Alright. I do not own Naruto, or any other characters/names/places named herein, only Bisetsu/Hateshi. I gain no monetary compensation whatsoever by writing this and I do not intend any sort of slander by posting this story.

This story has mild language, violence, and a rape scene, although it is not very graphic.

Thanks for reading, and please review.

S

"Uzumaki Naruto…," he could hear the boy speaking, commanding his attention. Even for his slight build, he had such a strong presence, such an aura about him. Those eyes, those once tender, frightened eyes had changed so much since he had last seen the boy. They were stern, unrelenting. They were cold and calculating, he knew exactly every move he would make with an intense sense of purpose.

His small body was a house to such an unbelievable ability, his intense chakra pouring out of nowhere. Not even the two people trying to protect him had anything close to his energy or abilities. Naruto stood there, teeth bared, watching this little boy's destruction. Every nin that came at him, he knocked away with no problem, and those few who had caused more of a threat or had gotten in the way of he and Naruto, he killed, showing no mercy. His hands were balled into fists while he watched this carnage, not knowing what to do. Those fatal eyes looked up at him, one red and one white, and he felt a twinge of fear in his heart.

"Bisetsu, please! You have to-"

"No! Bisetsu was your son's name, and I am not your son. My name is Hateshi," the boy screamed, his voice evincing emotion. He had been so cold until then, so calm, it was strange that simple remark had evoked anything in him let alone a scream. He felt the boy's chakra flare and watched his lip tremble from a distance.

That's what the boy's life had been like with him, watching from a distance, Naruto was always too afraid to get close to him; he didn't want to find out the truth. It was ironic that he had chosen this name, Fate. It hurt Naruto to hear him say things like that, he loved the little boy, regardless, and that's why he was having so much trouble now. How were you supposed to kill your own son?

Naruto clenched his fists, and blinked back tears. Maybe, on some level, he deserved this. What could he have done?

Twelve Years Prior:

"Hinata, they've given me an S-Rank mission, I have to go, everyone else already left for theirs," Naruto pleaded, looking down into her light eyes. She sniffed again, she had been crying since she had heard the news that morning and he wasn't doing well to console her.

"B-but Naruto...you promised...you said that this one would be..." she continued, tears in her eyes.

"I know what I said, but you have to realize how important this is, do you really want me to let them down?" he asked, holding her hands to his face. Her hands were always so cool. 

They felt good on his flush face and he forgot about the argument for a moment, and began to think about his wife. She quickly shook him out of it.

"Naruto-kun...promise me, please, that after this one you won't-"

He broke in," Of course, I promise, no higher than B-Rank mission after this."

He nudged her face up and kissed her quickly on the lips. She crossed her arms, and looked at him accusingly.

"Naruto, this isn't the first time you've told me that! You've promised me time and time again that-"

"Hinata...listen to me. This is an escort mission, it's only S-Rank because of the client and the time it takes for the mission to be completed. I don't want to go, especially not for so long, but you know how it is, I'll be back in eight months, that's what the mission description said, in eight months, I'll be back, and then no more long trips or dangerous tasks me for to finish for the village anymore, it'll just be us, and the little baby missions," Naruto finished, laughing at his double meaning.

Hinata smiled, more assured. She knew that he got so excited over the big, dangerous missions, but it frightened her. She had already lost so much, so many people; she couldn't bear losing him as well. She sighed and kissed his cheek.

"Promise you'll be careful," she asked, looking at his tan face. He had changed so much from the boy she fell for. He was taller, than but not as lithe as the boys of the "Rookie 9". He had more of a muscular build, and the old scars on his chest had faded to a light pink over time. His hands and feet were calloused, though for different reasons, and she could always feel his warmth when he was close to her.

"Oh, you worry too much, I'm a Jonin, a highly sought after shinobi, I'll be if-- Owwhoputthishere?!," he yelled out, grabbing his foot. He had stepped on a rogue caltrop that was lying in the corridor. Hinata suppressed a laugh.

"That's your's, Naruto-kun, you'll do well to learn to pick up after yourself," she chuckled.

He faced her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, Hinata."

He turned, more carefully this time, and rushed down the hallway. She soon heard the main door slam.

She sighed. "Please...Naruto-kun...be careful...for me."

Naruto was walking towards the front gate, savoring the feel of the earth beneath his feet. He had abandoned the traditional shinobi footgear in his teenage years, having found it more comfortable and more effective to just go without. He could sense the vibrations through the earth, and it made it easier for him to identify friend or foe.

He continued, hoping to see one last person before departing on his mission, it was an S-rank, and he knew that he would be gone for several months, and though he didn't want to 

leave Hinata just weeks after their wedding, they both knew the obligations as shinobi and he had a responsibility to the village.

He saw who he was looking for immediately, those dark glasses and frizzy brown hair sticking out in the crowd of people sending off their own family members. Naruto saw all three of Kiba's children clinging to his shoulders and legs, covering him with kisses and laughing. Naruto's heart swelled, he wanted to have a child of his own soon, and after this mission, he had every intention on making that wish a reality.

Naruto met Aburame Shino at the Main Gate of the Konoha Village. "Listen Shino...I was wondering if I could ask you a favor," Naruto kneeled at the gate. Shino nodded.

"Well...ya see, I was wonderin' if you could-"

"She a lot stronger than you think, Naruto, this isn't the first time I've told you that," Shino spoke, adjusting his glasses.

"I know, I just-...after Hiashi and Hanabi, well, she's been so much more-," Naruto faltered, he felt uncomfortable bringing it up, even if Shino already knew the story.

"I'll look after her," Shino told him," You just make sure to do your part and come back to her." Naruto nodded and pushed off, catching hold of a tree not too far ahead of him.

Some Time After: Akatsuki Headquarters

"Hyuuga...I never would have expected to see you here..." he heard a smug voice from the back reply. He knew that voice, that confident, quiet voice. That dark hair shooting up at all places, it was Sasuke Uchiha, and he saw him there before he ever even came in.

"I can't say the same about you, Uchiha, I assumed that this was exactly where you'd be," Neji countered in his own smug voice. He knew that Sasuke disappeared from the village years ago, when they were still children, to try to become powerful enough to kill his brother and, apparently, he had found some source, Neji could sense another chakra working along with his, it was very minute, but it was there, and it was very sinister.

He saw it as well, instead of normal, blue chakra, Sasuke's had now faded to a very light purple. Neji took in his surroundings, carefully memorizing every aspect with only a second's notice. Another thought came to him. If Sasuke went to find the power to kill his brother, why was he working in the same organization as he? Surely he didn't think he could sneak up on the other Uchiha, catch him off guard, and kill him that way? The idea itself was ludicrous.

He ran scenarios through his head, each coming out with the same result, Sasuke trying to kill Itachi, and Sasuke dying. He pulled his hair behind him, and smiled. "This is going to get very interesting," Neji thought.

That was eight months ago, and Sasuke was dead.



Sasuke had indeed tried to kill his brother after all, and although the fight lasted, he wasn't strong enough to overcome his own brother's proficiency. Neji witnessed Sasuke's execution, having been paired with Itachi by Pein, the Akatsuki leader. Neji watched him fall, his open shirt cut to shreds. Sasuke tried using a sword on Itachi, but it only proved to be a disadvantage, he wielded the sword pompously, making wide sweeps and open jabs. Although Sasuke managed to lay a few blows, it was more cosmetic damage than anything, the hem of the robe's sleeves caught the sword's tip, and the flurry of cloth got lost in the wind immediately.

Sasuke pulled the sword sideways, catching Itachi's neck right below the chin. Sasuke had been too far away for it to be a deep cut, but blood beaded up on the skin faintly. Itachi smirked and rubbed his thumb across his neck, looking at the red smear. Neji admitted that Sasuke wielding the sword pleased even his eyes, it did little more than that, except leave him open and vulnerable. He watched as Itachi dodged every one of his attacks with ease, so fast, that Neji had trouble keeping him in sight. Sasuke was becoming frustrated, and this only added to his plight, making him less accurate. Neji saw Itachi smile as Sasuke came at him with that great sword of his.

If Itachi were to be hit with that intending blow, it would be the end, but Itachi just stood there, waiting, beckoning. As Sasuke pulled the sword down to his brother, Itachi appeared behind Sasuke with a sword of his own. Neji was a little less than surprised, knowing that Itachi carried a sword with him, rather than waste time on kunai or shuriken. It was a great deal smaller than Sasuke's but, in that fact, it was a great deal more effective. Itachi had gone through years of Uchiha training, something that Sasuke wasn't rewarded. Neji watched Itachi, the lithe, black-handled sword held delicately in his hands. Neji could tell by the way Itachi held it that he had been in ANBU, and delighted in the fact, he himself having just left ANBU for Akatsuki.

Itachi easily parried Sasuke's sword, the younger Uchiha trying to drag its immense weight down on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi pulled his sword upwards with enough force to knock Sasuke backwards, and when he saw the opening, he advanced on Sasuke. Sasuke's sword had been knocked away from him and Itachi had Sasuke pinned to the ground, his sword having gone through Sasuke's shoulder into the ground beneath him. Itachi held him there, looking into his eyes. Sasuke shut his instinctively.

"No, outoto, look at me..." Itachi told him, pulling Sasuke's face towards his own. The sword lay beside Sasuke, and he glanced at it momentarily, thinking that there might be some hope left. Itachi smiled again, and grabbed the sword by the hilt, tossing it farther away casually. He leaned in close to Sasuke, holding his neck in place.

"You are such a disappointment, Uchiha Sasuke, to your clan...and to your brother," Itachi whispered, looking at Sasuke's pale face.

He resembled Itachi so much, but he was so different, so weak. He was a disappointment. Itachi had waited years for his brother to kill him; he had waited so long for Sasuke to become strong enough. He had advanced the Sharingan to its full maturity, he had a Sannin running through his veins, he had so many years of training, and yet, he still couldn't kill him. He came at him with an overbearing sword that he didn't know how to use. He stood up and looked at Sasuke, holding him in place with a foot on his chest and his hand on the hilt. He wrenched his sword from Sasuke's shoulder and he brought it down on Sasuke driving it through his throat.



Neji felt his heart jump, he knew that Itachi was going to kill him, but he never expected it in such a way, with absolutely no regard. He didn't think about what he was doing, he just did it, without a second thought. "He did murder his whole clan," Neji thought, trying to add some sense to the situation. Sasuke's eyes caught his, and Neji looked away, he didn't want Sasuke's death to hold him here. Itachi was already near the clearing and Neji walked quickly to keep up.

"Neji...tell me about the females in your clan," Itachi asked, voice low.

Neji felt his heart spasm again, "Why would he want to know that?" Neji thought to himself.

"We don't have many, I am an only child, myself, but there are some-"

"That's not what I asked you," Itachi said sharply. Neji could tell he was getting agitated, so he thought it best to just go ahead and tell him.

"Well, the Head of the Hyuuga clan is female, she's my first cousin, her name's Hinata and then there's her sister Hanabi and she's-"

"Tell me more about Hinata..." Itachi interjected. Neji's heart skipped a beat, he hoped to be able to draw attention away from Hinata.

"Well, she's one year younger than me, and although her temperament is shy, she is a skilled Byakugan user, she's also married," Neji added, trying to steer Itachi from his cousin.

Itachi turned to look at him, eyes no longer red, but a pensive black. Neji knew that Itachi could no longer afford to keep his Sharingan activated at all times, he was nearly blind and relying almost completely on his senses for direction.

"Who is she married to?" Itachi asked, stopping. They were in the middle of the clearing now and it was a few miles of wide open space until they hit more forest again. No one knew where they were, not even Akatsuki, Itachi had come here by Sasuke's invitation and it was a deserted part of the forest. He wasn't even sure how Sasuke could have found this place. Neji knew that Itachi would see through his lies, so he was forced to be honest.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Neji told him, pulling at the ends of his hair from behind his back. Although he wasn't fond of his cousin, he didn't want her killed.

Itachi's dark eyes lit up when he heard Neji. He remembered the yellow-haired Fox Of Konoha, Jinchuuriki to the Kyuubi. He knew Naruto's power, his almost limitless chakra, his unmitigated attitude towards everything. And he was married to this Hyuuga.

"She is perfect."

Sakura: Kusagakure

Haruno Sakura had not given up on Sasuke, and she never would. She had left Konoha to pursue him, just as Naruto had, the both of them eventually meeting up to try to take 

Sasuke down together. Naruto was now a married man, and Sakura had been there to see it happen. She came back to Konoha briefly, to see Naruto and Hinata wed. As much as she had missed the village, she couldn't bare to stay there. Seeing everyone so happy, some even had children already. And Naruto, as much trouble that he caused, as loud as he was, he grew into a much respected shinobi, a practical shoo-in for Hokage. And here he was: married.

After Sasuke had left, Naruto had been one of her only comforts and she began to think of him as fondly as she did Sasuke. There was something so different about him. Those bright blue, curious eyes a stark contrast to the black melancholy of Sasuke's. It hurt her to see Naruto happy with another person, regardless of who it was, but she resolved it was better in the end. She was a well respected shinobi herself, a renowned healing nin, with a reputation close to that of Tsunade-sama's, but when it came right down to it, she had no family, and if she failed in bringing back Sasuke, if she died trying, she wouldn't be a great loss to the people of Konoha. Naruto, on the other hand, was respected and loved by everyone, and he was building a family now. It would be better for her to do this alone.

So she left the day after the wedding, it had been over for some time now, and Sakura was currently in the Hidden Grass Village after having heard that unnamed members of the Akatsuki had been seen there. Her earlier attempts at trying to find Sasuke directly had always ended in failure, trying to cut out the middle man, but she realized that sometimes you have to go through other people to get what you want or the information you need.

She new, that above all else, Sasuke was going to be an Avenger. He would find his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, and he would kill him, she had the utmost confidence in that.

So for the past three years, she had been tracking the Akatsuki. It had been a difficult road, with plenty of close calls, she was sure they were vaguely aware of the tracking, but each day brought her closer to Itachi, and subsequently, Sasuke's return.

She allowed herself these little daydreams, of those far gone memories of his stand-offish demeanor, those coal eyes, always so sad, but so strong. She sighed and looked up to the road ahead of her, it was long and deserted as far as she could tell. She repeated those words that had kept her going for so long.

"I'm coming for you, Sasuke. I'm coming to bring you home."

Three Weeks Later: Konohagakure

It was evening and Hinata had gone outside to gather the gardening tools she had left out there. She was gathering up various sized spades when something drew her attention upwards. At first it was the long, slender shadow cast across the garden and up against the back of the Main House. She then pulled her eyes to the source, scarcely believing to see the person before her eyes.

She felt the spades shaking in her hand, it felt like the earth was pulling apart beneath her, and the smallest breeze pulled small strands of hair her off her face. She could see the gentle wind pulling his cloak, and she watched him turn silently. He was going to run. And in a flash, she watched him push off the tall pole and sail towards the forest. Before she could 

stop, she heard herself screaming after him," Neji-nii-san! Wait!" And with that she took off after him.

He was a great deal faster than she was, but she could see him far-off in the distance, and she pulled herself towards him. "He's been gone so long," she thought, feet hitting the branches of the tall trees lightly.

"He's been gone since Father died, a missing-nin. Why did he leave...no, why did he come back?" she asked herself.

She could see that he was slowing down, dropping into a clearing. She pushed herself faster, trying to reach him before he was gone indefinitely. She dropped down where he had, noticing that there was a small pond there. The fading sunlight fell red through the branches, casting a warm shadow on everything. It was still early in the year and she could smell the coolness in the air. The scent of moisture was laced in it.

She looked at Neji, his face hadn't changed, he was still that cool, aloof boy she had grown up with, only, he wasn't a boy anymore. He smelled faintly of blood, lavender, and metal, a strange combination.

She took a tentative step towards him. He watched her closely, taking her in. Her hair was a longer then when they last saw each other. Her face was flushed and, even though her steps were tentative, she walked with caution, not lack of confidence.

"Neji-...Why?" questions flooded her mind, but that was the only thing that she could manage to say. His eyebrows knitted together, and his lips parted, as if to say something, but then he stopped, eyes flitting quickly over the surroundings. She watched all his little machinations, with a slight curiosity. And then she realized this was a trap.

He came from behind Neji, out of the thickness of the trees. She recognized the cloak immediately, the red clouds against the thick black was a tell-tale sign of who he was. And those eyes, those cruel eyes. The Sharingan paired with the Akatsuki cloak told her that it was the eldest Uchiha, one of the two remaining, for he himself had massacred them all but his own brother. This was a cruel man, merciless, and she had walked right into the trap, with no hesitation. She was unarmed, and unmatched.

She felt her breathing hitch and, taking a step back, she took stance, hands in front of her and feet apart. She drew her hands together quickly and activated the Byakugan, giving up color to see in the clearer black and white perspective. She watched Itachi take half a step in her direction, a smirk on his face. Hinata looked at him, incensed.

"Do not doubt me! I'm stronger than you think," she screamed at him indignantly. She heard him chuckle, his eyes somber.

"I do not doubt your strength, that's half the reason I chose you," he told her, his tone dire. He advanced arms at his side. Hinata took this as an incentive, and threw herself, palms forward, striking at Itachi desperately. She watched as Itachi evaded every one of her strikes and countered with simple deflections.

"I chose you...what does he want with me," Hinata wondered, striking out faster, more wildly, as her nerves took hold of her.



Itachi dodged her hands, diverting them easily. "He's just knocking my hands away, does he know a counter to the Gentle Palm?"

Hinata then looked to Neji, realizing that Itachi could have been traveling with him for some time now. Perhaps Neji had taught him their techniques. A terrible feeling dropped into the pit of her stomach.

"What if Neji taught him the weakness of the Byakugan?"

It was then Itachi vanished from her line of sight. In a seconds notice, she scanned her surroundings for him, but he was completely gone. She heard the grass rustle behind her.

"My blind spot!"

Hinata paled with fear, turning furiously, but was caught with a swift kick to the small of her back. The pain was immediate and she felt her body collide into one of the larger trees near Neji, having not been able to stop herself from being flung such a distance. She felt the bark underneath her hands, and she pulled on it, willing herself to stand.

"I-I promised...N-Naruto-kun that I would...n-never give up," she whispered to herself.

Slowly she lifted herself, using the tree as leverage, and then, without a seconds notice, she felt cool metal pierce her palms. She shrieked from the sudden pain, tears streaming down her ashen face. She struggled, trying to free herself and tore at the wounds, making her blood run down the bark and onto the ground. She cried out again, knowing that she had been caught.

"But why..."

"You should stop that, you're only putting yourself in more pain, and if you keep bleeding like that, you may die," she could hear Itachi behind her, closer than before, his chakra an imposing presence. "And for this, Neji, you've earned your place in Akatsuki," she heard the ruffling of clothing and saw Neji catch Itachi's robe.

She felt him move closer and touch her back lightly, running a finger up her spine, the touch making her shudder. His hands met at her hips, pulling at the waistband. A scream caught in her throat.

"O-oh...he's going to..." Hinata whimpered, realizing what was going to happen to her.

He tugged her pants down, exposing her pale legs, and then he slid her underwear down far enough for them not to matter. She could feel the cool breeze on her sweat-covered thighs, and she shut her eyes desperately trying not to picture what was going to happen.

She was scared, terrified even, but even more so, she felt so betrayed, as Head of the Hyuuga clan, it was her to place activate Neji's seal and kill him, when he left and became a missing-nin, but she hadn't, because she loved him. She had always cared for him; he was like a brother to her, someone for her to look up to, for her to meet in achievement. And here he was, watching this man violate her.



She choked back more tears, resolving to stay silent; she didn't want this traitor to think he had won against her. His skin was cool, not warm like Naruto's, and it unnerved her. His hands scrapped over her thighs to her front, parting her legs with a single hand. At once, she felt the violation, an alien, unloving feeling she didn't know. It scared her, but she bit down on her lip, making a promise to herself that she wouldn't cry. She would be strong, for herself.

"For Naruto..."

He broke her out of her trance, jerking her head back, his mouth at her ear.

"You will bear my child, Hyuuga Hinata," he told her quietly although the fierceness hadn't left his voice. She opened her eyes, screaming and struggling.

"I'm not strong...I-I can't- Help me, Nii-san!" she turned her face to look at Neji.

His face was stoic, but his eyes, his eyes were torn. He turned away from her pointedly. Tears streamed down her solemn face, and Itachi forced her closer against the tree. She felt him leave her, abruptly, her legs trembling. She dropped to the ground, defeated, hands still pierced to the tree.

"Clean her up and take her home, Neji, I trust you can do that," Itachi told him, cleaning himself off.

Neji grunted in response, moving over to Hinata quickly. Neji quickly pulled the kunai out of her hands, Hinata didn't respond to the stimuli, she just sat there, looking into nothing, while he sat her up properly, and adjusted her underwear and pants. It was awkward for him to see his cousin like this, and it took all he had to keep looking at her, his guilt and shame thick in his heart.

"Come on, Hinata, it's time for you to go home," Neji told her, voice reposed. He picked her up, cradling her, and took off towards the village.