The next morning, after the night of festival, Hinata spent some time with Mister Kirishima and his niece, Misaki. She really didn't have much to do besides training and talking with the Chief as he told her more about her father. Hinata couldn't help but think how it'd have been if her father hadn't changed and remained his former self.
He then told Hinata about how he formed this village and how he met Sasuke. As he told before that his village which was near the Valley of the End, was destroyed by Akatsuki. Everyone in the village died but he escaped with his son and niece. Then a few years ago, he met some people whose villages were destroyed by the memebers of Akatsuki. So he decided to build a new village so that the people could have a home again.
But soon after the establishment of the village, the raiders attacked the village and they were unable to protect themselves but then Sasuke saved them. He protected the village and the villagers welcomed him with open arms even though they knew that he was once a part of that criminal organization that killed their loved ones. They wanted to start a new life and move on so they forgave him and thanked him for his protection.
Mister Kirishima considered Sasuke as his son, he treated him like his own son and in return Sasuke respected him as a father. Hinata smiled and felt happy for Sasuke. After sometime, she went to meet with Misaki.
Misaki was a good company too. She reminded Hinata of her sister, Hanabi. The girl was cheerful and full of joy and happy smiles, just like Hanabi. She showed Hinata around the village, they went to every shop and stall. She didn't bought much but she really enjoyed the time with Misaki.
After that, she did some training with Misaki and Kirito. Both cousins were amazing fighters and their teamwork was amazing. She trained her Hyuga techniques while waiting for Sasuke. But he didn't come amd it was almost lunch time. Misaki and Korito had already left. Now Hinata was making her way to the mansion. Her thoughts again drifted off to Sasuke.
She hadn't seen him since last night when they had bid each other farewell for the night. When she woke up in the morning, he was nowhere to be seen. She asked his former team about his whereabouts but they just said that it was normal for him to disappear like that. Hinata could only sigh and think where he'd disappear off to.
To be honest, she couldn't stop thinking about last night. Whenever she thought about it, a smile would always graze her lips. She didn't know that Sasuke could laugh that much. She had always seen him brooding, expressionless and stoic. He never smiled in front of her but she'd see his lips tugging upward or looking the other way to hide his smile. Yes, she noticed that. How could she not, she was a byakugan user, afterall.
For some reasons, it made her happy when he smiled at her. It did something to her heart, just like when she used to see Naruto from afar. She unknowingly let out a gasp at the thought of that and where it led. She shook her head as she could feel her heartbeat quicken.
Suddenly, a voice said, "Hyuga."
She let out a yelp as she was startled by the sudden voice. She turned around to see Sasuke staring at her. "Easy. It's just me."
"Sorry. I was thinking something," she said as her cheeks burned with slight embarassment, as she thought about her thoughts. She turned her face away from him to hide her reddened face.
She calmed herself down and then asked, "Where were you? I have been looking for you since morning."
Sasuke stared at her for a moment then said, "I had things to do."
"Is it about the mission?"
Sasuke nodded and then said, "We are leaving today. Let's go." He then started to head towards the mansion and Hinata followed behind him. Hinata was happy to go back to the leaf village but deep down she was sad too.
She really didn't want to leave this place. It's not because that she didn't like her own village or something, it was because she didn't want to go back to the Hyuga compound. It was really hard to stand under those gazes which were full of disappointment and disgrace. It really hurt when her father would look at her with disappointment. She sighed sadly at her thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked and she snapped out of her thoughts. She looked up at him and saw him staring at her with slighty furrowed brows. Hinata shook her head no and looked at her feet.
"I am okay." She then looked at him and smiled.
"You are lying." Her smile dropped. She couldn't look him in the eye.
"I... Um... " she began but then she sighed and said, "It's nothing."
She then heard Sasuke sigh. She looked at him and saw his usual blank expression but his eyes, they softened. They didn't hold that emptyness like before. Infact, she saw something in them that she couldn't decipher.
"If you don't want to tell me then don't." He said but then turned his face from her and walked a few steps ahead to keep a distance. Hinata then heard him mumble, "Just know that I am here."
Hinata's eyes widened and she said as she quickened her pace to walk beside him, "W-what?"
"Nothing," he said coldly but Hinata didn't back down and again said, "No, I mean say it again."
"I'm not repeating myself," he said firmly but Hinata could see that his cheeks were silghtly red.
She giggled at that and whispered, "I know." Sasuke clicked his tongue in a faked annoyance and stormed off ahead. Hinata giggled and ran up to Sasuke.
"W-wait for me."
Hinata called from behind but Sasuke just kept walking and they finally reached the mansion. After having lunch, they said goodbyes and started their journey back to Konoha. According to Sasuke, it would take them five days to reach the village, and with that, they continued their journey and as the days passed, their friendship was starting to take a new turn, which they both were unaware of.
Five days later.
A certain blonde was sitting on the window in the Hokage's office as he picked his nose in boredom. He sighed dramatically and then looked towards his left to see the Hokage as he kept doing his paperwork. The blonde ninja again sighed loudly.
"Stop doing that, Naruto. If you sigh one more time, I will throw you off the window," Kakashi said sweetly although his words were full of venom.
Naruto gulped at his warning but then whinned, "Come on, Kakashi-sensei! Give me a mission already! Its been a week since I had my last mission. I have nothing to do."
Kakashi looked up from his paperwork and said, "Oh? You have nothing to do, huh? What about the chunnin exams? I have put you incharge of it. You should be focusing on that. Now go away." Kakashi said as he gestured him to go like he was a stray cat. Naruto grew annoyed at that.
"It's not fair! You sent teme on another mission outside the village and I am stuck here organizing some stupid chunnin exams!"
"Look Naruto. Tomorrow is the chunnin exams and all the Kages would be gathering here in Konoha. And I want you to be here. In Konoha. If you are here, then I can rest assured that nothing will happen to the village. Now go and prepare for tomorrow."
Kakashi finished and looked at Naruto who had nothing to say in return. He only sighed as his shoulders slumped, "Fine. I won't bother you."
Kakashi hummed and went back to work but halted as a light knock was heard. Then the two figures entered the office. Naruto instantly became his active self again as he said, "Teme!"
"You are back!" he said as he looped his arm around his neck but then he tightened his grip and said angrily, "You should have taken me with you! Where the hell did you go off to without even telling me!? I was bored out of my mind! Even Sakura-chan was busy at the hospital."
"Let go of me, you loser. Even If you had tagged along, you would have been useless."
"What did you say!?"
"Alright you two, knock it off," Kakashi said and they both halted their bickering. Naruto pouted and Sasuke looked annoyed as well. Hinata giggled at them and that's when Naruto noticed her and went up to her.
"Oh Hinata-chan! How are you? How was the mission? Did that Teme give you a hard time?"
Hinata blushed at him and at how close he was but then got control of her emotions and cleared her throat to give an answer.
"I am fine, Naruto-kun."
As Hinata and Naruto exchanged words, Sasuke noticed the blush on Hinata's cheeks and instanlty grew annoyed at the both of them. He didn't like it at all, he didn't like it when Hinata blushed at others. He clicked his tongue and went up to the Hokage's table and slammed a scroll on the table, startling them all.
"Here's all the details about the mission. I am tired so I am going home," he said in a cold and dangerous tone, and then he stalked out of the room, leaving them dazed.
"What's up with him all of a sudden," Naruto said as he rested his arms behind head. Hinata didn't know either as she too was confused at his sudden change in behaviour. But Kakashi seemed to know why. He smirked under his mask and said, "How amusing."
"Did you say something?" Naruto asked. But kakashi shook his head and smiled at them.
"Now go, Naruto. You have alot of work to do. You too Hinata, you must be tired from your mission."
They both were dismissed and Hinata headed towards her home. When she reached the gates of the compound, she looked at the building where Sasuke's apartment was. She didn't know why Sasuke's behaviour changed like that. They were just talking a while ago before heading to the Hokage's office.
A thought came to her mind as she thought why he behaved like that. Was it because of her? Did she do something wrong that made him angry? She really wanted to know. It saddened her that Sasuke was angry at her. She wanted Sasuke to always smile at her.
Hinata blushed at the thought as she entered the compound and made her way to the main house.
Meanwhile, Sasuke walked down the street as a dark aura was radiating off of him. His thoughts were full of Naruto and Hinata as he cursed Naruto for being so close to her. That loser will die someday for doing that!
It really bothered him and he didn't even know why!? He was definetly going crazy. Lately his emotions were so confusing, he couldn't figure it out.
He really wanted someone to tell him what the heck was wrong with him.
Not long after, a voice reached his ears and he stopped, "Sasuke-kun!"
He turned and saw Saukra coming towards him. She smiled at him and said, "How are you? How was your mission."
"It was fine," Sasuke said and she nodded. "Where are you heading?"
"To the Hokage's office. Kakashi- sensei's assistant called me, saying that Naruto was again bugging him for a mission. So I was heading up there to knock some sense into him," Sakura said as she cracked her knuckles with an evil smile on her lips.
A thought came into his mind and he said, "I am sure Kakashi can handle him. You come with me, I have something I want to discuss."
Sakura looked at him confused but nodded nonetheless and they headed to a nearby cafe. They sat and ordered some coffee. After a moment of silence, Sakura asked, "So what did you want to discuss about?"
Sakura waited for him to answer but none came. She looked at him and saw that he was having an internal battle with his thoughts. He looked like he couldn't decide where to begin. She never saw him so confused like that. She felt worried and concerned about him and asked, "Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke sighed and said carefully, "I am confused about my emotions. I have always had them under contol but now it seemes difficult to comtrol them. Sometimes, I am happy when I am around that person but then I feel angry when someone else attracts attention to them. I want to see her smile at me and in return I also want to smile at her. And when she's not around, I feel lonely. I mean I have always been alone but it's different now. I don't know why? Maybe I am losing my mind or something."
He finsihed and looked at Sakura who was silent this whole time. She looked at him with silghtly opened mouth and wide eyes. "Sakura?"
Oh my god. Sakura was shocked. She never in her whole life expected Sasuke to say all that. Well maybe she had daydreamed about it at some point but that was nothing but a daydream. But now it was really happening. "Sakura?"
Sasuke called out to her and she came out of her daze as she blinked to clear her mind. She cleared her throat and said, "I am sorry. I was just surprised."
She went on, "And no, you are not losing you mind nor you are going crazy. It's normal for a human being to feel like that. But in your case, it's really rare. And I am really glad that you feel that way." She giggled.
"Stop beating around the bush, Sakura. You are making me more confused," he said annoyingly.
Sakura chuckled at him and apologised and then said, "You are falling in love, Sasuke. And believe me it's a really confusing feeling. But at the end of the day, it's the most beautiful thing that ever happens to a person. Trust me I know how you feel." She smiled as her thoughts drifted off to her blonde ray of sunshine.
Sasuke heard her and he was shocked to hear that, more like scared to hear that. "No. No, it's impossible. If that's the case then I would have known it already."
Sakura chuckled at him again and said, "That's the irony of it. You don't know untill you are completly trapped in it. Love doesn't give you any heads-ups. It just happens without any warning."
Sasuke said nothing but he still didn't wanted to believe this all. Then a question popped up in his mind so he asked, "Sakura. Do you still- "
He was cut off by Sakura as she said, "No. I do not." She looked at him and smiled.
"I am sorry, Sasuke-kun. I wanted to love you and be with you. Be your family. I thought I loved you but then I realized that it wasn't love at all. It was just a mere childhood crush. When we were young, you and Naruto both had a purpose in your lives. I was the only one who didn't. So I made it my purpose to be your family and marry you oneday. But after meeting Lady Tsunade, I finally found my purpose. My purpose of life is to protect my family; my father, mother, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and you. I was always the weak one but I pushed past my limits by seeing you and Naruto moving ahead of me. So I wanted to reach that position where I can stand beside the two of you with my head held high. Naruto was always there for me, pushing me forward. He promised to bring you back to me even though he knew that I might never return his feelings. And without knowing, I fell in love with him. Just like I said, it happened without any warnings."
Sakura finished as she wiped the unfallen tears from her eyes and smiled at Sasuke. Sasuke returned her smile. It was a genuine smile. He was really happy to know that his two best friends were in love with each other.
But then he asked, "If you love him then why haven't you told him that?"
Sakura's eyes saddened as she looked at her lap. She didn't know how to answer that. She wanted to confess her love to Naruto but she couldn't. She would never break Hinata's heart. That poor girl already had alot of problems in her life. Her problems could only end if she were to marry the future Hokage. Then no one will ever treat her badly. And moreover, Hinata had loved Naruto her whole life. Sakura will never compare to her. She will never do that to Hinata.
When Sasuke noticed that she was having difficulty answering, he provided, "Is it because of Hinata?"
Sakura's head snapped up and her eyes were wide. So he was right. It was because of Hinata. When he thought about it, his heart hurt. Did Hinata still have feelings for Dobe?
The more he thought about it, the more it suffocated him. He didn't want Hinata to love Naruto, he realized.
He saw Sakura nodding her head. He also saw how sad she looked.
"Tell that loser how you feel about him and don't worry about Hinata, leave her to me."
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked and looked at him confusingly. But then it hit her and she gasped.
"It's Hinata. The girl you love is her, isn't it?" Sakura said half surprised, half happily. Sasuke pursed his lips in a thin line and gritted out.
"I don't love- Yes. I mean, she makes me my heart confused ok? But I don't."
"Don't... What?" Sakura asked teasingly as she smirked at him. Sasuke's cheeks burned slightly but he cleared his throat and stood up.
"I am leaving now. It was nice talking to you, Sakura." He said and turned to leave but halted and said, "And don't forget to confess."
And with that he left Sakura to her thoughts and coffee. He walked towards his apartment but he stopped when he crossed the Hyuga compound. He looked at the gates and thought about the girl who made his heart do weird things.
He started walking again but his mind was still full of her. Was he really falling in love with her? He sighed and shook his head as he made his way to his apartment.
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Hey guys! I am back with a long chapter in hand. I hope you liked it and let me know your thoughts in the comments. 💫✨
And I know, some of you don't like Sakura and you even hate her but please no hate for Sakura on my story. I have made her a good-and-not-so-annoying friend. I personally like Sakura but I don't like Sasusaku ship.
My ultimate favourite is Sasuhina! 😍😍💞💞
Oh well, so that's it for today and I'll see if I am not busy with my studies then I will publish another chapter in a few days but if I happen to be busy then I guess you will have your chapter by the next sunday (next week). 😊😚
So take care and have a good day! Byeee~ 🌼🌸
--stars_above12.