Fate Wheel | Naruto

51| Brothers

"Not always eye to eye, but always heart to heart"
– Unknown

───※ ·❆· ※───

SASORI

"This shit tastes like... shit."

"And you look like one, but that's not an issue for me. So the tea shouldn't be one for you either."

"What did you just say to me, ice princess?" Hidan growled, nearing Haku as he grabbed the collar of his shirt.

Haku rolled his eyes tiredly, summoning a senbon needle with the flick of his wrist and punctured one of Hidan's pressure points in his arm. The former Jashinist released his grip and let out a string of curses as he stumbled backwards, pulling the needle out with a grunt. Sasori gave them an unamused glance.

"You heard me." Haku responded calmly, Sasori could detect the hint of smug in his voice. "After all, I'm just trying to help with the nightmares." He added, with an innocent smile on his face.

"I don't get nightmares." Hidan hissed, a scowl forming on his lips.

"Sure you don't." Haku retorted, sending him a blank look. Though, underneath it's exterior Sasori could tell that Haku was concerned, for reasons he wasn't able to understand. The boy was too compassionate and caring for others and insisted on helping people as much as he could, which wasn't wrong in his part, after all he was trying to be a good person.

"The journey from here on out isn't going to be easy." Sasori announced, pressing his lips into a firm line as his eyes studied the map in his hands. "There's too much eventualities. The risks are too high, we ventured too close to the Land of Fire and passed by a couple of Leaf Shinobi circulating around the perimeter. Soon we'll be approaching Tanigakure, but their alliance with the Leaf could be a bit of a problem."

"There's a secret route I know of that will ensure we wouldn't encounter any Shinobi and it's much more quicker." Haku suggested, pointing to a thin route that Sasori didn't notice. "A few merchants pass by but rarely any Shinobi, as long as we don't draw any attention to ourselves we should be fine."

Sasori tilted his head in thought. "That could work."

"Fuck, I'm hungry." Hidan patted his rumbling stomach with a frown.

It had been a day and a half since they had departed from the Land of Waves. Zabuza's wife, Oshika, had kindly packed them meals that would last them at least three days max- if Hidan decided to not be a greedy pig- or two minimum. Fortunately, Haku's chamomile tea had worked wonders as Sasori slept a dreamless night and woke up not succumbed to the terrors of the demons living inside his head, he was thankful that they had another formidable ally who seemed to be knowing what he was doing unlike the annoying, sailor-mouthed imbecile who was more brawn than brain.

Strangely enough, he considered their little group to be a balanced match. Haku was calm and collective, rarely riled up and had very useful skills that would come in handy in their near future travels, to which they had managed to avoid danger due to Haku's sensory ability. Hidan was loud-mouthed and couldn't barely hold his tongue, despite that his sense of loyalty and hidden solicitude was what made his attributes redeemable and rather admirable in a strange way. Sasori, on the other hand, taught himself to be empathetic and to protect those who weren't able to protect himself. It was something his grandma Chiyo had chose to live by.