Disclaimer: I do not Naruto. That stuff belongs to another cool dude.
I also didn't take that pretty little picture.
Battle at Marble Table
This must have been the worst five minutes of her life.
Hyuga Hinata did not like awkward silences. Not one bit. She would gladly go out of her way to stay clear of them as much as physically possible. From avoiding eye contact to walking in the wrong direction to circumvent mild acquaintances polite society told her she must greet but not what to say as a follow up. Being an interesting, outgoing person was exhausting. Lulls in conversation were common for her. It was still one of life's mysteries why some people seemed to actually enjoy the long stretches of severe silences. Staring at Hinata with their narrowed eyes and pursed lips. Daring her not to squirm or say something to ease the pressure. Some people like her family.
And the family across from her.
They were seated around a table too long to be of any use to anyone; 15 to 20 people could be squeezed into each side if you didn't mind sharing elbow space. The table was made entirely of an expensive looking brown marble granite which seemed a tad excessive and impractical to Hinata. How they managed to get the thing up a building with no elevator was anyone's guess. The conference room was large and circular, otherwise bare except from the much smaller wooden table to the side offering untouched teas, coffee and an assortment of nibble food. The curved walls were painted into a raging storm; dark, angry clouds posed as a background to bright streaks of white lightning. Almost glittering in its contrast. A frightening form of beauty. Ironically, there were no windows.
The marble table was wide enough for two ornate chairs (made of the same marble and back-achingly uncomfortable) to stand at its head. The width of the furniture was the only spark of ingenuity it's designers showed: it deterred either side of the table from attacking the other. It has been scientifically proven that striking someone with a giant slab of marble in the way is somewhat difficult.
On the two grand chairs should have sat the Raikage ofKumogakure and the Hokage of Konohagakure as the highest ranking of either Village and therefore the ensuing meeting. That is if they weren't already six minutes late and counting. Down the lines sat -because they understood the importance of punctuality- second in authority, clan heads UchihaFugaku and Hyuga Hiashi. Next to them were their heirs, then a selected representative of each clan's council. Only ten people, including the Kage's, were allowed to participate in this assembly. At least ten people were invited. The Uchiha's left the seat designated to their council member vacant without hinting as to why. At the very end, furthest from the Kage's chairs, sat Hinata. Bottom of the totem pole. The lowest ranking someone of her birth could achieve.
She looked to her left towards the row of useless empty chairs who stared right back at her, mocking her humiliation.
He was still glaring at her.
Directly across from Hinata sat Uchiha Sasuke, another member of the dirty bottom rung. Apparently, from his expression, this was entirely her fault even though his clan's hierarchy had absolutely nothing to do with her. To be fair to the man, he wasn't the only one sporting an angry glower. With a quick glance through her bangs, Hinata saw she was alone in keeping her expression respectful. The open hostility was beyond uncomfortable. Hyugas and Uchihas did not have the best of relationships. Both hailed from afore mentioned Konohagakure, a Village with the highest population of clan members than any other in Fire Country. Each group prided themselves in breeding top of the line ninjas with unique abilities impossible to find in those who didn't share their blood.
As the two strongest clans, the hatred shared between Uchiha and Hyuga was infamous. Hinata didn't really understand the reasoning behind the animosity nor did anyone bother to explain it to her. Openly gossiping was seen as crass and lowly, done only by those 'below their station', according to a female Hyuga council member pushing 100 who liked to sprout random titbits at Hinata every time she saw her.
Hinata theorised it began with civilians and other shinobi. They constantly compared the two clans due to their: immensely powerful eye Kekkei Genkai; method of running the Village with an iron fist; and tendency to be 'stuck-up snobs who should probably get the stick up their asses checked out'. Kiba always followed the statement with a 'no offence Hinata, I obviously don't mean you'. Uchihas and Hyugas were practically interchangeable.
With people spending so much time dissecting the similarities and differences between the two clans, it is not too much of a surprise that a rivalry would take place. Who had the stronger eyes? Who had a tighter grip over the Village? Who garnered the most respect, the most honour? If fighting to the death, who would win?
There was a man named Bull you can find in the Black Lotus bar (owners thought a nice name would distract from the staggering amount of health code violations) who held bets on the latter. Not recommended as when it came to his little game, the house always wins. And if you don't pay your dues, Bull sees red.
Hinata thought it all to be rather ridiculous, if not scary. Why were the answers to these questions so important to outsiders? In the end, both Hyuga and Uchiha shared the same home, the same peoples, the same need to protect what was theirs, the same fire. Bettering one's self is always admirable, however this unnecessary feuding only caused people such as Hinata's teammates to dislike either clan. They came off as conceited and neurotic people who thought themselves better than everyone else.
It did not help that the assumption was more or so right.
Fugaku leaned back into his chair with his arms crossed. The muscles in his appendages stretched the cloth of his navy blue and jet black formal kimono. A muscle on his lower jaw pulsed as he firmly pressed his teeth together. His eyes held a darker gleam than a moment ago. Fugaku's body language was between subtle & invisible to a layman, yet to Hiashi, leader of the Hyuga, it spoke volumes.
"I see your level of patience is as noteworthy as ever, Uchiha-San", Hiashi said.
Fugaku 'humphed' and snorted at the same time, "And there is that Hyuga wit rearing its ugly head at just the right time". His voice was low and deep as if just waking yet his eyes were sharp and alert.
"Yes, the spider would be deemed most intelligent in comparison to the fly", Hiashi said impassively though Hinata could tell her Father had amused himself from the deepening wrinkle above his mouth.
Fugaku gave Hiashi a slanted stare. His arms uncrossed and his feet inched apart.
No. Neither clan could boast a slew of adoring fans, but if one were to ask the people of Konoha who they preferred, 10 out of 10 would not choose Uchiha. Generally speaking, the Sharingan is viewed as stronger than Byakugan. (Users of the latter will deny this until the end of times). Reaching their optimum potential meant fooling around with Destiny and kneeing Death in the groin for kicks. Just knowing that a hundred or so people who could perform such feats (if they didn't mind going blind afterwards) were just wandering around, would make anyone pee themselves.
Thus why risk boasting open hostility towards a clan who induced premature urination?
Konoha Military Police Force. An organisation managed by Uchiha and run by Uchiha. Every couple of years they will recruit someone from outside the family to prove how open minded and anti-discriminatory they are. Oddly enough this brilliant idea has yet to work. So far, Shinobi saw it as preventing their desired career paths for if they were good enough to be accepted, they would then find the training programme to be suspiciously tailored to people with special eyes. Civilians saw the Uchiha as a sort of 'other' granted the ability to bend them to their will with unwarranted force. According to the woman Hinata buys all her baking supplies from, the Police Force will do anything and everything to convict their suspect. Regardless of their actual guilt. Hiashi told her they could wave their fists around as much as they wanted as long as it kept them away from governing the Village in any "real" way.
Furthermore, Uchihas did not live with the people they ruled over. Outside Village Limits, away from any residential area stood the Uchiha compound. Hyugas built their home on the other side of Konoha, closer to the centre while still keeping their rear covered by the North end of Hokage Rock. This location offered security, strategic advantage as well as a sense of community to their neighbours. The Uchiha compound on the other hand allowed its residents a clear view of their surroundings, but made others forget they were even there. Eventually people almost saw them as a bizarre, creepy cult that might appear out of nowhere and punch you because of 'probable cause'.
This unintentional segregation slowly formed the Uchiha into a clan prone to violence and short tempers. A trait known to all these days. If Fugaku suddenly lashed out now, it would not be surprising. Though it would spark a chain reaction of six angry people attacking each other around one frightened woman. Hinata could not imagine the performance would please the Kages.
Hinata had to squeeze her hands underneath her thighs to prevent her from fidgeting. Or bolting out the door.
"I can't say I have ever been called a 'fly' before", Fugaku said coolly.
"As they say, there is a first time for everything", Hiashi replied.
Sasuke growled from the other side of the table, "Why are we wasting time dealing with this half-rate clan? This damn Village could be disposing of our men as we speak", he grumbled.
"Half-rate?" Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister, said from beside their father.
Sasuke smirked, showing his teeth, "Good sense of hearing you got there".
"There isn't even any reason to think these disappearances have anything to do with you, Uchiha", Hanabi retorted while standing up, "For all we know, your men deserted after years of dealing with your insane clan!"
Sasuke shot up as well.
"Hanabi…" Hiashi warned. Despite his earlier snipes, he was in no mood to battle any Uchiha today. Not with his people out there.
Neji, who had morphed into a still statue since sitting down, subtly leaned into Hinata and put his hand on her arm rest. With more weight onto his feet, he could easily stand and protect the woman to his left. Bless his heart. Sometimes he forgets I'm not the one he has to protect anymore.
Hanabi pushed her chair back to give herself some fighting room.
Sasuke's eyes turned red in his anger.
Neji took a firmer grip on Hinata's arm rest.
Hinata caught Itachi's eye from across the marble table. He gave her a kind smile with a 'aren't younger siblings silly?' look. Though to be honest, Hinata might have just been projecting the expression onto him. Itachi was by far the nicest Uchiha she has ever met – he didn't give off a, 'I want to punch you repeatedly in the face' vibe- but he was also the most intimidating. His current power was out of this world and there was still room for improvement as he grew older (he was barely in his late twenties). She couldn't envision what his utter most peak would amount to. He could take the Hokage chair tomorrow if he was so inclined.
Hanabi concentrated the flow of Chakra to her hands. She knew this was a terrible idea. This was neither the time nor the place to have a full out battle. But there is just something about those damn Uchiha.
The Conference Room door swung open. It banged against the adjacent wall, surely to leave a mark. In walked our two missing Kages.
"Oh good. You're still here", said Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure. She looked haggard, at least to Hinata. Tsunade's clothes were neat and in place. They smelled a little of antiseptic but were relatively clean. Her light blonde hair on the other hand, was trying to escape from each pig tail. Random strays stuck out haphazardly, almost glowing under the assortment of florescent lights.
The click-clack, click-clack of her heels was jarringly loud in the suddenly silent room.
Hanabi quickly pulled her chair back into position and eased into it, careful not to let it screech against the dark grey linoleum. Standing during her Hokage's entry made her feel exposed.
Sasuke didn't move.
A, (Proper Noun, not Indefinite Article) the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure stood between Tsunade and the open exit, keeping a safe distance from the marble table. Scoping the room, A released a deep grunt. Uchiha and Hyuga were as predictable as ever. Leave them alone for five minutes, come back and at least half of them will either be dead or horribly maimed.
Fugaku and Hiashi openly glared at Tsunade, completely ignoring A. The shared anger made the two clan heads look twins.
"Yeah, yeah, I know we're late but we have a good reason," said Tsunade, hands up in a placating manner.
Hiashi and Fugaku continued their closed lip glower.
"We found your men", A said. He wanted to get this over and done with.
Fugaku snapped his head towards A, "I am sure you did find my men. After all, you are the most prominent suspect".
"Where?" Hiashi asked, "Where did you find them?"
Tsunade knocked hair away from her face with the back of her hand, "Three hours ago, each of your missing men and women were found in thesame locations they were last seen in. As far as we can tell, they were deposited simultaneously".
Over the last four months, Uchiha and Hyuga alike have mysteriously vanished from Konoha's radar. The first was a low level, 33-year-old Hyuga named Kenshin who spent most of his time blissfully maintaining Hyuga grounds. Due to an onslaught of missions requiring trackers, he had to fill in some roles he may not necessarily be comfortable with. Kenshin was last seen by his wife of five years at the gates of Konoha. She was worried for him, he had a tendency to lose focus and let his mind float up, up above the clouds during vital situations. If anyone but their clan head had given order, she would not have let her beloved go. As it was, she was forced to wave a solemn goodbye as he left his Village.
The last thing he said to here was, "Don't forget, you promised we could eat barbecue ribs when I get back. I better not hear any of your 'a moment on your lips, forever on your hips' nonsense. Besides, your hips are my favourite thing about you". Try as she might, his wife will not remember the trivial yet heart-warming sentences for as long as she lived.
Kenshin was tasked with escorting a diplomat home to Suna after meeting with Hiashi to discuss silk, vegetable and spice importing. Selling vegetables was a new development for Sunagakure. They grew them in green houses making them rare and expensive. Naturally they caught Hiashi's eye. Kenshin momentarily left his fellow travellers to retrieve water from a nearby river to make them some tea. He did not return. A token investigation was preformed finding no evidence whatsoever. After two weeks of nothing, the case was slowly forgotten. Hinata would never say it out loud, but a part of her believed that Kenshin's low ranking in the clan and curse-seal helped dampen Hiashi's memory.
Hinata still visited Kenshin's wife. No one else did.
When three more Hyuga's went missing the Hokage stepped in. Legally, Hiashi could have stopped her as this was the definition of clan business, but investigations without a shred of evidence makes one desperate.
When Uchihas began to disappear, the Sharingan users stepped in.
Konoha lost a total of two Uchihas and eight Hyugas. The eldest was a 64-year-old Uchiha who was taking his two grandchildren to a park not too far from their compound. In the space between one push of a swing his grandson was riding to the next, he was gone.
The youngest was an 11-year-old girl on her way to school. Her name was Kiyoko.
Her loss was the straw that shattered the camel's back. Not only because of her tragic young age, but because she was taken right in the middle of a populated area of Konoha. A place that should have protected her and kept her safe. Her home.
'Who will be next?' became a popular Konoha catchphrase.
Kumogakure was the most blatant suspect. With their history of kidnapping young children (e.g. Hyuga Hinata) to pluck out their eyes, it was no wonder. People thought 'If they could do such a heinous act then, why not now?'.
Every time Hinata remembered just where she was, a violent shiver trailed up her spine. This Village was her own personal Bogeyman.
Tsunade wanted to hold a meet between the clans and Raikage before anyone went half-cocked and attacked Kumo. She would be damned if her own people started another Shinobi Warwith nothing but prejudice and speculation. Wars have already taken too much away from her. That blue crystal necklace will not take another life. "I asked the Aburame Clan to keep some of their bugs on each site on the off chance anything new could be discovered. They were the ones who notified me.", she said.
"In what condition did you find them?" Fugaku asked. He was never a fan of exposition.
Tsunade stood a little straighter and gripped the manila folder Hinata only now noticed. It was large and thick, obviously full. All traces of annoyance left the Hokage's face as she went into 'professional mode'; a demeanour she saved for giving bad news to the relatives of her patients. "As the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, I regret to inform you of the death of Hyuga Kenshin, Uchiha Etsuko, Hyuga…" Tsunade listed off all ten names. No longer were they 'Missing in Action'. Now their files would receive a large red stamp over their identity picture saying 'Confirmed Dead'. The most loathed block of letters in any Village. "On behalf of all Konoha citizens I would like to offer my deepest condolences". Her speech went on to say how the deceased were either 'the finest of nin' or 'innocents, gone too soon' who will forever be memorialised in the hearts of all Konohans. Frankly, Hinata tuned out most of what Tsunade said. The blood rushing past her ears was too loud.
I regret to inform you of the death of…
A hush followed the revelation, during which Sasuke finally sat back down. All of his righteous bravado seemed insignificant and petty in light of this development. Neji shared a look with cousin then returned to his still and straight posture. It was his way of telling her he was as struck by the news as she was.
Hinata stared at the marble table. She blinked rapidly to prevent any tears from falling out. Crying would do nothing for the dead and would only shame the living.
Fugaku slammed his hand onto his side of the table. They pretended not to notice the resulting hairline fracture, though the Raikage definitely wasn't amused. "The Uchiha will not allow this to go unpunished!" he stood, hands flat on the table, "What steps have been taken to prosecutethe guilty?" he looked pointedly at A.
Itachi foresaw his father's anger take over Fugaku's composure in front of non-clan members. He could not allow this to happen. His Father would only blame him and his brother later for letting the conference get out of hand. He spoke for the first time, his voice smooth and calm. Surprising considering the circumstances, "Did the Aburame insects witness the culprit's return?"
Tsunade put her hands on her hips and allowed her anger to return. Her upper lip curled up, "Nope. That would just be too damn easy now wouldn't it?" She pulled out a sheet of paper she was holding behind the mysterious folder. Squinting at it, because she was way to sober to read, Tsunade recited, "'At exactly 0923, ten corpses matching the descriptions of recently missing'…it just lists their names and method of identification", her intonation rose and fell to show she was trying to read through the document quickly, "'The corpses appeared instantaneously at each local'… 'No one seen entering or leaving'... 'No DNA was found'... 'No chakra signature was found. No foot prints-' I'll send you copies but basically no evidence of any kind was left behind. None", Tsunade cast her eyes over Hiashi and Fugaku, "I have no idea how he could have achieved this. I would have said the son of a bitch teleported the bodies back but as you know, that would have left at least a trace of chakra".
Hiashi contemplated the new load of information while staring at his clasped hands. No matter what the situation, a Hyuga does not lose their equanimity. To allow this, meant granting access to weakness. "How were my people killed?"
Fugaku frowned at Hiashi's monotonous voice but stayed quiet as he wanted to hear the answer as well.
Tsunade sighed wearily, already tired even though it was still morning, "Extreme chakra depletion. The worst I have ever seen. I had the two nearest bodies sent here so I could inspect it personally, its why we were late, "she held up a hand to stop the Uchiha clan head before he could speak, "Don't worry Fugaku, I had your men do the extraction so nothing was contaminated. I performed an initial autopsy and discovered every single chakra point ruptured simultaneously. Every. Single. One".
Hiashi's brows lowered a fraction of a millimetre in worry, "Impossible".
Tsunade's debriefing didn't lose stride, "I will need to do some more tests with the other victims, but the bodies we do have suffered from rabid exsanguination even though there wasn't any wound on the body big enough to warrant that much blood loss. It's as if their blood just evaporated inside their bodies. Right now I can only explain that by saying it was the by-product of every chakra nerve imploding at the same time. I tasked Shizune to search through the archives for anyjutsu that might do this without leaving any chakra traces but she isn't hopeful".
Tsunade wanted to scream a slew of curses. She was confused and she hated, hated being confused. It made her feel like a blundering idiot, "Alright. I'm putting a pause to this meeting until further notice. I need more time to gather additional information and I bet you would like to split up and discuss everything I've told you. Eat. Drink. The tests may take a while," she paused to look at every person individually, "Now, I know you suspect Kumo but this evidence does not damn them. Be patient. I'll send a messenger if anything changes". Tsunade turned to leave.
"You are not going to tell them?" asked A. until now, he had refrained from talking because he knew very well how thin the ice his Village has been skating on. His father was a good man, perhaps too proud for some people's taste, but good. The Third cared more about Kumogakure than anyone A's ever known. Problem was, dear old Dad cared too much.
During every Great Shinobi War Kumo had grieved horrifically heavy losses. Oftentimes shinobi of the thousands would be cut down week by week. Honourable men and women lost forever because the Village wasn't strong enough to protect them. A notion the Third believed whole heartedly. His guilt bit at him day after day, night after night. So when peace treaties were written and a decrease of military forces were required, A's Father selected to ignore the other Village's demands. At the time it made sense, in a logical, cold sort of way. Kumo, enfeebled, crumbled at a rate too slow to notice promptly yet too quick to prevent easily. Surrounding towns and villages encircled them, frothing at the mouth. A pack of cackling hyenas biting for bloodied scrapes.
A supposed these were the first steps towards his Village's downfall. When his Father sanctioned the kidnapping of UzumakiKushinahe was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. Years later, upon another attempt on a much younger girl, A saw it for what it really was. An action that would irrevocably damage their reputation for eons to come.
Once the Fourth asked his predecessor if he had planned to kill those young girls. He still thought about his Father's lack of response.
Much of his time these days were spent kissing Konoha's widely annoying backside. Even more so now with the girl his Village tried to spirit away sitting not ten feet away from him. Which was why he elected to stand in the background. A tall, muscular wallflower. Too bad for him Tsunade decided to skirt around the piece of information everyone should really be wondering about.
"What does he mean?" Fugaku asked his Hokage.
A glance towards the Raikage told him how much she appreciated his sudden input. Reluctantly, she said, "There may not have been any external wounds to warrant such excessive blood loss but there were wounds". She finally opened her folder. Her vice grip had wrinkled the light brown paper, hopefully the contents survived. "Victims from the Uchiha- ", the damn thing wasn't opening fast enough so she ripped it apart down the middle. Tsunade riffled through the first few sheets then threw them across the table. They slid across the smooth marble a few inches.
Hanabi picked one up, "they're missing one of their eyes", she murmured. Her inhale caught on its way to her lungs. Future Head of all Hyuga, Hanabi liked to think of herself as strong in mind and body equally. 139 missions and not one has resulted in a failure. Not one has resulted in tragedy. Some claimed it be sheer good luck. Hanabi knew better. She never lost because of her own skill and ability, not because of mystical, illogical superstitions. The more success she put under her belt, the more she wanted. The more she needed. Addicted to praise from others -her Father- she pushed herself and others over and over again. It made her team eternally grateful. It made her team wish she would transfer to another one. It did not occur to her that there was one job she botched completely; protecting her future clansmen. That she failed ten times.
What if our people were mutilated too?
Hinata did not look at the photographs, too busy watching her sister. Hanabi wanted so much to prove her strength but she was still too young to deal with all this death. As one of the more prominent caregivers during their upbringing, Hinata knew all the signs of Hanabi's distress. And right now, the latter was close to having a panic attack. She wanted to wrap her little sister in her arms and carry her away from this bloody marble table. Obviously she wouldn't. Hanabi would never forgive her.
"Yes", Tsunade confirmed, "But all Hyuga victims…", she scattered the rest of the pictures onto the marble table.
One landed in front of Hinata. Thin fingers with clipped nails peeked out to straighten the image. She ghosted them over the photo's subject. The girl was lying partway over a patch of grass and what must have been a concrete path. The frame focused on her upper half, cutting off her shins and feet. The two front pieces of her shoulder length brown hair was still held back by little blue fairy clips. Kiyoko wasn't sprawled on the ground but rather placed on it as if sleeping; legs straight and pressed together, hands one on top of the other over her stomach. She even portrayed a small, dreamy smile. Signs of a well-rested child.
Except for the two large holes where her eyes should be. The craters were inhumanly deep, not even her lids were saved. Turned into crimson lakes of over flowing blood, it looked like someone stuck an ice cream scooper into her sockets and gave them a good wiggle around.
Countless pictures from different angles presented eight Hyugas. Not one white eye was left.
Don't cry, just breath. Don't cry, just breathe. Don't. Cry.
"While he only extracted one eye from the Uchiha victims, he did not leave any eyes in his Hyuga victims".
"He broke their seals?" Hiashi asked, he did not notice the waver in his voice. If he had, he would have followed it with a scathing remark for he knew anger to be a force more honourable than distress. Grace under pressure. A pulse that does not reach over 60 beats a minute. A heart encased in stone. A true Hyuga. It cannot be classified as a moment of weakness if he was not aware of it.
Tsunade shook her head, face grim, almost wincing, "He completely bypassed it. The Cursed Seal on the corpses I inspected were intact. Not even a crack".
Going through a seal not of your making without breaching it first? Another impossibility.
So what did you guys think?
Should I upload more, or is it the worst thing to ever be created?
I'm pretty far along the second chapter already so updating shouldn't take too long.
Hope to see you soon!