日向導 - A Hyūga's Guide

Chapter Forty Six: Wind Country

Their condensed breaths formed white puffs of mist in front of them as they walked through the forest. Parcels were strapped to their backs as they used the falling leaves of the trees as cover. It had yet to snow but the air was frigid and hurt the exposed parts of their bodies. The first day of winter had arrived. The trip to Suna was going to be a long and gruelling one, but no one has uttered a word of complaint since they left the night before.

To their previous assumption, Hinata did not take the plan very well. She expressed discomfort at first, begging them to think of something else, but the plan had been the only plausible solution to the problem at hand. Of course, Sasuke, Naruto, or Neji, told her about the true nature of their trip to Suna. They risked having her lash out in anger upon realizing that her husband was going to be at the forefront of the battle.

Letting out another soft sigh, Hinata squeezed Sasuke's hand as she leaned on him for support. Her feet were feeling sore; her toes getting colder as the hours went by. They had yet to stop for the day to rest, and she understood that that was an awful idea in case of them being followed, but her stamina wasn't up to par currently.

"Do you want me to carry you?" He whispered as he studied her carefully while keeping his eyes on the rigid path. "Or will you be able to last until we get to the next clearing?"

"I'm alright." She shook her head. She did not want to be a burden for the time being. Yes, she was at a handicap, her pregnancy did very little to keep her stress level down, but she refused to let that put the others in danger. There was only so much her worrying could do to deter them from going down the path they were already embarking on. All that could be done was to not lag behind and keep herself safe if the time calls for it.

Ignoring her words, Sasuke pulled his hand out of her own and picked her up swiftly. The redness of her cheeks were either caused by the cold or the heat that arose from within at the sudden action. "Relax, and sleep." He said softly, feeling the way her muscles coiled up in alertness.

Hinata closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. Sleep did not find her, but she slowly relaxed in his hold as his body rocked up and down with each step. Her dainty fingers played with the black strands of his hair that fell over his shoulder, the silky smooth locs capturing her attention as the journey continued.

"The trees are thinning out." Naruto called from up ahead. "We should find a place to stop and take turns resting. It would be better if it was a village we found so we did not have to sleep in the cold weather, but a fire is our only option." From where they could see him, his body illuminated by the light of the moon, Naruto ran a hand through his hair and pulled his mask down. "We're moving faster than I anticipated, which is a good thing, but I know that everyone's tired. Sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" Neji walked right past him with his arms crossed. "We agreed to do this."

"Yeah, we agreed that it would take five days. It's been two and we're almost at that river if I'm reading this map right. The last thing I need is for you guys to not communicate your exhaustion, that would mean that we would be resting for who knows how long by the time we arrive. I do not need any of you collapsing, and we have a pregnant woman with us who's been silently tiring herself until her feet hurt because she doesn't want to be left behind."

"Was that a jab at me, Naruto?" Hinata perked up slightly.

"No," he raised his hands in mock surrender, "it's me worrying about you and your baby. You don't have to push yourself so hard, Hinata, I promise that none of us would be mad if we had to wait a day or two for you to feel energized enough to continue. That worry extends to everyone else as well."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded slowly, "you sound like Kakashi."

Naruto's shoulders slumped over in embarrassment, "I will continue to sound like him if I have to remind everyone that it's okay to ask for a pit stop." He continued walking and gave Sora a thumbs up once he realized that the puppet and its companion had stopped in a place perfect for them to take cover for some time. "I should get started on the fire while you—"