Wicked

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Notation: I am not entirely sure what the financial situation of the Uchiha Clan was. In this story, Sasuke inherited the Clan's assets after he was pardoned. I'm don't know how many Uchihas there were. But I do assume there were at least a couple hundred because they had their own district. So I think it would add up.

Chapter Warning: Sasuke's thoughts are pretty sadistic towards most people in this chapter. The main exception is Hinata.

Chapter Two

The next day, Sasuke notes that it had been a long time since he felt this way. It had probably been years. It had been years since the last time had actually looked forward to something that didn't involved death or destruction. If he had to label the feeling, Sasuke would identify it as anticipation.

Sasuke realizes that he was a very-goal driven individual. Without one, he felt rather aimless. After the war, he knew still wanted to restore his Clan. But that was a goal more in abstract. Survival had become the primary goal.

"She should be coming soon." He says as he glances at the clock.

Somehow Kakashi and Naruto had saved him from getting executed in his weakened state. So he had "achieved" that. Now he was free to pursue his second purpose. But honestly, having a new limb attached could be very distracting and there just hadn't been anyone that he considered worthy of his attention. That was until now.

"Sorry, I'm late. A fire broke out. No fatalities, but there were a lot of burn victims." Hinata says quickly as she enters the bottom floor where Sasuke was staying.

Sasuke was tempted to say, "Pity." He bit back the impulse though. Expressing disappointment that people hadn't died, was likely not the way to win her over. In his mind though, it was a pity.

Unless children died, then he'd be upset. It wasn't their fault that their elders were mostly oblivious about what Leaf's foundation really was. It wasn't stone or earth. It was blood. Lots of Uchiha blood and the blood of innocents. He briefly wondered how many "Itachis" had been sacrificed without anyone ever being the wiser, all to preserve this village.

"Well that's good." He says and hopes that his voice sounded sincere.

Sasuke despite his many crimes and long list of sins, had never really lied much. Why? Well it just hadn't been necessary to lie in order to achieve his goals. So he hadn't.

Sasuke could only hope that Hinata couldn't see through his lie. He doubted the Hyuga Heiress would be pleased, if she could. The last Uchiha could only imagine the look of disapproval upon her face, if she found out that his response had been less than genuine.

"Yeah. How is your arm feeling today?" She asks.

"I can't really feel it. Morphine is good for that." Sasuke replies dryly.

Hinata blinks. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought Sasuke might have just made a joke. It was hard to tell.

"Did you just make a joke?" She asks in disbelief.

"It could be interpreted that way." He says with a shrug and immediately regrets making that motion.

Agony! Sasuke quickly realizes that was a mistake. A big fucking mistake. Lesson learned. Do not shrug.

"Well that's good. A lot of patients report feeling depressed after getting a new limb. So it's a good sign that you seem to be in high spirits." Hinata says with a smile.

"Yeah. I guess so." Sasuke says in amusement.

He did have to give her credit. She was actually treating him like any other patient. Hinata was talking to him, like she didn't expect that he'd go on a murderous rampage at any moment. Speaking of good signs, he decides that was another good sign.

"Would you mind trying to move your arm again? You don't have to flex this time. Just try a slight wave?" She suggests.

Sasuke wasn't really eager to do that. Still it would probably help, if she thought he was a "good patient." He tries waving his hand and winces. The good news? He was able to do it. The not so good news? It fucking hurt to do so.

"Not a good idea." He mutters and tries to keep the pain out of his voice.

He would be damned if he gave anyone a cause to think he was weak. Sasuke knew that he couldn't afford it. His fearsome reputation was one of the few things that had left.

"Well at least you can move it. It's only natural that it would hurt at first. But have to keep doing so to stimulate blood flow." Hinata says.

Sasuke could think of a lot more fun ways to stimulate blood flow. He briefly ponders saying that. He axes that idea. It'd be too soon. She was a shy kitten and would probably make up some excuse to dart off, while blushing as red as a tomato.

"Yes, I know. I'm no medic, but I spent a lot of time around Kabuto in the Sound. I understand why it's necessary." Sasuke replies diplomatically.

"I didn't know you had any interest in medical jutsus." Hinata muses as she checks his arms.

"Some interest. It can mean the difference between life or death during a fight. But I never much talent for it. My chakra is too…destructive to perform in such an intricate and gentle fashion." He mutters.

This was good. While his interest in medical jutsus were purely a practical matter, having something that they shared in common was important. He hadn't been lying when he said he wasn't particularly gifted at medical jutsus.

Sasuke felt it was important to make himself seem less threatening somehow. He wasn't a God. Not everything came naturally to him.

"Well it's good that you tried." She offers with a smile.

She never would have expected him to have any sort of interest in healing jutsus. It was a relief in a way. This meant that on some level, he was interested in something besides just destruction. Though she did get the sense he was more interested in learning medical jutsus out of self-preservation than anything else. Still it was a start.

"Mhm." Sasuke says.

"Do you think you can try pushing chakra into that arm? It'll be painful, but it will be good to start using your chakra network." She asks.

"I can try." He says and begins pushing a tiny amount of chakra into the arm.

Yeah, that wasn't a good idea. This time, he doesn't hide his pain. Hinata rushes over to help him. If she had been looking more closely, she would have noticed his smirk as she reached for him and he pulled her onto the bed. She would think she had fallen, but she hadn't in reality.

She blushes a deep shade of red when she ends up straddling his waist. It was a rather suggestive position. She mumbles a quick apology and tries to get off of him.

"It's alright. I don't bite. Unless you like that sort of thing." Sasuke says with a smirk and caresses her cheek.

Hinata was sure that her skin couldn't get any redder. She was blushing in front of Sasuke. That was not good. Damn it!

"Wh-at?!" She asks and couldn't believe he said that.

She must have misheard him. Sasuke Uchiha would never speak like that to anyone, but especially not to her. They barely knew each other. Was it possible that he was just trying to spook her?

"I said that I don't bite." Sasuke repeats.

That had been a gamble. He might have pushed her just a little too far with that one. In a way it had worked though. The Hyuga Heiress was still straddling him.

"Oh good." She mumbles.

Maybe she had just imagined that last part. He definitely wouldn't flirt with her, especially not in such an outrageous way. That would be very much not like Sasuke.

He nods his head in agreement. While she was getting off of him, he take the opportunity to run his good hand along the curve of her hip. He could probably pawn this off to an accident. That why he did it.

It was important to get her used to him, especially his touch. She had every right to be nervous around him. He'd be concerned about her intelligence, if she wasn't cautious around him. So that was a hurtle to overcome.

"Do you need anything? Are you hungry or do you want more painkillers?" She asks.

Sasuke shakes his head. He wasn't hungry at all. The Uchiha didn't want to take more painkillers. He wasn't sure what a safe amount was, but he knew it was likely he was pushing up against what was considered an acceptable dosage.

"Not really. So how are the other Rookies doing?" He asks.

Sasuke didn't care. He didn't care in the slightest about any of the other Rookies besides Naruto and Hinata. He knew that Hinata did care though. So he would pretend to care.

"Good! Ino's flower shop is really doing well. Sai is starting to learn how to…smile in a less creepy way. Kiba is trying to breed Akamaru. Sakura is obviously doing great as Tsunade's apprentice. Shino is relieved the war is over. Lee's continuing his training with Guy. Naruto is doing great work at keeping the Allied Forces together. Tenten and Lee took Neji's death really hard, but they seem to be getting better." She whispers the last part.

"That's good and I'm sorry about your cousin. I know what it's like to lose someone precious to you." He murmurs.

He wasn't lying about that. Sasuke could emphasize with losing a family member. He hadn't known Neji well. Though from what little he had seen of him, the man had been an excellent ninja. It was a shame that he had passed on. The Hyuga bloodline would be weaker for it.

The part about Kiba trying to breed his dog was mildly interesting. Women in his experience generally liked anything fluffy and cuddly. Puppies definitely fell under that category. Maybe if he was successful, Sasuke should get one of the furballs for Hinata. He really should try to find out when her birthday was so he'd have a good excuse to do the gesture.

"Thank you. I miss him so much." Hinata whispers.

"That's only natural. It's not fair how many talented ninjas get cut down before their time." Sasuke says in sympathy.

She nods in agreement. Hinata wasn't sure how to process the fact that Sasuke was expressing something that looked a lot like empathy. What was shocking is that she was pretty sure it was sincere.

The Hyuga Heiress didn't know him well, but she knew that he was highly intelligent. She was certain that if Sasuke wanted to, he could be highly manipulative. It didn't seem like his style, but he had the potential to do it.

"I want you to try to flex more. If it gets to be too painful stop. Overdoing it, can be just as dangerous as not doing it enough." She says.

"Alright. Could you arrange for me to speak with Tsunade? I want to speak with her about what happens after my recovery." He states.

Hinata nods. Well that was a good sign. Sasuke actually wanted to talk. Well at least she hoped it was just talking. She doubted that he would actually attack Tsunade when he clearly wasn't fully recovered, but you never really knew what was going on in that head of his.

"I'll tell her. I'll be back tomorrow. If you need anything, just hit the green button. Red is for emergencies. Green is for requests." She informs him and shows him the control by his bed.

"I'll remember that. Thanks." Sasuke says as he watches Hinata walk off.

He liked the way her hips swayed when she walked. She really did have a form that was worthy of admiring. What made it even more appealing was the knowledge she wasn't putting on a show for him. Hinata was very too innocent for such things.

He frowns. Speaking of innocent, she used to always blush and faint around Naruto. He really didn't know if she still had feelings for the blonde anymore. If she did, that was going to be an issue.

"Lady Tsunade." Hinata calls out a few minutes later when she finds the busty blonde.

"Yes, Hinata?" The older ninja replies.

"Sasuke wants to speak with you. He wants to talk about what will happen after he's released from treatment." The Hyuga woman explains.

Tsunade nods. Well she had expected that Sasuke would ask sooner or later. It was only natural. She frowns as she realizes that she didn't really have a specific plan for what to do with him after his therapy was over.

"Alright. I'll go speak with him now. You can break for lunch, if you like." the medic informs her as she heads down to the bottom floor.

"Hinata says you wanted to speak with me." Tsunade says.

She walks over to Sasuke warily. His chakra reserves might be dangerously low and he was still recovering from a major operation, but she knew better than to underestimate him. That was a very fast way to get yourself killed. Deidara and Orochimaru had found that out the hard way. She wouldn't make that mistake.

"I did. I know that I'm going to be here for awhile, but I would like to start restoring my District. At the very least, I want to hire a crew to rebuild my house. I've been pardoned. I have access to my financial assets again and intend to make use of them. However, I doubt any construction workers from the Leaf would dare to take the job without your authorizations. If I must, I will hire help from outside the village. I'd rather not have to do that and risk making the other villages anxious though." Sasuke states.

Tsunade knew exactly what he was really saying. "I'm going to rebuild my house. You can give the construction crews permission to take the jobs or I will hire a crew outside the village. I'm going to do this no matter what you say, so you should just agree to make things easier for yourself."

"I suppose that does make sense. You don't really have a lot of other options. People are too afraid of you to rent or sell to you. If your home isn't rebuilt, the best solution would be for you to live with Naruto. We both know the two of you fight like cats and dogs. You would likely end up leveling the village, if you became roommates." She muses.

Sasuke nods. That was true. They both knew it. He hoped that she was going to be reasonable. It would be very annoying to hire a crew from outside the Leaf and more expensive.

Of course cost wasn't a major concern for him. He was the only survivor in his Clan. That meant all of his family's assets belonged to him. While most Uchihas had been comfortable, if you combined all their money together in a pool…Sasuke could probably afford to build his own village. It would be a small one, but still.

"Exactly. So are you going to give me the authorization?" Sasuke asks.

"Well I don't really have much of a choice. Very well. I'll give you the authorization to rebuild your house and we'll see about the rest of your District once you are well again." She mutters.

"Good." The last Uchiha replies.

He knew that Tsunade wasn't exactly thrilled to give him permission to start rebuilding, but she had done so anyway. Sasuke didn't care if she liked him or not. He didn't care if she trusted him or not. What he cared about was rebuilding.

"I have to admit that I'm surprised with how cooperative you are being as a patient." Tsunade comments.

Damn it. He was going to have to come up with a plausible excuse. The older ninja could clearly tell something was up.

"It only benefits me to cooperate. I want to get used to this arm as soon as possible." Sasuke informs her.

He would have shrugged, but he had learned his lesson earlier. Shrugging was a bad idea for now. A very bad idea.

"I suppose that's true. But I'm warning you Uchiha, if you are plotting something it won't end well for you." Tsunade says.

Sasuke's eyes flash red. He didn't like being threatened. That was obviously a threat. Maybe she had some delusional idea that she'd be able to have him executed later on, if he wasn't a "good Uchiha."

"If you wanted me dead, you would have done it by now. You don't have the nerve to kill me. You know that Naruto would never forgive you and it wouldn't be good to have the savior of the ninja world angry with you. Save your idle threats for someone who is impressed. I'm not." Sasuke hisses at her.

"I thought as much. A leopard doesn't change your spots. For some reason, you are willing to play nice with her. But when push comes to shove, you will always lash out." Tsunade observes.

"I think I have every reason to lash out. My Clan helped found this village. Then we get shoved into a district to isolate us and once it became clear we weren't your loyal dogs, my brother was ordered to kill his own family. This village doesn't even have the decency to do its own dirty work. This village has always been built upon blood. Maybe I should really lash out and let everyone know the truth." He practically snarls.

Tsunade watches him warily. As much as she was loathed to admit it, he was right. It hadn't been her call, but still Sasuke's rage wasn't a blind one. He had valid reasons for it. That's what made it so dangerous. If he told the truth about Itachi, she had no way of knowing how the villages would react.

"You can spare me the theatrics. If you were going to attack, you would have done so by now." Tsunade snaps at him.

"Itachi sacrificed everything for this village. That is the only reason why it's still standing. If I destroyed it, everything he did was for nothing. Don't think that means I will ever be your loyal lapdog." Sasuke warns her.

So that was it. That was why he hadn't attacked yet. He felt that he had to honor his brother's memory.

Well that was a relief. That meant the village was probably safe. If nothing else, Sasuke was loyal to Itachi. It didn't matter that his older brother was dead now. He wasn't going to go against his wishes.

"I never expected you to be my lapdog. At a bare minimum, I expect you not to attack this village. Ideally, I would like to see you become a trusted ninja for the Leaf again. Though I know the second part is unlikely. You are a loose cannon at the moment. Which is why I hesitate to have Hinata continue your treatment." Tsunade observes.

"And who would you replace her with? You? Sakura? Don't make me laugh." The raven haired man growls.

It disturbed him. It really did disturbing him how much the idea upset him. Sasuke frowns when he realizes that some part of him would actually miss her. She was the only person in this village at the moment who was treating him like a normal person. That was probably why.

"Yes, that would be a problem. I know you. You would deliberately terrorize Sakura. You'd try to provoke me. The other medics are terrified of you. But don't test me. If I believe even for a second that you are mistreating that girl, I will assign someone else to you before you can even say Sharingan." Tsunade thunders at him.

Sasuke's lips curl backwards in displeasure. How fucking dare she?! How dare Tsunade imply that he was going to hurt Hinata? She was the future Matriarch of his Clan.

Yes, he knew that his intentions were anything but innocent. Sasuke still had enough of a conscience to realize that what he was attempting to do was probably morally wrong. He didn't care. He would treat her well. After all, she would be the mother of his children. (She just didn't know that yet.)

"Don't threaten me. You agreed to the authorization. That's all I wanted to discuss." Sasuke says.

"And what about your relationship with your team?" The blonde asks.

"Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin? I don't have a problem with them. I'm not going to seek them out though." Sasuke replies.

Tsunade shakes her head. Sasuke was trying to provoke her. He was pretending to be deliberately obtuse. She could see that he was going to be very troublesome indeed.

"I meant Team Seven and you know it." Tsunade snaps.

"That's really none of your business." Sasuke says and turns his back towards her.

His relationship with Naruto was more or less back to what it had been before he left. Kakashi was in a similar place. Sakura though, he would rather avoid. Sasuke wasn't sure what her feelings for him were anymore.

She claimed to love him, but had tried to kill him. (To be fair, he would have killed her without any hesitation.) Was she back to being "in love with him" again or did she still wish he was dead?

"It damn well is my business. Anything that could impact the safety of this village, is my business." Tsunade says.

"It's not going to impact the safety of this village. Itachi died to protect this village. I'm not going to destroy it. Though it really is what most of you deserve." Sasuke says.

"I am going to have you undergo a psychological evaluation. It's not just your body that needs to recover." She observes.

Sasuke smirks. Oh that was going to be fun. He couldn't wait to send whatever poor sap was assigned to conduct the evaluation screaming. He wondered who it would be.

"I'm going to have Ibiki conduct it." The busty blonde informs him.

Ibiki? Hmm that would actually be a challenge. The man was damn good at his job. Still Sasuke was confident that once he got a good look at the horrors that took place inside his mind, that he would break the other man. This could be fun.

Sasuke was self-aware enough to realize that he was being sadistic here. Ibiki personally hadn't done anything wrong to him. Whatever he was about to do to Sasuke, was only because he was under orders. Still he felt justified.

"I look forward to it." Sasuke says with a smirk.

He had to send a message. No one was going to fuck with his mind. No one was going to control him ever again. All of his life, he had been manipulated to by someone. Sometimes for benevolent reasons and other times not so much. He wasn't going to let that happen again though.

His parents had hidden the coup from him. Sasuke didn't blame them for that. He had just been too young to understand what was going on. His brother had saved him, yet made himself out to be the villain. Orochimaru had wanted Sasuke to become his vessel. Obito/Madara/Tobi, or whatever the fuck name he had decided to call himself that day, had wanted to use him for his own reasons. He was through being both an unwitting and willing pawn.

"Don't get so cocky, Uchiha. You aren't going to enjoy this evaluation." Tsunade warns him.

"I'm trembling…with excitement." He replies mockingly.

Yes, he was through being a pawn. Sasuke would have some fun with Ibiki, rebuild his District, seduce Hinata, and restore his Clan. Not necessarily in that order. But he was rather pleased to have so many enjoyable goals to pursue at the moment. For once, he had several things to look forward to.