a few of my mistakes!