Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. NARUTO is Masashi Kishimoto's. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed real. Any resemblance to any stories is entirely coincidental.
If you see any grammar and spelling mistakes, please tell me
wapulos'
Danketsu
Prologue
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"There's been chaos everywhere. Every now and then, a brawl would ensue after arguments among a crowd. Sometimes, these fights ended peacefully, only with punches thrown here and there whilst struggling from being held down, the different glares from different bloodline traits, and the hissing and shouting back at the other party with hostility before scattering away at last. But sometimes, brawls turned wild and chaotic and, as oppose to a peaceful end, would always result to half dead bodies or corpses lying on the cold dirty damaged ground.
Someone would normally try to stop this and take control of the situation before it gets out of hand, but that had lessen from happening when a person, who actually tried to stop them, ended up on the cold ground with his eyeballs inside out, and with no sound of a single breath escaping from his hanging mouth.
The change of climate only worsened the condition of the country. Famine hit the land hard, with no rain or even a light one falling on top of their heads, leaving the soil dry, and the plants and vegetation died under the intense heat of the sun. This caused the abrupt leap of prices on water, vegetables and fruits, and meat. Because of this, many businesses declined, many went to poverty, most of the mass died in starvation and others are left abandoned, for no noble clan and even the government extended a helping hand. They were too engrossed at their fights to feel concern over what's really happening to their country. Others would knock on noble houses' gates begging for food and shelter, but it would only leave them tired in the end, no more energy left to even lift a hand. As each day passed, more RIPs are added on graves in the cemetery.
This has been going for two years and a half already and the country is still declining greatly.
The poor can't do anything to help themselves out of their situation and can only depend on the rich and noble clans, but as busy and occupied they were in their fights, they kept their eyes and ears closed.
Hope gone, the people knew no one that can save them. Not even their own Hokage who was powerless and torn between fixing the ridiculous fight between the two most influential clans in the Leaf country and helping his poor people to stand and survive in this nasty disaster. They thought Kami already left the country for nothing had changed in two and a half years. In these years, no one dared to come out and fix the problem the country is facing. No one is daring enough and that's what the people always thought during their suffering moments as each breath is beginning to become harder to breathe.
But alas, hope rekindled once more when at come dawn an announcement of a celebration had been made. The irony of it is that in the midst of sufferings, chaos and pain, celebrations still exist. But this celebration didn't bring hopelessness. It didn't bring suffering. In fact, it brought the opposite.
The people's hearts fluttered as they laughed and jumped in joy at the announcement. The announcement of which caught all of the men's attention, which made them hold their breaths in apprehension, which made them cry in joy at the realization; the announcement to celebrate the marriage between Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata.
It made people happy and merry, and it brought their lives back again. It's odd to think that a marriage can save them from their situation when it costs a lot of money: for the food, expensive decorations, expensive gowns, dresses, kimonos and expensive cake. But these are hardly in the mass' minds for they know what revelation this news is bringing them. Uchiha Sasuke, the clan head of the Uchiha clan whose symbol which is usually on their backs consists of a paper fan, red on top while white below, and Hyuuga Hinata, the former heiress of the Hyuuga clan whose symbol consists of Flame or Smoke Patch, are going to be joined in matrimony. At last, the feud that caused civil war and swayed the government off its feet, the feud between the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans are now over.
With this marriage, the sun is finally shining, Kami is finally smiling.
Chapter 1:
The Proposal
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At the far side west of the Leaf country, the Hyuuga compound stood. It is always peaceful as it's erected in a secluded area far from the declining civilization of the Leaf country. The location gave the Hyuuga clan a sense of security seeing as their rival is far across the other corner of the country.
Surrounding the Hyuuga compound are ancient trees that hover over the compound, providing shade from the sunlight. When the wind blows, the trees talk to each other, whispering while dancing their leaves which give a cooling sensation to the inhabitants in the Hyuuga compound. The sound of rushing water indicated the stream nearby where animals drink and wash themselves. These sounds, accompanied by the chirping of the birds, gave the Hyuuga heiress a sense of tranquility as they reached her ears while she was working in her garden, the only place in the compound where the sunlight can reach.
Dressed in her casual clothes, Hyuuga Hinata roamed around her garden with a water container in her hand, supplying the plants as she hummed a lullaby as if taking care of her own babies. She would always check the condition of a plant before moving to the next one if all is well. It never occurred to her how much she's sweating from the heat of the sun for all of her attention was solely on her beloved plants. She didn't even notice the dirt on her clothes, to which his father would surely scold her for, as she kneeled on the fruitful soil.
This always remains as a pretty sight for the servants. Whenever their heiress is gardening, they just can't resist to stop and observe how her face, which is protected from the sunlight by her hat, brightened whenever there's a progress in a plant, how she would carelessly wipe away her sweat that trickled down her forehead, how her white blouse would sway along the wind and how her long skirt would be dirtied, together with the gloves, which moved with grace as she works.
Servants would stop for a moment to take in the sight of her angelic form, admiring yet envying her at the same time. But on this day, however, it seemed as if their attention is completely on something else.
Every now and then as they passed by, the servants are chattering with a tone of horror in their voice. They talk with worry and that didn't escape from the sharp ears of the Hyuuga heiress. She didn't bother to stop what she was doing to listen, that is until a name escaped from one of the servants' lips.
She froze. Her ears strained themselves as they tried to get more information from the mouths of the servants who are oblivious of her attention on them. As each information sank in, the sweat on her forehead trailed down to the tip of her nose before dripping on the ground and the moisture on her mouth seemed to dry off as she gasped for breath from lack of air. Her hands underneath the gloves shook and her knees seemed to weaken as anxiety and fear filled her heart.
When the servants glanced at her, they turned white before hastily walking away from her presence feeling guilty for gossiping. They should have known that the heiress would be able to hear what they were talking and what her reaction would be.
Now, the damage is done and they hope that they could take back the words from reaching her ears. They can't deny the feelings of regret at the sight of her form before disappearing.
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Hyuuga Hiashi is a man who can remain calm and composed even at perilous times. He was trained to be this way as he grew up and would want the same thing for his children, especially his eldest, the heiress of his clan. But alas, his wish didn't come true. Hyuuga Hinata grew up as a soft-hearted woman, which is not proper for her title. She should be cold and hard headed but that didn't happen. She should be composed at all times but he's disappointed, especially when he heard her loud calls and saw her running towards him, unbefitting of an heiress of a proud clan.
"Tou-san! Otou-san!" (Father!)
His gaze hardened when he saw his eldest daughter running with her dirty clothes, after which he gave her a reprimanding glare, but Hinata could only care less. There are pressing matters that should be confronted right now.
When she stood before her father, panting and out of breath, she asked, "Is... is it true?"
His expressionless eyes and lack of answer confirmed it. Her knees weakened, her hands trembled, her dry lips quivered, her moist eyes widened as tears smoothly trailed down from her eyes, on her plump cheeks to her chin before dripping on the cold floor, all the more made Hiashi's eye twitch in anger at the display of weakness.
"Tou-san, a-aren't you going to do anything about it? Let's negotiate with them! We can... we can exchange prisoners, can't we?"
"When her father didn't reply, she retorted to another method.
"Please, tou-san. Let me go and negotiate for the exchange. I-I can do it. Just give me your permission. Please..." She tried to reach for his arm and clutched the sleeve of his kimono.
"Hinata," her father called.
She could feel his eyes boring into hers, full of disapproval and contempt. His voice as he called her name is covered with coldness and strictness. It made her swallow the big lump in her throat.
"Don't meddle into men's business."
Those words broke her. As he jerked his sleeve away from her clutch and turned to walk away, she could only stare helplessly at his retreating back. Those words could have reminded her of what he is: cold, unloving, stern, hard-headed, and cruel. It could have made her remember of what she is, of what she lacks, of what she can never be. Her father knew that she was different from among them, not just because of her demure personality but also because of her inability to use the Hyuuga bloodline trait. Her lack of their bloodline trait made him compare her to her younger sister; it made him decide to take back the title of Hyuuga Heiress on her coming 18th birthday this year and pass it on her younger sister. It also made him conclude that the only way he can make use of her is to marry her off to other clans to create an everlasting bond with that clan.
But no; these weren't plaguing her mind. They didn't even come close for only one word occupied her whole being.
Sacrifice.
It made her eyes sting as tears continued on pouring out. It made her feet stuck to the ground as if they've become ice. It made her blood run cold. It made her tremble, not from coldness but from disgust. The word that made her lose a mother, made her lose an uncle, made her cousin lose a father, and now it will make her lose that cousin of hers in time. Anger took a course in her veins, tempting her, seducing her, and she used her every will power to quench it and turned it to determination.
As she walked through the corridors towards the quarters of her sister, determination ran through her veins. With clenched fists she walked, eyes blazing with fire. Before the door of her sister's bedchamber she stood, and there she knew what must be done, what she must do. With a strong push, she slammed the door open, which made the lying figure on the bed sat up in surprise.
She took hold of her sister's shoulders and said, "Hanabi."
"Nee-chan*? Wha-what's wrong?" The younger sister asked, noticing the redness of her sister's eyes and the wetness of her sister's cheeks. She noticed the changes on her sister's face; the usual tenderness and kindness are gone. (Older Sister)
"I need your help," Hinata responded.
This side of Hinata, Hanabi realized, scares her. It scared the hell out of her that it made her flinch and avoid meeting Hinata's eyes.
"Help what, nee-chan?"
The Hyuuga heiress released her hold on her sister's shoulders and turned to walk towards the side table near the bed where a photo frame stood. She took the frame and caressed the picture of three children beneath the transparent glass.
"Sneak into the Uchiha manor."
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Her attention was snatched by the sound coming from the ear piece in her right ear, her sister's voice resonating on her eardrums which said, "Two people are ahead of you; go inside the room at your left five feet before you." After that, the Hyuuga heiress immediately went to action and walked towards the door in three huge steps before opening it and entering the dark room.
Hanabi's eyes widened like saucers and immediately attacked her sister with her usual reaction.
"Ehhhh! Wha-wha-! Are you out of your bloody mind, nee-chan! What do you bloody mean by-"
"Nii-san got captured."
Hinata's words rendered Hanabi speechless; her eyes wide, pupils restless, eyebrows burrowed, and mouth open.
"Ne-neji-nii-san ga..?"
"And I'm going to go get him, Hanabi."
This was the first time Hanabi saw that kind of expression on her sister's face; determined and fearless.
Her chest tightening, Hinata could hear her own heartbeat thumping against her chest as she listened for the sound of footsteps outside the door. Sweat trickled past her eyebrows as the footsteps went past through the other side.
Hanabi's voice seemed distant as she said, "Wait, nee-chan. Wait."
After a minute of waiting, Hanabi finally confirmed it safe to come out and venture further along the corridor. Realizing the hold on her breath, she immediately let out the air that was held inside her lungs before panting. Without wasting a moment, she pulled the door open, went out of the room and continued on towards her destination, Hanabi's voice from the earphone guiding her.
After realizing what her sister said, Hanabi went ballistic and stuttered, "B-but you can't! How can you-! How are you going to sneak past that Uchiha manor which is surrounded by Uchihas?"
"...which is why I need your help."
Hinata ran, her sister's voice serving as directions. Left and right she went but when she passed by a door, her footsteps faltered. Ignoring the urgent calls from her sister, she backtracked, her gut feeling turning worse every step she took. When she stood before the door, she opened it, her heart beating fast and her breath put on hold. Before the door is stairs going down, which she could only guess is leading to the basement. What made her heart stop were the sound of harsh shouts and whimpers full of agony and, before she could stop herself, her feet moved towards the first step of the stairs. She was about to continue when the loud call of her sister's voice nearly made her ear go deaf.
"Nee-chan! Don't you go further! I tell you, do not go further!"
"B-but-"
"It's no use, nee-chan. There are too many bloody Uchihas down there."
Hinata felt something hot trail down her face. Before she knew it, water pools are falling. Hinata bit her lower trembling lip.
"I know how much you want to go and save him, heck I want to go there and save him! But it is useless; nee-chan. Nii-san would hate it if we got captured too."
Hinata wiped her tears and said, "I... I know."
"Then what are you bloody waiting for? You've got something to do, don't you? Go kick that Uchiha's ass!"
"Hinata smiled at her sister's way of comforting. With all her might, she turned around, went out the door and closed it.
"Are you ready, nee-chan?"
Hinata let go of the air she had been holding and nodded, only to realize that her sister cannot see it.
"Ready."
Hinata settled the picture frame back on the table and turned to see Hanabi furious.
"What!? A-are you crazy or some-"
"Then what do you suppose that we do! Tou-san won't do anything, Hanabi, he won't! He'll just leave nii-san there; abandon him just like how he abandoned okaa-!" Hinata faltered. (mother)
Hanabi's temper disappeared at her sister's outburst.
"Nee-chan..."
"Nee-chan, do you understand?"
Hinata nodded as she gazed at the stairs before her, only to realize again that her sister is not with her.
"O-Of course, Hanabi. I thank you for your help. You can be rest assured now. I... I can take care of myself. I'll be alright," she responded.
Hanabi didn't seem to be convinced. Neither did Hinata.
"You better be! If you get caught, I'll kill you myself! You hear!"
After threatening her, the line went dead. Hinata felt alone now. Without her sister helping her, she realized how helpless she feels right now.
She shook her head from that kind of thought and ran upstairs. As she reached the last step, she pressed her back on the wall to hide, listened and peaked whether there are people around. After making sure, she set out to the left and ran, her sharp ears listening attentively to any sound other than her own movements and breathing.
"I... I'm not going to let that happen again, Hanabi. I've already decided. I-I'll save nii-san."
Hinata hugged herself, as if shielding herself. "I-I-I'm sick of this... this... this nonsense and childish war. We already lost uncle and I'll be damned if I lo-" Hinata choked, making Hanabi feel worse.
"I... I don't want to lose nii-san, Hanabi. I don't want to lose my loved ones anymore. I'm going to stop this in my own way."
Her heart jumped at the sound of footsteps. Based on what she's hearing, she guessed six people are heading towards her way. Panicking, she looked sideways to search for something to hide into, only to realize that there is nothing that can hide her except the rooms. Fear crawled up in her spine when she realized the fact that she may be entering a room with someone inside. Torn between the two decisions, to either enter a room or go back to where she came from, her feet remained frozen.
Laughter echoed along the corridor and that served as her wake up call. Without further ado, she backtracked two steps and opened the door before entering inside a dim lit room.
Confused, Hanabi asked, "What do you mean?"
"...which is why I need your help, Hanabi. We both know what you have that I lack, and I can't ask anyone other than you to do this."
Gasping for breath, she turned around, her eyes wandering across the room. Her breath stopped at the figure seven meters before her.
There before her stood the person she was searching for, the head of this manor. In front of her stood the man who is known to be fearless and cold blooded to his enemies, the man who captured her own beloved cousin.
With an aloof expression, he watched her as she took off the hood of her cloak from her head. She could see- no, feel his eyes blaze with fire as they settled on her own vintage. They held something she can't describe as they captured her eyes, as if gazed by a hawk, by a predator. For the nth time, she swallowed agonizingly the huge lump in her throat feeling her heartbeat go faster from nervousness, before she was able to breathe properly.
Without hesitance and with courage, she stepped forward and approached the erect form of Uchiha Sasuke.
"Nee-chan..."
Hanabi's eyes softened as Hinata grabbed her shoulders and said, "I can only trust you to do this, Hanabi. Please."
They had met a few times before but those were just chance meetings, and they always chose to ignore each other in public. But she still can't deny the urge to blush heavily every time she sees his handsome features, which made her recoil and feel disgusted for being fascinated by his looks even for a second. Mentally shaking her head, she told herself the reason of her appearance inside the room of the Uchiha clan head.
With a stiff nod, she greeted him, "Uchiha."
"Hyuuga," he passively greeted in return. He gave her an expressionless face.
"Fancy meeting you here," he paused for a little while, "In my chambers."
It would have been great if he spared her those last three words, which seemed to her as if he's dragging the words on purpose, because it caused her face to flush in a deep hue of red that made her look like a ripe tomato. She tried to read his face to find a single trace of mockery but she failed to do so.
She cleared her throat in a pretense to clear away the awkward feeling and said, "I-I'm here to negotiate."
"That's funny, coming from a Hyuuga," the Uchiha clan head retorted.
Hinata could feel her insides boiling. This man before her is starting to irritate her. With will power alone, she managed to sway her sister in helping her sneak the Uchiha manor, facing hardships just from evading all those Uchihas to meet him and negotiate properly, but here he is mocking her! Not only was he able to scorn her but he was also able to do so with a straight face, which only made his ridicule powerful.
"Don't start with me, Uchiha. I'm here to negotiate with you, not b-bicker."
If Hinata could curse, she would have cursed herself for stuttering. Surprisingly, the Uchiha clan head remained silent. Hinata realized that her flaming temper, which she is trying to keep from bursting, is obvious from the tone of her voice. This unusual temper of hers is startling her. Why is it that this man infuriates her so?
She sighed and started from scratch, her temper calming. "I propose that we, the Uchiha clan and the Hyuuga clan, sign a contract, a peace contract that states a lot of conditions."
She took the scroll from the large pocket at the side of her cloak and handed it over to the Uchiha clan head, whose eyebrows raised at the sight of it. Hinata frowned at the obvious show of hesitance to take the scroll and before she knew it, her body acted on its own; her hand grabbed his before placing the scroll on it and curled his fingers around the scroll. Her eyes widened at her bold actions and pulled her hands away, immediately missing the warmth after. Shrugging away the uncomfortable feeling, she decided to look at his expression instead and wasn't surprised to see him already reading the scroll, face void of emotion.
As his eyeballs ran down the page, unease filled Hinata's fiber. She got the feeling that he wasn't amused or interested at the words on the scroll at all. This made Hinata resort to her plan B.
She cleared her throat to get his attention and said, "I also know that Haruno Sakura is your fiancéé and that she is in the clutches of the Hyuuga prison, hence I propose to exchange her with my cousin, Neji-niisan, who is resting in your prison underneath as we speak. So, what do you think?"
At this moment, Hinata can't help but feel amazed for being able to say those words without a single stutter. Seriously, being under the scrutiny of those eyes is enough reason to make her flinch away, what more of the bold proposal that she just said? But still, she felt proud for being able to achieve this far. Excitement crawled up her spine as she waited for his response. Surely he won't reject her proposals. The conditions benefit both of the clans, and they will get their important people back to them. What more can he ask for?
"Are you kidding me?"
Hinata blinked at his response. Did she hear right? Are her eyes stable or did she imagine the frown on his handsome face? Certainly there is nothing wrong with the conditions; she checked them for more than ten times! Surely the conditions are fair and will more than satisfy both parties. What went wrong?
Flabbergasted and mind running, Hinata found it hard not to stutter, "Wha- Well, I'm definitely no-"
"I don't see how this..." Hinata's attention went to the scroll, which he threw, flying towards her. She caught it and saw the Uchiha cross his arms and continued his unfinished phrase, "...will benefit me."
Confused, Hinata became speechless. Did he just mean that the conditions aren't good for him, or did he mean that he doesn't want peace? Didn't he experience something painful from the war? Didn't he lose his only broth-? Hinata stopped her thoughts. She mustn't wander into dangerous grounds. She may just unconsciously blurt out what's on her head, and that will only make her current position risky. But wait. What about his fiancée?
With that thinking, she found her voice and said, "B-but what about Haruno Saku-"
"The banshee's no interest of me which makes your proposal useless." He just cut her ruthlessly like that, as if slapping her face.
She can't believe this guy. He abandoned his fiancée without any hint of hesitance at all! His cruelty made her thunderstruck along with a sense of fear; it brought shivers on her back.
"Wha-"
"Is that all? Then I suggest you run before I call the entire Uchiha squad to capture you."
With the sudden turn of events, Hinata panicked. As she watched the young Uchiha walk towards the door, it seemed as though time went agonizingly slow. It made her think of plan C, which is to run, but what about Neji? What about her precious nii-san? She doubts she can rescue him especially inside this building full of Uchihas. She's already trapped inside, how much more rescue him? She's a mouse in a den full of lions!
It also made her think of her drained efforts. It wasn't easy to sneak in; it was also not easy to confront this jerk and tried to compromise for peace. It wasn't easy to make those conditions which her father and the Hyuuga clan would certainly go against with if known. No. It wasn't easy at all, and she'll be damned if she would get out of there without achieving anything. She'll be damned if she got caught and will be in the hands of the Uchiha, but she'll be more than damned if she gained nothing at the risk she just took. All the efforts to save her cousin, to stop this war, are going down the drain. Just thinking of it made her boil in anger. Seeing her efforts to be wasted made her temper rocket. It made her temper soar to the point that it gave her another idea, a ridiculous and absurd one at that, but a solution nonetheless.
Without wasting a second, she gasped, "W-W-Wait!"
Her heart beat goes faster every second as her temper diminished. As he stopped and asked "What?" she gulped the big lump on her throat, her heart beating furiously, and said, "I... I have a-another... proposal."
As he turned around and looked at her eyes, sweat appeared and trailed down from her forehead. She could feel her body trembling, and her feet turned ice, stuck to the ground.
Her mind is now in chaos but no matter how much she tried to think of another solution it will be no use for she knew that what she just thought was the only solution that she can come up with at this moment. But the problem is the idea itself. Hinata feared it, abhorred it, felt disgusted by it. Just the thought of it is enough to bring her to tears! But she won't cry. No. She already calculated all of her efforts and it was all worth it.
It wasn't everyday that she will go against her father and clan's wishes even if they didn't know a single thing about it. It wasn't everyday that she does something stupid and risky as this. It wasn't everyday that she can even muster the courage to face this son of the devil in front of her. It also will not be everyday that there will be a chance to talk to him like this. This is her only chance to be able to change everything! Her only and last chance! There's no backing out now.
She told herself that this was worth it and that it all made sense. She wondered how come this idea hit her like a bullet, and it came out during the time of panicking. She may hate it but she has no choice but to accept it. It's as if fate was toying with her, playing with her as it pleases, making her suffer and uncomfortable. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She willed her body to stop trembling and already planned out on how to say it to the Uchiha. But before her feelings could settle down, his words echoed in her ears, "My patience is wearing thin, Hyuuga."
Hinata definitely heard something inside of her snap and before she knew it, she was already shouting as well as pouring out all the unstable emotions held within her.
"Marry me!"
Her eyes were wide, fury burning in the depths of her lavender pupils, with her nostrils flaring up with passion and with her lips in a thin line indicating the slight tremble which made it obvious of how strong she had gritted her teeth as if keeping them from snarling at him. A moment passed with the tense atmosphere enveloping them before the beautiful expression of rage on her face started to fade, replaced by the color of deep scarlet when realization on Hinata's part took place. Unable to stand the embarrassment, she quickly shifted her gaze to the floor, drilling them with holes.
A Hyuuga proposing for marriage to an Uchiha is unheard of. She could see it now; him, laughing his ass off at her proposal. He must have been struggling to hold it in under that pretense of expressionless face. She could already hear the words of rejection, along with the tone of disgust, which will surely come out from his mouth. Prepared, she braced herself as she waited for his response. Time seemed dragging and when a word came out from his mouth, time stopped.
Hinata's head snapped up, ignoring the sudden feel of dizziness, and she desperately tried to find any lies on his face. Did he just say what she heard he said? Her ears must not be properly working.
Uchiha Sasuke must have read her thoughts for he repeated what he said, "Deal."
Time ran again, and so are Hinata's thoughts. There are a lot of things that confused her to hell, but before she could even ask him, her vision began to decline. On the last minute, she saw for the first time an expression of amusement on the Uchiha head's face; a smirk.
That was the last image she saw before darkness conquered her.
End of Chapter 1
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