Notes: Yet another story focused on the kids from 700. All of the ones I don't mind focusing on, anyway. A better end for the Uchiha than my previous attempt, anyway.
Honor and Intent
A Naruto Fanfic by
Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Uzumai Himawari was a pleasant girl, everyone said so. Even when she didn't get her way, she rarely complained about it. But like everyone else, Himawari had her buttons, and when pushed, she would explode into tears like an adorable but fearsome bomb, and to date, no one had ever managed to diffuse her with anything less than total surrender. Thankfully, Himawari was the sort of child who learned quickly what was good for her, and what wasn't. So even though it was well within her power to manipulate her father into declaring that ramen would be sold at half price on weekends, she knew better (her stomach did, anyway, and that was a hard-learned lesson).
Her brother Bolt was usually the one who made Himawari explode, though through no real fault of his own. He was stubborn, independent, and every bit his father's son. He could not be blamed for refusing to let Himawari boss him around. His Uzumaki blood would not allow him to take orders from a female unable to beat him into submission, and Himawari could not even bring herself to strike him at all. The love between them was such that Bolt would attack anyone who upset her with no hesitation, and Himawari would help him with any prank so long as there was no chance of anyone getting hurt. They were a born team, and it quickly became clear that the only one who could possibly fit into that mold was Himawari's best friend, Uchiha Sarada.
Himawari was convinced, even as a child, that Bolt and Sarada would be married some day. Sarada had put this idea into her head, but Himawari latched onto it and repeated it with a determination and frequency that was a bit troubling. Especially since Bolt had decided if there was one girl he would never date or marry, it was Sarada. She was a know-it-all, she followed him constantly, and could recite his hobbies on demand. Worse, she simply would not accept that Bolt wanted to be nowhere near her.
It went on that way for years, with no real change in sight. Sarada was a vital part of Himawari's life, just as Himawari was a vital part of Bolt's. To completely escape Sarada, he would have had to cast off his family and leave the Land of Fire entirely. That, however, was something that no modern Uzumaki would ever even consider. Bolt in particular, no matter how much he resembled his father, had always been closer to his mother. Much as he disliked Sarada, he did not dislike her more than he loved his family. So, for some time, he had little choice but to put up with Sarada's unwanted infatuation, and Himawari's equally unwelcome fantasies of he and Sarada as a couple. But even an Uzumaki has a breaking point, and while Bolt had not yet found his, he instead had found a way out of his current predicament. But in true Uzumaki fashion, that way out only landed him in the middle of an even bigger predicament.
A quiet breakfast was something most mothers with multiple children dreamed of. But Uzumaki Hinata had learned that a quiet breakfast meant that her two beloved children were too furious with each other to speak. She dreaded those mornings, because they always involved the same person: Sarada.
If one was able to ignore her clan's less than stellar history, Sarada was a decent enough girl. Admittedly, she was highly intelligent and enjoyed proving this by spouting off random facts on virtually every subject imaginable, which was fairly annoying to even the most tolerant person. But Sarada was also the best friend of Hinata's daughter Himawari, so she was always welcome in the Uzumaki home. This created tension, because Sarada had a huge crush on Bolt, who wanted nothing to do with her. But Himawari was just so determined to see her brother and best friend as a couple, despite Bolt's loud and frequent protests.
Unfortunately, there was no real way to settle the issue. Bolt was free to date, or not date, whoever he wished. And while he coud be stubborn and impulsive, he had presented Hinata with a valid argument. According to him, if anything were to ever happen between he and Sarada romantically, good or bad, it would only serve to distract them and Himawari. And since they were all shinobi, he was not willing to risk her life, and more importantly, Himawari's life, over something he had no interest in pursuing in the first place. Hinata agreed somewhat, but thought Bolt would do better to simply find a polite way of telling Sarada that he wasn't interested. Though apparently that had failed spectacularly on several occasions. And Himawari still insisted that Bolt and Sarada would be perfect together, despite the fact that they never got along and Bolt repeatedly had to be forced into spending time with Sarada.
It had progressed to the point where Himawari refused to speak to Bolt until he took Sarada out on a date. Bolt had no intention of doing so, and thus the quiet breakfast. Himawari ate quickly, being sure to glare across the table at Bolt before she stormed out of the house.
Hinata noticed the flash of hurt and regret in his eyes, but he said nothing until she touched his shoulder.
"I'm not wrong on this, kaa-chan. I know I'm not," he murmured.
Hinata sighed. "Unfortunately, your sister is just as stubborn as you are. And while I don't think you're being unreasonable..."
"Kaa-chan, please don't make me go out with her!" Bolt begged.
"Bolt, you're adult in the eyes of the village. And even though I am your mother, I would never force you to do something that would obviously make you so unhappy," Hinata replied.
Bolt scowled at her, sensing she wasn't done. "But?"
Hinata smiled at him. "But as a favor to your mother, I need you to do this. For your sister, if not for Sarada herself. I know this fight is tearing you apart, Bolt. Just end it. It's only one date."
"You sure about that?" he asked doubtfully.
"If it turns out to be as awful as you're convinced it will be, I can't imagine that Sarada will want to repeat the experience. She's a smart girl."
"She's not that smart. I've told her no a hundred times already, and it never sticks with her or Himawari."
Hinata leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "You're an honorable young man, Bolt. I'm sure that's why Sarada is so interested in you."
"You're only saying that so I'll do it," he grumbled.
"I know it isn't fair to you. I also know that we both miss your sister's smile."
"Fine. But you have to promise me that the next time I need a favor, you'll be on my side."
Hinata frowned at him. "Bolt, I am always on your side."
"Then promise me that you'll remember that I'm doing this, under protest, as a favor to you and Himawari. So no guilt trips the next time I need something."
Hinata nodded. "That's fair. But it sounds like you have something in mind already?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that," Bolt answered, swiftly kissing her cheek and running for the door.
The best thing that could be said about the date was that Bolt was every part the gentleman that Hinata had raised him to be. Likewise, he had obviously inherited his father's high tolerance for pain, because listening to Sarada go on and on, for him, was the worst kind of torture.
Sarada had always thought that the facts she memorized were interesting to others. But as she spent the whole date focused on Bolt's reactions, she realized for the first time that they were not. To him, anyway. Bolt's smile was more of a grimace by the second hour. It was certainly not the dream date with him that she had always imagined.
Neither of them said a word as Bolt walked Sarada home. It was obvious to both that the date had been a huge failure. Sarada now had a much better idea of why Bolt had been so against dating her, and Bolt knew with certainty that they were completely incompatible, just as he'd always thought.
"Well, that sucked," Sarada said once they reached her front door.
Bolt nodded. "And is this the part where you blame me for taking you on a crappy date that you've been whining about for years, or the part where I say 'I told you so' about a hundred times?"
"How was I supposed to know?" Sarada countered. "You're great the rest of the time I'm around you!"
Bolt rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because Himawari's there to act as a buffer, and usually you're talking to her, about me, while I'm sitting there trying to amuse myself. You keep forgetting, every time it's just the two of us, it's always been crappy. We have nothing but Himawari in common, and the only reason I did this is because she made me."
Sarada winced. "Don't spare my feelings or anything."
Bolt glared at her. "What about my feelings? Did you ever even stop to wonder why I never wanted to go out with you? You're so interested in me, and yet you know nothing about me."
"That's not true! I know tons about you!"
"Then why did I just take you, a girl I have no romantic interest in, on a date that we both hated, and that I never would have agreed to under normal circumstances?"
"You're such a jerk! I thought you'd at least be nice to me!"
"Yeah, I'm so horrible that I took my sister's best friend out on a date, just so my sister would start talking to me again. Maybe you don't get it, Sarada, but Himawari is my best friend, too. So when I get attitude from her because of you, it makes me like you even less than I already do."
"That's not my fault! She's the one that said I had a chance with you!"
"And I'm telling you, once again, that you don't! So take the hint! This didn't work, and it never will! And make sure you tell Himawari that, too, because this isn't happening again!"
"Why would I want it to?!" Sarada shrieked, yanking the door open and slamming it shut behind her.
Bolt stared at the door for a moment, shook his head, and headed home. He wanted to be sorry. But then, he also wanted to have never gone out on a date with Sarada. And that hadn't happened, either.
Himawari pounced on him the moment he stepped through the door. "So? How did it go?" she asked eagerly.
Bolt glared at her. "I went on the stupid date with your stupid friend, and it was awful, just like I always said it would be. If you ever loved me even a little, don't ask me to do that again. And don't ever threaten me with not talking to me anymore. Because I'd never do that to you."
Himawari blinked, a little startled. "Okay. I'm sorry."
"You should be," Bolt grumbled as he gave her tight hug. "I missed talking to you."
"Me, too," she murmured, hugging him back. "Was it... really that bad, Bolt?"
"Not talking to you, or the date?"
"Both."
"Considering I had to go through both at the same time? The worst."
Himawari sighed. "Just tell me you were nice to her."
"I tried. But you know how she makes that impossible. If she got hurt, then she brought it on herself."
Himawari pulled away and frowned at him. "Did you hurt her feelings?"
"With any luck, sure. I told you both it was a terrible idea, and I'm not about to apologize for being right and forced into this. I've suffered enough, and now I'm going to bed. And tomorrow, I'm going to wake you up an hour early just so we can talk some more."
"About what?"
Bolt shrugged. "I'm sure I'll think of something by then."
True to his word, Bolt gently shook Himawari awake the next morning, much earlier than she would have preferred.
"So? Talk," she sighed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Bolt sat down on the side of her bed. "You know what I missed most while we weren't talking? Just... being around you."
Himawari blinked slowly. "But we were around each other."
"It wasn't the same," Bolt insisted. "It wasn't as nice, or as natural, as it normally is."
"So... instead of talking, you really just want to be around me when I'm not mad at you." Her eyes narrowed. "Which you totally didn't have to wake me up for!"
Bolt thought about it, then grinned. "Guess you're right."
Himawari pouted at him. "I'm going back to bed, so I can dream of a brother that isn't so lousy. Maybe if I had one, he'd join me."
Bolt was surprised. "Really? We haven't slept in the same bed since we were little."
"Maybe that's when I last remember having a brother who wasn't lousy."
Bolt rolled his eyes. "What is it with you Uzumaki women and guilt trips?" he grumbled, but he slipped under the blanket and didn't protest when she snuggled up to him.
The next time the three found themselves together, it went... well. Sort of.
Bolt apologized, in plain view and earshot of Himawari.
Sarada just glared at him a little harder, which at least indicated that she had heard him. It was as close to acceptance of the apology as Bolt had expected, and more importantly, it was good enough for Himawari. But as Sarada was still clearly in a bad mood, Himawari decided to treat her to some ramen. Sarada was not especially fond of it the way three out of four Uzumaki were, but she put up with it solely because Himawari stuffing her face allowed Sarada to vent uninterrupted.
This left Bolt with exactly what he wanted: plenty of free time. He was fortunate enough to catch his mother between council meetings. So Bolt loudly proclaimed that he was taking her out to lunch, and that anyone who tried to stop him would be beaten mercilessly, and with the Hokage's blessing. No one took him too seriously, as he did this twice a month, but Hinata's schedule always mysteriously cleared up, so it all worked out.
They went to the most expensive restaurant within easy walking distance. No money exchanged hands, but it was understood that Bolt was under strict orders to treat his mother like a queen, so obviously any place he took her to lunch was fit for one, and lunchgoers reacted accordingly. Hinata had been against this treatment, at first. But once she realized that the resulting flood of patrons always paid her bill several times over, she stopped complaining.
Just the time with Bolt would have been enough for Hinata. He was at that age where most boys no longer wanted to be seen in public with their parents. But, having listened to countless stories about what a ruffian his father had been as a boy without a mother's guidance, Bolt was all too thankful for his own, and any embarrassment she might cause him was easily and quickly forgotten.
It was after they ordered dessert that Bolt finally got serious. "I need to talk to you about that... non-favor you promised me."
"So soon?" Hinata asked. "Now I know you had it in mind even then."
"Okay, I did. And let me point out again, despite what I wanted, I did what you and Himawari wanted, so I don't think it's unfair to say that one of you owes me. The one who didn't give birth to me, anyway. But, you're the one with the power, so just think of it as you helping me out on her behalf."
"That would be easier to accept if Himawari actually knew about this non-favor, which I strongly suspect she doesn't."
Bolt scowled. "She doesn't know, and I don't want you telling her."
Hinata laughed. "You're giving your mother orders now?"
"No, but I am formally requesting that a meeting with my clan head be kept in strictest confidence," he replied, instantly wiping the smile from Hinata's face.
It was not common knowledge that Hinata was the Uzumaki clan head. Most people just assumed it was Naruto, but he was genuinely too busy for the job, and had never even seriously considered trying to hold it. In any case, Hinata had far more experience in clan politics, so even if people only assumed she was standing in for her husband, they were not surprised by her knowledge and efficiency. What Bolt had requested of her was no small thing. A secret between mother and son was one thing, but between clan member and clan head was quite another. Legally, if Hinata agreed to this, the only person she could inform was Naruto, not as Hokage, but as Bolt's father. And if the information Bolt was about to give her could potentially cause serious harm to another clan member, then Hinata was duty-bound not to share it at all. Failure to honor those rules could, in the worst case scenarios, either result in Hinata's removal from her position, or Bolt's lawful exit from the clan, if he claimed to have no confidence in her. Clearly, he was only going so far because he was serious about Himawari not finding out.
"To be clear, are you asking me to keep this quiet simply because it would hurt your sister, or because the non-favor itself is somewhat less than honorable?" Hinata asked.
"It's because Himawari wouldn't like it. I promise you that it is completely honorable. That's why I'm involving you, actually. Going the Hokage would make it seem too heavy-handed. And technically, it doesn't have to involve him yet. It shouldn't in that capacity, anyway."
"Well, now I'm really curious," Hinata sighed. "Fine, it's just between us. So what is it?"
Akimichi Chōji was in the middle of sharing his usual pre-dinner snack with his daughter when his wife stomped into the kitchen, clearly in one of her dangerous moods.
"Dear," Karui growled at him, "did you forget to tell me that you invited the Hokage's wife over for dinner?"
Chōji swallowed first, knowing that talking with food in his mouth, despite being a time-tested Akimichi tradition, would only make his wife angrier. "Hinata's here? But I didn't invite her, I swear! I wouldn't have forgotten something that important!"
Karui snorted. "Yeah, well, she's here now, so we can't exactly deny her dinner, can we?"
Chōji grinned and kissed his wife's cheek. Karui had taken to the Akimichi lifestyle fairly well, despite never having gained more than a few pounds, and reverting back to her original weight almost immediately after her pregnancy. Visitors of the Akimichi were always in time for the next meal, and no one left hungry. And really, just keeping up with all the cooking was enough to keep anyone in decent shape. Karui was confident enough in her cooking that she didn't need to taste it as much as a common Akimichi, which also helped keep the weight off.
"Oh, and Bolt's here, too," Karui added as an afterthought, chuckling when Chōchō fumbled the dango she'd been eating.
This was news to Chōji. "Just them? Not Naruto and Himawari? That's odd."
Karui shrugged. "I didn't ask, and she didn't say. But it would be pretty presumptuous, to just show up unannounced with her whole family, including the Hokage. I'm sure Hinata had that in mind. You know how unbelievably nice she is."
"And you don't like that?"
"I like it just fine, but considering how stiff the rest of her family is, it makes her look like the biggest freak ever. My kind of freak, but still."
"Well, I suppose I should find out why she's here," Chōji volunteered. "If it was just to be social, she definitely would have brought Himawari instead of Bolt."
Karui nodded. "Take Chōchō with you, so Bolt won't get bored."
Chōchō turned dark red. "W-What's that supposed to mean?!" she practically squeaked.
Karui stared at her daughter, very much amused. "Exactly what I said. Talk to him, spar with him, drag him up to your room to do naughty things to him. Just keep him occupied."
"KAA-SAN!" Chōchō wailed, more embarrassed than ever.
"What?" Karui asked, unable to help smirking. "Was it something I said?"
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Chōji said as he walked into the sitting room where Hinata and Bolt had been served a small tray of pre-dinner snacks.
"We're the ones who should apologize for dropping in unexpectedly," Hinata insisted as she stood up to greet him.
They stared at each other for a moment, then both smiled and embraced each other.
"It's good to see you again, my old friend," Hinata said warmly as she released him.
"And you, Hinata." Chōji shook Bolt's hand, a little surprised by the firmness of the grip, but correctly assumed that Bolt was trying to impress him. "So what brings you two by the house of Akimichi? Chōchō, stop hiding back there, and say hello." The command had been inserted so naturally that there was barely any change in his voice, and yet Chōchō instantly emerged from behind her father, who had always been an excellent means of concealment.
"H-Hello, Hinata-sama, Bolt-kun," Chōchō stammered, clearly nervous. The fond kiss that Hinata placed on the girl's cheek only made things worse, but not nearly as much as the way Bolt bowed to her.
Chōji had never known the boy to bow to anyone unless one of his parents was present, and even then. certainly not to anyone in his own age group. Something was definitely off. "I take it this isn't a social visit," he concluded.
Hinata frowned. "Not entirely, but I would hope any visit to your home would always be at least partially social for us, Chōji."
He grimaced. "You know I didn't mean it like that, but Bolt just bowed to my daughter. You expect me to see that as normal?"
Bolt blushed as Hinata patted his shoulder. "And is my son normally so rude to his peers that you would consider bowing to a young lady strange for him?"
"No offense meant, but yes," Chōji replied firmly. "Bolt will always be welcome in my home, but at this point I'm ready to check him for a henge to ensure his identity. So I hope one of you is about to say something that eases my concern."
Bolt stepped forward. "I apologize for startling you, Akimichi-sama. That was not my intent. I merely wanted to show you, your daughter, and your home the proper respect."
Chōji knew then why they had come. He was amazed, but did his best to conceal it. "Have you come to ask me for my daughter's hand, Uzumaki Bolt?"
Chōchō gasped sharply, glancing between them with growing anxiety.
"Only if she would do me the honor of approving the request, Akimichi-sama. As you know, the Hokage passed a law which states that any union between two clans requires only the consent of one parent from each clan, the consent of the ones the be married, and a small ceremony witnessed by the Hokage. I have obtained the approval of my clan head, and I respectfully approach you with her blessing."
Chōji glared at Hinata. "This is really the sort of thing I prefer that you tell me about beforehand, Hinata."
"I do apologize, Chōji, but Bolt was very passionate about this. It's clear to me that he's serious about marrying your daughter, to the point where he's willing to risk bad relations with his clan and Hokage."
Chōji stiffened. "Naruto doesn't approve?"
"Naruto doesn't know yet," Hinata corrected.
"Naruto is my friend first and my Hokage second. No matter how I feel about the union, I can't accept it until I know he's on board with it." Chōji paused and looked at his daughter. "Chōchō, you've been unusually quiet, and this will require your voice. Tell me, do you want to marry Bolt? I won't know how to proceed unless you tell me what is it that you want."
"I want to marry Bolt," Chōchō whispered, her cheeks flaming.
Chōji sighed deeply, then smiled and patted her shoulder. "Then I have no choice. Hinata, I'll approach Naruto with you. Though I don't understand why neither of you told him."
"Trust me, there's a good reason," Hinata replied.
Naruto wasn't angry at all about being kept in the dark. Far from it, in fact. Perhaps he assumed that Hinata had meant it to be a pleasant surprise. Hinata said nothing to correct the assumption, of course. There had always been a certain tension between Bolt and Naruto, as being Hokage had forced Naruto to sacrifice plenty of time with his family. So Naruto had been greatly concerned that Bolt's habit of lashing out through pranks would prevent him from ever attracting a decent girl and settling down. Naturally, he was overjoyed that Bolt had selected a potential wife from a family that they were already on good terms with. This was more or less the reaction that Hinata had been hoping for, but still, Naruto was going a bit overboard.
"You guys bring the food, we'll take care of everything else for the wedding," Naruto suggested, pointing at Chōji.
Hinata frowned. "Naruto, that's hardly fair. I'm sure they can-"
Naruto waved her off. "No, my way is better."
"You do remember that we have another child that may want to get married one day? And since you spoil her rotten, her wedding will likely cost five times as much as this one. I would rather not be low on funds when that happens."
Naruto pouted at her. "But...! Food...! Good...!" He gestured helplessly at Chōji.
Chōji laughed. "I think what Naruto is trying to say is that there are only two places in the village where he was always happy to overeat: Ichiraku Ramen, and my house. But he so rarely gets to eat at either anymore, so I'm sure he just doesn't want to miss this chance. We will, of course, be happy to provide the food for the wedding, but I must insist on contributing in other ways, as well. This is for my little girl, after all, so it's only right that I get to spoil her."
"And this won't distract you from preparing all of the delicious food?" Naruto asked sternly.
"Naruto, don't insult me. We Akimichi don't get distracted while we're dealing with food."
"I'm so glad you're going to be Bolt's father-in-law. Now I don't have to promise you my firstborn, you'll already have him."
Hinata rolled her eyes. "There's just one more thing to take care of, though. Who is going to tell Himawari about this?"
Naruto blinked slowly. "Wait, what?"
"Someone has to." Hinata looked pointedly at Naruto.
"Ha ha. Uh, no. I'm Hokage, and I get to delegate the really unpleasant news to sacrificial messengers. Let's see, who don't I need anymore...?"
"Naruto, I really think this is something Himawari should hear from her father."
"Why? Because it was her mother who set the whole thing up, and I get to be the bad guy? Oh, no. If you're clever enough to arrange our son's marriage, you can be man enough to tell our daughter. And yes, I know what I just said, but I'm so not doing this! I'll pull rank on you if I have to! Hokage trumps clan head, demon vessel trumps pregnancy, and orphan trumps abusive family!"
"Are you done?" Hinata asked mildly.
"Hinata, I would happily die for you and our children, but I am not breaking my little girl's heart when I had nothing to do with this! The way I see it, if she's mad at you for arranging it, mad at Bolt for going through with it, and mad at me for telling her, there's no one left to comfort her."
"She'll be mad at you for signing off on it, anyway," Chōji pointed out. "Maybe you could ask Sakura to let Himawari stay over until she cools down. I'm sure Sarada will appreciate the company. They'll want to be upset together."
Naruto groaned. "Chōji, can't Himawari stay at your place, where there are plenty of people to watch her?"
"I wouldn't mind that, but I suspect Himawari would. She won't want to be anywhere near my family right now. What's wrong with Sakura watching her?"
"Nothing," Hinata replied. "But while you have a large family to help out, Sakura and Sarada are basically alone. It's not that Naruto doesn't trust them, so much as he is simply overprotective of Himawari. That's why we always host the girls' sleepovers. Sakura never seems to mind, and she probably knows our reasoning. Naruto was always rather overprotective of her, too."
"I'm sure that was only because he knew you were strong enough to take care of yourself," Chōji said with a straight face.
Hinata smirked at him. "Nice try. But we are getting off-topic. Who will inform Himawari?"
"It's going to be awful no matter how she finds out," Chōji reasoned. "Perhaps we should worry less about how she hears it, and worry more about how she will take it."
Naruto stared at him for a moment, and then shook his head. "I'm so stupid. There's no point in us going back and forth on this. It's as good as done already."
"What do you mean, Naruto?"
"I mean Bolt. I've been telling him since day one that he had to protect Himawari. I'm sure he'll feel it's his responsibility to tell her. And possibly Sarada, too. Poor fool will probably be so concerned about them, he won't even remember to wear protective gear."
Sakura was shocked when she opened her front door. "Bolt, are you lost? What are you doing here?"
"Nothing you're going to like me for, Sakura-san," Bolt replied. "I'm here to break your daughter's heart. And possibly my sister's."
Sakura stared at him for a long moment. "I see. And why should I allow that?"
"Because if they hear it from anyone else, they'll either take it worse, or they won't believe until they hear it from me, anyway. And it's not as if I want to do this. But it is my choice that's going to hurt them, so I should be the one to tell them."
"That's not really convincing."
"Look at it this way. Would you rather Sarada gets hurt now, quick and clean, or would you rather she continue to deny the truth that's right in front of her, and possibly embarrass herself, you, and your clan over the course of several days? Weeks? Months?"
"And just what do you intend to say to her, to make this better?" Sakura asked.
"The truth. That I'm in love with someone else, that I'm getting engaged, and that she should find someone else to pin her happiness on. Or better yet, become responsible for her own happiness."
Sakura sighed and shook her head. "You never even once thought of her that way, did you?"
Bolt frowned. "I tried to tell her-"
"And she wouldn't listen, so you were forced to be cruel, to be kind," Sakura interrupted with a nod. "Sounds about right. The girls are upstairs."
It was just as horrible as Bolt had feared. Sarada was stunned for about ten seconds, and then she went ballistic. She ran at Bolt and punched him in the mouth, for starters. He thought, briefly, about defending himself, then decided against it. If she wanted to hurt him, and he prevented her, it would just make things worse.
Himawari just stared at him, obviously hurt and betrayed. It was too hard to look at her, so Bolt focused on Sarada, who was screaming and crying and hitting every part of him that she could reach. He wasn't sure how long it was before Sakura came in and dragged Sarada away. Bolt got the impression that she simply didn't want him bleeding too much in her house, although she apparently didn't mind him bleeding a little.
Even when they had gone, Himawari said nothing. Eventually, she turned her back on him. Bolt waited a few minutes, then made his way to the bathroom to get cleaned up. When he checked on Himawari twenty minutes later, she had gotten into bed with Sarada, who was sniffling and muttering curses every few seconds. Bolt figured it was best to leave them alone, and apologized to Sakura on his way out. She also said nothing, but gave him a few icepacks and a hard pat on the head that made him wince. She was nice enough to avoid any tender spots, at least. He knew asking her to heal him would be pushing it, and truth be told, he felt Himawari would forgive him faster if she knew he had suffered for a while.
Bolt wanted, more than anything, to go straight home and let his mother treat his wounds. She would want it as well, if she knew he was hurt. But Bolt couldn't bear to see the sorrow in her eyes, or allow her to regret her role in the matter. She had already done more than enough for him. Besides, there was somewhere else he could go.
Chōji finished loading the platter and placed it in front of his guest. "And you're sure that food is all you want?"
"Yes, Akimichi-sama," Bolt replied, just before stuffing an apple into his mouth.
"Just remember my conditions. You notify both of your parents that you're staying here tonight, and you sleep in the guest room."
Bolt nodded and swallowed. "I've already sent messenger toads to them, and I'm in no shape to do anything other than eat and sleep. It's been a very long day."
"I'm sure my daughter would be happy to treat your wounds," Chōji offered.
"I would enjoy that," Bolt admitted with a blush. "But tonight is about punishing me, not rewarding me."
"I don't think you deserve to be punished for having the good sense to choose my daughter. And if Sarada needs that explained to her-"
"Please. Don't."
Chōji shook his head. "Very well. But she needs to understand, at the very least, that you are also my son now. The Hokage might be willing to look the other way for her, but I fiercely protect my children from any threats. This will not happen to you again, Bolt. If it does, there will be consequences, not just for Sarada, but for her clan. They will be consequences that her clan cannot easily pay, given its small size. I can allow Sarada this one chance to vent. But she is stubborn and not easily swayed. If I think she might harm my daughter, either directly or through you, I will not ignore it. Make sure she and her mother know that."
"That will only make things worse," Bolt whispered.
Chōji gave him a flat look. "Not for anyone under my protection. And if Himawari would really side with someone so determined to hurt her brother, that is something for your parents to address. But I would like to think your sister has far more sense than Sarada, despite what most people mistakenly think. And it would take a great deal for me to lose my trust in any Uzumaki."
"Sarada just doesn't stop to think when she's mad," Bolt tried to explain. "She's not a bad person, and Himawari would stop her if she tried to do something truly stupid."
"So long as that's true, we have nothing to worry about," Chōji replied. "Eat your food and get some rest, son. We'll talk more in the morning."
"Thank you, Akimichi-sama." Bolt watched him walk away, feeling less hungry by the second. Sarada could practically be counted on to overreact in her anger. And Himawari was likely to be too upset to be thinking rationally. If there was ever a time when she might fail to stop Sarada, it was now. But if that happened, there would be no way to repair the situation, not in a way that Bolt could accept. Himawari might never forgive him, and Sarada would continue seeking to inflict her own pain on others, no matter what anyone said or did. But if there was a way to fix things, Bolt couldn't see it just then.
Sarada wasn't sure when she actually made up her mind. Certainly not when Bolt first told them. Then, she had been too focused on causing him as much pain as she'd caused her. Not even when Himawari had held Sarada and whispered the lie that everying would be okay again. It was something that people said without realizing how empty the words sounded.
But at some point during the following day, Sarada decided that she would leave the village.
There really was no alternative. If she stayed, she would be tempted to lash out: at Bolt, his intended wife, and eventually anyone who got in her way. But that would backfire in the form of punishment for her mother, she knew. And the last thing that Sarada wanted was to make the one person who had always supported her regret that choice.
So she would run, and in time, hopefully, her mother would understand why it had been necessary.
It only took Sakura the better part of an hour to notice her daughter was gone. Even when she found Himawari asleep alone in Sarada's room, Sakura did not immediately assume the worst. Sarada had many sleepless nights, and would often wander up to the roof to look at the stars. More than once, Gaara had found her up there fast asleep, and covered her with a thin blanket of sand while he stood guard over her.
But this time was different. Whenever Sarada was upset, she either wanted to be with Sakura or Himawari. So if she would leave the house where they both were, it could mean nothing good.
Sakura had just decided to wake Himawari and head to the Hokage Tower when someone knocked on the door. Without thinking, Sakura yanked the door open, only to find Chōchō standing there with Sarada draped over her shoulder. There was a large bump on Sarada's head that needed no real explanation.
"She was trying to leave the village. I stopped her before she could, and brought her here directly. No one else should know." Chōchō handed Sarada to Sakura, then added, "No one else has to know. I don't want there to be trouble for either of you."
"I appreciate that, but it would mean more trouble for us if we hid this," Sakura sighed.
"But she's just a silly girl!" Chōchō said desperately. "She shouldn't be labeled for life because of one thoughtless mistake!"
"I agree. But if she doesn't learn her lesson now, she'll continue being a silly, thoughtless girl. That would do more harm than good in the long run." Sakura laughed bitterly. "I think it might be a good idea if you forgot to invite us to the wedding, too. I assume the engagement will be a short one, and I doubt Sarada will be past this in time."
"My mother told me the same thing, though not as politely. Now, I understand why. Sarada and I... we never really liked each other, but we were both fine with that. Knowing that she hates me now, it feels weird."
Sakura shook her head. "It's not her hating you that you need to be concerned about. It's whether she can learn not to act on that hate. Trust me, it's possible to hate the person you love most for years, and still seem perfectly normal on the outside. And really, I don't think she'd be quite this upset if she didn't think you had a good chance at making Bolt happy. So try to take it as a good sign."
Chōchō frowned. "I don't understand. Don't you want her to be happy?"
"Yes. But I'd rather she act as smart as I know she is."
Himawari remembered the very first time she ran away from home. She was eight then, and she had asked Bolt to make a pinky promise to marry Sarada. Bolt, with a straight face, had waited until their pinkies were joined, and then swore he would never marry Sarada.
It was only after Himawari had begun running that she realized it was pointless. Between her mother and the ANBU, there was nowhere in the village she could hide, and she certainly couldn't leave the village even if she wanted to. Ultimately, she set up a tent at the base of the Hokage Monument and took a nap. She woke up an hour later to find her father stretched out next to her, claiming he always took naps there and accusing her of trying to steal his spot. They talked for a while, and Himawari had tried to explain why Sarada and Bolt were perfect for each other. Her father had listened calmly, and then told her exactly what forcing someone to marry someone they didn't love could do to a person, and had nearly done to her mother.
It was clear to her, now, that her parents would never force Bolt to marry anyone, and that her father had been trying to imply that Himawari shouldn't force him, either. But she had still been convinced that Bolt would eventually fall in love with Sarada, and that no force would be required. So when Bolt had told her that he was in love with someone else, someone he intended to marry, her first thought was that he was playing a horrible joke on her. Then he had shown her a copy of the marriage contract, with all the relevant signatures. Proof that both of her parents had approved the union behind her back. Proof that Bolt had killed her dream.
Yet Himawari knew that if the tables were turned, and she wanted to marry someone that Bolt didn't approve of, her parents would not deny her wishes. They had always been fair, even if it took a while for her and Bolt to see it. And it had also taken Himawari a while to realize why Bolt didn't want to be with Sarada, other than not being in love with her.
When Himawari woke up, Sarada had still been asleep. Sakura had asked her to let Sarada sleep, while the two of them talked. Once they were done, Himawari was in no mood to stick around. The news that Sarada had tried to leave the village was bad enough. But it wasn't what had hurt the most. Himawari made it a point to wake Sarada up and tell her.
"You're so selfish. If you were really my best friend, you should have told me."
"But you would have either stopped me, or asked to go with me," Sarada answered.
"No, I definitely would have stopped you. I always do, when you're about to do something so enormously stupid. I would never leave my family just because you were having a tantrum. Too bad I can't say the same for you. But the point is, you didn't think about how your leaving would impact me. That, or you did, and just didn't care enough to stop yourself. So we're not friends anymore. Don't talk to me again until... well, when I'm ready, I'll come to you. If I'm ever ready."
Then she had run away to the Hokage Monument, just as she had always done when she was really mad. Only now, she was old enough to camp out on the top with little trouble. She had barely gotten the tent up when Bolt landed beside her.
"I'm really not in the mood for 'I told you so' right now," she warned him.
"You know I can't get married without you," he said.
"Why not? You fell in love and got engaged without me."
Bolt shook his head. "You know the real reason I want to marry Chōchō? Because she's the kind of girl that won't marry me unless you're there. Because she knows how much it would mean to me if you were there."
"You don't get to say something sweet like that when I'm mad at you."
"You don't get to tell me to marry your best friend who I have nothing in common with, can't stand, and only put up with for your sake."
"Ex-best friend," Himawari corrected softly. "And don't you dare smile."
"What changed your mind?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Bolt sighed. "Mom's going to cry if one of us isn't home by tonight. You know that. And I'm the only one with a good excuse."
"So you're saying it should be me?"
"I'm saying it should be both of us. She's probably making ramen and everything. And it's not really her that you're mad at."
Himawari shook her head. "I'm mad at myself, for not seeing how bad Sarada was for you. For anyone, really."
"I can forgive you for that, if you can forgive me for following my heart."
"Chōchō... doesn't hate me, does she?"
"No way. She was hoping you'd help her pick out flowers for the wedding. I told her I'd ask you."
Himawari smiled. "Then it looks like we have a stop to make on our way home."
Hinata could count the times she'd been alone with Sakura, willingly, on one hand. She was always aware, on some level, that Naruto had been infatuated with Sakura for years. And while Hinata had been married long enough where she no longer doubted Naruto's loyalty to anyone, it was easy to see that Sasuke's long absences were taking a toll on his family. Combined with the fact that no one knew for sure if Sasuke and Sakura had ever married, and how frustrated Sakura was in private at times, more than a few wives were wary about her being around their husbands. Hinata, however, was confident. She had her Byakugan, and a small number of ANBU she trusted would inform her if Sakura ever made a move on Naruto. Hinata would have even understood if Sakura had done such a thing, because she was still amazed that anyone in their right mind would pick Sasuke over Naruto. But Sakura had picked, and Hinata intended to make sure that she stuck with her choice, and only her choice. She'd had plenty of chances to pick Naruto, and she wasn't going to ever get another.
Hinata had a way of saying all of that merely by looking at Sakura, and Sakura had taken the hint. They were cordial to each other, but not friends. And neither wished to change that.
So when a slug appeared outside of Hinata's bedroom window one morning, carrying a request from Sakura to meet up, Hinata was surprised, and not pleasantly so. Still, she wrote out a quick reply, sent the slug back, and wondered if she would ever be free of the pink-haired menace. Naruto never ditched his friends, so probably not.
They met at Ichiraku Ramen. The stand had been converted into a full restaurant, with a huge picture of sixteen year-old Naruto happily slurping noodles over the front door. The Hokage bowl was now twice as big, and anyone who could finish it only paid half price for their meal.
"I was surprised that you wanted to see me," Hinata admitted as they sat down.
Sakura nodded. "I'm having problems with my garden. My weeds are out of control, and I was hoping you had some advice for me. Your flowers, they're so... nice."
"Would you rather I be truthful or nice?" Hinata asked.
Sakura bit her lip. "Truthful."
"My flowers come from good seeds. I was very careful in selecting the soil. I'm not saying you weren't, but... I never thought you were. And I think your current problems are partially a result of that. And no matter how well you water your seeds, if you don't have a dependable partner to help out, it becomes more difficult to raise a good flower."
"So you think this is all karma for me, right?" Sakura asked.
"What I think is that you could easily have avoided much of what you're suffering now. I will never say this to you again, but if you had chosen Naruto, you could be as happy as I am right now. But you chose the hard path, and it made you stronger. Still, it is the hard path for a reason. I know you don't regret having Sarada. You wouldn't be here asking for my help if you didn't love her."
"I don't want her to end up like Sasuke used to be. I don't want people to think that every Uchiha is a traitor. But she's just as stubborn as he was!"
Hinata smiled. "Sakura, you never gave up on him. You're just as stubborn, you know. Sarada had little choice in inheriting that."
"But it's going to get her in just as much trouble as it did him, and I don't know how I can save her!"
"I think you do. You're here with me, asking for my help. That's a good start. Though, I'm curious. Why didn't you go to Naruto?"
Sakura shook her head. "He's the Hokage and Bolt's father. I know he could protect Sarada... but I don't know if he will. And if I went to Naruto, people would just see it as me manipulating him with our past. But you and I don't have that kind of past. All we have is the fact that we're both mothers, and I couldn't manipulate you even if I wanted to. So all I can do is beg you to save my daughter."
"I would never make you do that, Sakura. No one in my family wants to see Sarada punished, not to the extent anyone else would be. She didn't actually leave the village, whatever her intent was. I'm sure Naruto will focus on that."
"So you're going to tell him that I came to you," Sakura whispered sadly.
"Assuming he doesn't already know. He is Hokage. But you above all people should have faith in him. If he hasn't punished you for all the rotten things you did to him in the past, he's not going to start now with your daughter." Hinata leaned in close. "But you need to be clear on this, Sakura. Sarada does need to be punished, or she won't learn. If you leave it to Naruto, he'll only do it with your feelings in mind. If you leave it to me, I will do it with Sarada's future in mind. Once again, you have an important choice to make. You chose the hard path before. It made you stronger, if not happier. So do you want Sarada to be strong, or happy?"
Sakura didn't even have to think about her answer.
When Sarada finally emerged from her bedroom and went downstairs for dinner, there was a stranger at the table with her mother, calmly drinking tea. She knew at a glance that the woman was from Hinata's old clan, but Sarada had never seen this woman before, which was odd. People with such distinct eyes tended to stand out.
Sakura turned to Sarada and smiled, but it was clearly strained. "Sarada, I want you to meet Hanabi. She's Hinata's sister."
Sarada frowned, not liking something about Hanabi right away. "Why is she here?"
"To hurt you," Hanabi replied simply, not even looking at her.
"What?!" Sarada demanded.
Sakura swallowed hard. "Sarada, you know that any shinobi caught leaving the village without permission could be executed on the spot, if there is enough justification. Hanabi is one of the ANBU who could be ordered to interrogate such a person."
Hanabi chuckled. "What your mother should have said was that I witnessed your clumsy attempt to leave the village. You're lucky that Akimichi girl stopped you. I would have allowed you to step outside the village before stopping you. Then I would have been free to deal with you as harshly as I prefer to deal with all traitors. I thought for sure that the Hokage would give you special treatment. So imagine my surprise when I was asked to give you some discipline."
"Who asked you?" Sarada murmured.
"That's not important. You need to learn what it means to truly be hurt. You will come to understand that no feelings that result from your meaningless crush on a boy can be considered genuine pain. When I hurt you, you won't care about some boy. You will only care about escaping that pain. When I'm done, you will understand what it means to serve the village." Hanabi turned and glared at Sarada. "Your uncle Itachi knew best. To be truly strong, you have to be broken and then rebuilt. I'm here to break you."
Bolt had not been surprised when he learned that Sarada was not invited to the wedding. It bothered him a little, because he worried that she might be doing something stupid or harmful to herself.
He was half-right.
No one was more shocked than him when both Sakura and Sarada showed up at the reception. Sakura looked the same as she normally did, but he barely recognized Sarada. Her black hair was long and greasy-looking, and did very little to hide the large bruises that covered much of her face. There was no sign of her glasses, but she seemed to have no trouble spotting Bolt and heading straight for him.
"I apologize for striking you," she said in a flat tone. "You do not have to forgive me."
Bolt cringed. He could tell that her tone had nothing to do with her being reluctant, and everything to do with her showing as little emotion as possible. He suspected that she might have forgotten how. "I forgive you, Sarada," he replied. "You look... different. And no one has seen you around lately."
"They weren't supposed to. I have been... in training. I see things differently now."
"Is this because of me?" he asked.
Sarada stared at him hard, as if trying to determine whether he was serious or not. "Of course not. There were lessons I needed to learn, and now I have. There is no point in fixating on a single person, when I am working to protect the entire village."
Bolt frowned at her. "Are you happy, then?"
"Why should I be?" Sarada glanced away for an instant. "I must leave now."
"Don't you want to see Himawari first?"
"There would be no point," Sarada answered as she moved away from him.
Not even a minute later, Himawari caught his arm. "Was that Sarada I saw you talking to?"
Bolt started to answer, then paused to think carefully about the question. "No," he answered truthfully. "I have no idea who that was."
Sarada was a little surprised when, ten minutes later, her mother asked the same question that Bolt had. This time, she took a moment to think about it.
"I was offered a choice: happiness or strength. What would have made me happy then? If Bolt were mine, I think. But no one else would have been happy with that outcome, especially not him. I chose strength because there was no real way for me to grasp happiness. Hanabi-sensei has promised to make me stronger than her."
"Will that be enough for you, Sarada?" Sakura asked.
"For now, I can only bear the weight of the clan's past. When I can finally overturn it, I will be strong enough."
Naruto laughed out loud as the combination of his shiny laptop and four Shadow Clones once again defeated the dreaded foe known as Paperwork. He leaned back in his comfy chair with a big grin on his face.
"You take far too much pleasure in that, Hokage-sama."
He snorted. "Just like you take far too much pleasure in being spooky, Hanabi-chan. Did you need something?"
Hanabi emerged from the shadows without a sound, scowling at him. "I have needed you to stop referring to me as 'Hanabi-chan' for years, but I see no end in sight."
"There's no problem. All of your co-workers think you're scary, but to me, you'll always be my cute little sister-in-law. So unless you're here for a hug or something, start talking."
Hanabi rolled her eyes. "I am here to report on Sarada's progress."
"Don't you usually report to Hinata on that?"
"Yes," Hanabi replied irritably. "But she claimed she was far too busy and that you would accept the report this time."
Naruto grinned. "Aw, my honey's so awesome! She knew I missed you and wanted to give me a reason to see you!" He blinked at the sudden increase in killing intent coming from Hanabi. "Wow, someone's grouchy today."
"Why are the both of you so... lax when it comes to Sarada?"
"Because we trust that you've got her in line. And that if she tried something, you would stop her. We trust you more than we worry about her, Hanabi-chan. Didn't you know that?"
"That is a completely different issue! However much you trust me, if you can never trust her, what good is all of this training?"
Naruto sighed. "When Hinata asked you to do this, you agreed right away. Was that because you were concerned that Sarada might become a real threat, or because you wanted to do a favor for your big sister?"
"Both," Hanabi admitted.
"Well, I have never known you to fail Hinata. And if she has, she hasn't told me about it. So I have no reason to doubt that you can fix Sarada. You're the perfect person for the job, and you've done so well already."
"And if I can never make her trustworthy?"
"Then there are less pleasant, more permanent options available to us," Naruto replied. "But I won't use those unless Sarada forces me to. I'm sure I won't have to, though. I know you won't let us down, Hanabi-chan. You never have before."
Hanabi shook her head faintly. "Shall I report on Sarada now?"
Naruto shrugged. "Actually, I feel like going for a walk right now. You come, too."
"Is that an order, Hokage-sama?"
"Nope. You come, too."
"I would rather not."
"Fine, then it's an order. And no putting on your mask. I want everyone to see how pretty my baby sis is."
Hanabi scowled at him. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"I've told you a thousand times, you can call me 'onii-chan' when we're alone."
"...yes, Naruto."
"Eh, I can live with that." He stood up and stretched, then offered her his arm. "Well, let's go."
"This is completely humiliating," Hanabi grumbled, linking her arm with his. "You never would have made Neji to do this."
"That's true," Naruto admitted. "But Neji wouldn't have looked anywhere near as cute on my arm. And trust me, I've got enough people who still think I'm into guys. Remind me to tell you about my first kiss sometime. Preferably when I'm drunk."
The marriage of Bolt and Chōchō provided a much-needed boost in power for the Uzumaki clan. They had at least been popular before, but the Akimichi's connections, formal and otherwise, to the Yamanaka and Nara clans were now within easy reach of Hinata. Not that they would have been unwilling to assist before, but making things official reassured everyone involved. It would be a long time before anyone thought of what had long been a triple-clan alliance as a quadruple one, but Hinata hoped that a few more generations of marriage might change that. It was too much to hope that Himawari might choose Shikato or Inojin, but she did not seem dead-set against either one so far.
There was, however, one sour spot in the marriage, though it was hardly anyone's fault. Bolt felt guilty, or at least responsible, for what had happened to Sarada. The best way he could think to explain it was that, while he hadn't necessarily liked the way she was, he still felt that version was more genuine than what there was currently. Hinata had tried to tell him that the chage was for the best, but Bolt didn't believe it. Instead, he seemed to think that his happiness was dependant on Sarada's unhappiness, and that there simply was no middle ground where they could both be satisfied. Additionally, he strongly suspected that whatever training Sarada was undergoing, it was designed primarily to injure her.
Hinata finally saw that Bolt wasn't going to change his mind on his own. So she did the only thing she could to help him.
She told him about Shimura Danzo, ROOT, and what could have easily become a civil war between the two brands of ANBU.
She told him how she and Hanabi had been trained to conceal their emotions, to look upon their own kin as tools rather than family or comrades, to strike at their own relatives as if they were opponents to be brutalized and cast aside without a second thought.
She was proud of Bolt for making the connection even before she revealed Hanabi's role as commander of BRANCH, yet another strike force that technically didn't exist. She was unable to tell him what they did, and she was happy that Bolt failed to ask.
"So, this means... they need to exist?" Bolt asked.
"I prefer to look at it another way," Hinata replied. "If they didn't exist, Sarada would be a lot worse off than she is now. Dead, perhaps. I knew you wouldn't want that."
"So you had Hanabi recruit her?"
"It doesn't work that way, Bolt. Hanabi decided that she had potential. I merely made a recommendation. Hanabi was free to ignore it. I convinced her not to."
"And you know what Hanabi is doing to her?"
Hinata nodded slowly. "I have a better idea than most, having lived through something similar myself. It won't be easy. It will change her. It may break her beyond recognition. I'm sure she will never thank anyone for it. But if she isn't strong enough to survive this, I doubt she ever would have survived being her father's child."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I saw what just being comrades with him did to your father, what it still does to Sakura. And as horrible as my clan was at times, I can at least say we were never such a threat to the village that extermination seemed the best option to deal with us. Tell me, Bolt, do you know how your father kept his promise to Neji and changed my clan?"
"He became Hokage and married you," Bolt replied with confidence.
Hinata smiled. "No, but many people think that. He opened Neji's eyes, made it impossible for him to stay as he was. Had he not done that, I feel certain Neji was the one they would have used against us, if it came to that. If not for Naruto, perhaps Neji and Hanabi would be all that remained of my clan. That is why I consider even a single person with misguided views to be worthy of attention. That is why I would rather see Sarada brutalized and corrected now, rather than allow her to become what too many before her did. You don't have to like it, but if you care for her at all, accept that this may save her life."
"You really think Sarada could do something horrible?"
"Bolt, I knew Sasuke when we were children. Even after the trauma he suffered then, not one of us ever thought he would be so determined to watch the world burn. Sarada has the potential to be either greater than him, or more horrible than he ever was. If I can help steer her to one of those fates, it would be a crime to do nothing."
"And it doesn't bother you that she'll never be the way she was before?"
"No. Because the way Sarada was before would have gotten her killed. And if you think things are bad now, how would you feel if I was forced to kill her in order to protect our clan interests? Trust me, this is the best outcome, given the circumstances."
"And if her father disagrees?"
"That assumes several things, Bolt, most of which I doubt apply here. First, that he would return in time have an opinion on the judgment, which he didn't. Next, that he would disagree at all, which I don't think he would. This will make Sarada stronger, which I'm sure he will appreciate. Third, that he was satisfied with Sarada the way she was. He has never been big on foolish fangirl behavior in anyone, which I suspect is at least part of the reason Sarada sees so little of him. Finally, even if he did disagree upon his eventual return, there really is no alternative available, and he would hardly be in a position to suggest one. Having a largely absent father no doubt contributed to some of Sarada's mistakes in judgment. So if you must blame someone for what happened to her, he is the best target. And in all honesty, he's used to bearing the world's hatred. Sometimes I think he even thrives on it."
"He'll be here."
Hinata arched an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything, Hanabi."
"You were thinking it," Hanabi said accusingly. "You were thinking that he won't come."
"I was thinking exactly what most people are thinking. That he left because he simply cannot exist as part of a family anymore. That as much as his absence damages his family, they are still probably better off for it. That if anyone could merely summon him back at will, that person would not be you."
Hanabi smirked. "Don't tell me you think it's Sakura?"
"No. If anything, I would suspect the person was Naruto, or less likely, Kakashi. You, however, had absolutely nothing to do with Sasuke."
"Incorrect," Hanabi disagreed. "In a manner of speaking, he murdered my predecessor. And I have spoken to him at length, if only once. It was rather unpleasant, and he threatened me several times, but we reached an understanding. He probably thought it was fate that things ended up this way."
"There is no such thing as fate," Sasuke said as he walked into the room. "Only conspiracies that are too large for the common man to see. And I didn't enjoy talking to you, either."
"You say that like you enjoy talking to anyone," Naruto added, entering just behind Sasuke.
Sasuke ignored him. "I was told this meeting was about Sarada?"
"Her eyes are maturing at a very rapid rate," Hanabi explained. "She's surpassed everything Kakashi could have taught her. It's your turn. We won't have an untrained, overly emotional Sharingan user in this village."
Sasuke blinked. "I was unaware you had become Hokage in my absence." He glanced at Naruto, who was picking in his own ear with a finger and flicking away whatever he found, completely unconcerned.
Hanabi glared. "I am the Hokage's hand. If I say your daughter has no place in Konoha, then she will find herself outside the gates in record time."
Sasuke again glanced at Naruto, who remained silent, but was at least looking at him now. "I trust this is not merely a convenient excuse to force me into spending time with Sarada?"
"So you do know her name," Hinata murmured. "I had wondered."
Sasuke stared at her. "Something you want to say?"
"Plenty, but I'll keep it brief. This is all your fault."
"Noted. Anything else?"
Hinata glared at him. "That's it?"
"None of you seem to understand that restoring my clan and being a 'proper' father are entirely separate from each other. And only one of them was my goal. More importantly, since no one in this room was raised 'properly' by a father, I wouldn't exactly be in a rush to cast blame. In any case, she is my child, and I will raise or not raise her as I see fit."
"Your not raising her harmed both of my children," Hinata snapped.
Sasuke smiled. "It was my understanding that Uzumaki, when they could be hurt at all, healed fast. I'm sure your children needed the practice. You're welcome."
"Okay, meeting over," Naruto said before Hinata could respond. "Sasuke, I suggest you talk to your kid. If for no other reason than she already has reason enough to hunt you down. And I'm not currently inclined to stop her. Or Sakura, if she decides to help out."
"Did you pack enough?" Sakura asked. "You don't know how long you'll be gone."
"I'll manage," Sarada assured her, packing away the last of her things.
"About your father. If he-"
"Kaa-san, please stop worrying. I've been alone with him before. If he was secretly planning to kill me and dump my body in a ditch, I think I'd have caught on to it by now."
Sakura frowned at her. "Don't be unnessecarily morbid, Sarada."
"No, don't be arrogant," Sasuke corrected as he walked up behind Sakura. "At least not yet. You haven't done anything deserving of it. And don't presume you could ever read my mind."
Sarada stared at him. "Right now you're thinking, 'Hn. My women noisy,' aren't you?"
Sasuke said nothing, but it was pretty obvious from the slight flare of killing intent that Sarada's guess was fairly accurate.
"And you're sure this is training that can't be done here, Sasuke?" Sakura asked.
He closed his eyes in a show of great restraint. "Sakura, her being here is exactly why I was summoned to take her out of the village for training, correct? Apparently she gets into more than enough trouble five minutes from home. Even under her mother's nose. I doubt I could do much worse."
Sakura glared at him. "Well, maybe if her father was around more to help keep her in line-"
"Um, I'm a kunoichi," Sarada interrupted. "It isn't anyone's job to keep me in line but my own."
"Then you suck at it," Sasuke stated plainly. "You won't when we get back. Let's go." He paused, then added, "Don't ever joke about dumping a body in a ditch. I would like to think my daughter would be thoughtful enough to destroy the body. If I ever find out that you dug a ditch for any reason-"
"You'll dump me in it," Sarada interrupted with certainty. "Can we go now?"
"There's one more thing I need to know." Sasuke stared at her hard. "An Uzumaki, Sarada. Really?"
Sarada rolled her eyes and stared at Sakura. "This guy, kaa-san. Really?" And then, because she knew it would get to Sasuke, big time: "Hn."
Recognizing the twitch in Sasuke's face, Sakura quickly added, "If you're going to start throwing jutsu, do it outside of this house. It hasn't fully recovered from the last fight." At Sasuke questioning glance, she explained. "Sarada attacked Bolt."
Sasuke stared at her, then at Sarada. Slowly, he held out his arms. "Truly, you are my daughter. Come and hug your father."
Sarada slowly backed up. "Kai!" she cried, and was mildly relieved when the air before her wavered slightly, to reveal Sasuke standing there, without his arms out. "Much better."
Sakura scowled at him. "Genjutsu for hugging our daughter, Sasuke? Really? You can't even put your own arms around her?"
Sasuke looked appalled. "She could try to stab me in the back."
"Sasuke, I could try to stab you right now."
"He has a point, kaa-san," Sarada admitted.
Sasuke smirked. "Clearly, she's thought about stabbing me before."
"Doing it now," Sarada agreed.
Sasuke held out his arms again. "Truly, you are my daughter. Come and hug your father."
Warily, Sarada slowly moved closer and put her arms around him. Just as slowly, Sasuke did the same. This lasted for about three seconds, and then they both leaped away from each other, as if expecting to fall under attack.
"Get out of here before I stab both of you!" Sakura shouted.
Sasuke did not run... but it was still the smoothest, swiftest shunshin that Sarada had ever seen.
Sarada gave her mother a quick hug before grabbing her pack. "You don't need to worry, kaa-san," she called over her shoulder. "Even if I do kill him, I definitely won't dig a ditch."
The End.
Endnotes:
I don't actually see Bolt and Chōchō as a likely couple. But there were only so many girls his age introduced in 700, and I wanted to keep original characters to a minimum.
Recent (filler) episodes have reinforced something I long suspected, or at least hoped, about Hanabi. Basically, that she was once a fairly normal and affectionate child because of Hinata's influence, and that she doesn't actually hate Hinata (or even Neji, for that matter). Also, that however nice she can be, she can still put it away behind the usual hateful mask that her clan has perfected, which suits my purposes here nicely.
You may have noticed that I keep referring to the idea that Sasuke and Sakura may not be married. I will admit the same could easily be true of any other couple that had kids in 700. It's just that it's so much easier when it's Sasuke involved. Or barely involved at all, which is the point. I just find it extremely difficult to swallow that Sasuke could be... Sasuke for 699 chapters, and be married and a decent father in the last one. Nothing about him implies that he would be suitable for either, so I don't accept that he is, or that he could have changed so drastically simply because of a tie with Naruto. If anything, 700 suggests that Naruto and Sakura haven't changed much, and I tend to think the same is true of Sasuke. Which of course explains why he is nowhere near his family. But Sarada doesn't seem to hate him outright, so maybe there is hope for the two of them.
BRANCH has no particular meaning, it just fit nicely with the wood theme of Konoha.