日向導 - A Hyūga's Guide

Chapter Eleven: Relief

Hinata followed behind Naruto quietly, no sound was made between them besides the snapping of branches under their feet.

"We would have been screwed if Kakashi sent someone else with you. You're lucky that I was chosen." He mumbled as they approached the cabin.

"I'm lucky? Aren't you the one who should be thanking the gods?" She picked up the discarded yukata and held it in her arms.

"If you didn't offer to show the forest to the rest of them, I wouldn't be here in the first place. Where is he?" Naruto expected to see Sasuke, or any indication of him inside but there wasn't any.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't bring him to the forest to begin with." She murmured. "He's at the river." She didn't say anything else as she led the way back to where she left the Uchiha heir. "Besides that, now that I know he's the Lost Prince, what do you think about me? Are you going to move him?"

Naruto pushed a tree branch to the side, silently admiring her nimbleness as she walked with such ease around low hanging branches and overgrown roots. "I've always known that you knew who he was." He said, ignoring the way she paused in her step as he overtook her. He really was annoyed at the moment but he couldn't blame her for it at all.

Hinata reached out for him and pulled him into a stop. Before she could ask the very obvious question, Naruto sighed.

"Your eyes are hard to forget, Hina, you were the one who helped him that day at the Palace. I may be clueless sometimes, but there's a reason that I'm assigned to Sasuke and not anyone else. I pay attention to every single detail of everything around him to keep him safe. I would not have left him with you had I not recognized you the moment I saw your eyes." He pulled his hand away and motioned for her to continue walking. "It's amazing that he doesn't realize that, but Sasuke doesn't pay attention to that sort of thing."

"You knew that I would have done your bidding right away." She frowned.

"You wouldn't have much of a choice. You'd do so if you thought I couldn't recognize you, and you've shown how bothersome it is to you that we crashed at your little place. You're only doing this to get us out of your hair faster — that, I don't blame you for." He unclipped his mask once he could feel the presence of his friend. "We will, I'll make sure of it."

Hinata let him walk ahead of her since the river was almost entirely visible. His words echoed through her head, making her frown deepen. She was so occupied with her predicament that it had completely slipped her mind that Naruto would have known that her care for Sasuke was simply because the responsibility was dumped on her and she wasn't one to sit idle when someone was in need. Whether or not she was aware that she was doing so because he was the Prince didn't matter because she took care of him without much protest.

She wondered if he thought she was doing so to gain something back.

"I was starting to think something happened but you brought along Naruto." Sasuke spoke loudly, unknowingly bringing her back to the present after her deep excursion into her mind. "Isn't it a little early?"

"Kakashi is here looking for you." Naruto broke the somewhat carefree atmosphere. "I was sent to make sure that Hina's words of not seeing you were true."

She set down his yukata and could almost feel his eyes boring into her soul despite his lack of vision. The silent question from him was almost too audible. Did she betray him?

"So she knows." He said, no emotion in his voice, and he didn't care to hide who he was any longer.

"She does." Naruto nodded.

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure but I will return to Kakashi and let him know that you're not here."