Know that this has become a broken record but I wish to apologize for the long delay in-between updates. My sister has been seriously under the weather and most of my attention was toward being there for her. Now that she's slowly getting better I can focus back on this story. Disclaimer, I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 3
Exterminate
"You can't be serious." argued Homura.
"I agree." added Koharu in support of her follow elder. "You should reconsider your decision. Have you even considered what willed happen if you go through with this?"
Remarkably the Hokage kept herself calm during the whole meeting. "Indeed I have and my decision stands." Arguments were going to happen but were cut off before they began. "Don't bother trying to change my mind. A week from now Sasuke Uchiha will be executed."
"I ask you again, have you thought of what'll happen if you go through with this?" Koharu repeated. "This could lead to issues that we wouldn't want." She hoped that what she was saying would help to convince the Fifth to change her mind.
"Have you thought about what'll happen if we don't do this?" Tsunade shot back. "Not only did he willingly betray Konoha so he could align himself with someone that was a threat to our village." That may have been a good reason but the sannin continued. "Let's not forget that the Uchiha also joined forces with the criminal organization, the Akatsuki. Our alliance with Kumo would become more strain than it already is if we allowed someone who tried to abduct two of their shinobis to live."
The whole topic would continue for a while longer until Homura and Koharu gave up trying to persuade Tsunade to change her mind. While the Hokage was grateful that was over she had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last when it came to this subject.
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"Does it have to be here?" asked Sakura. "Couldn't we go somewhere else?" She hoped that her request would be granted. All it got though was her companion giving her a look of disbelief.
"You can't be serious." The look that was given by the pink haired girl showed that she was. "How could you not enjoy such a glorious thing?"
Unable to help herself, Sakura smiled. "Maybe it has something to do with us having ramen for lunch for the last three days. Even you must have a tolerance for the stuff, Naruto." The blond in question merely gave a smile of his own. "Okay. We can have another lunch of the stuff but you're buying." Both teammates entered Ichikaru and gave their orders. "Why isn't Hinata here? I thought you would've gotten her to come along."
"She had a prior engagement." The last remark annoyed Naruto but let it pass. "Her father asked her to come over to discuss something. No telling what that could be." Sakura said nothing as she knew the history between her friend and the Hyugas.
A sudden thought occurred to the blond and saw it as a way to get back at his friend. "Been meaning to ask, why did it take you so long to get back from your mission in Kiri? Could it have something to do with who you were with?" The question caused Sakura to briefly choke on her ramen. "It takes about a week to get to Kiri and another to return. Two week long mission but you took three weeks. What possibly could've caused it to be extended like it was?"
All those questions did what they were supposed to do as Sakura was blushing and becoming flustered. "Nothing happen." she quickly denied. "It just took longer than expected." Collecting herself, Sakura gave Naruto an even stare. "The relationship between Haku and I is going as we like it. There's no need for you to stick your nose in." Behind those words was a warning that the pink haired girl meant to drop the subject.
"Take it easy." Naruto tried to calm down. "I wasn't trying to pry into your guys' relationship. I'm glad that the two of you are happy with one another." He was being completely honest. "Being with Hinata is some of the happiest times in my life and I hope that you guys have something like that."
Fortunately that dissolved the irritation that Sakura was feeling and became more at ease. "Thanks. I appreciate it." The conversation between them continued and was one that long time friends would have.
That would come to an end when an ANBU suddenly appeared before them. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno. I'm sorry to intrude but I bring word from the Hokage. She wishes to meet with you as soon as possible. There's something that she needs to inform you of."
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"What are you doing here?" In his secluded holding cell, Sasuke sat there facing a neighboring wall, hardly acknowledging his current guests.
"What hostility. Is that anyway to treat your former teammates who came to visit?" The mocking by Naruto did nothing except irritate the captive Uchiha. "Hope your commendations haven't been troublesome. We wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable."
"What are you doing here?" repeated Sasuke. He figured that the best way to get back at the blond was to ignore him. That proved to be accurate as Naruto started to become annoyed in his own right. Before any kind of retaliation could be made, the other guest decided to intervene.
"You must already know of the decision when pertaining to you." Whether Sasuke heard what Sakura said was unknown as he showed no reaction. "Have you anything that you'd like to say while you have the opportunity?"
Finally that got the Uchiha to turn his head to look at his former teammates. The lok that he was giving them was a mixture of loathing and hostility. "Do you think I care to justify my actions to the likes of you?"
"You're right." agreed Naruto. "It would be hard to justify the actions of someone who became a vile son of a bitch." Finally his remark got a reaction as Sasuke gave him a heated glare. "You've said that you were doing all of it for justice or retribution but that's a load of shit." Sakura tried to stop him from going further but it was futile.
"There's been darkness inside of you, Sasuke. It's been there since we started out as genin. It's only grown since then to the point that you've became consumed by it. Do you even care that the members of the team that you put together are either dead or on the run?"
"They served their purpose. What happens to them after doesn't matter." elaborated Sasuke that lacked any sympathy. "Konoha's wise to have me killed while they can. For what it has done to the Uchihas I wouldn't have stopped until it got what it deserved."
"That's all you care about?" asked a disheartened Sakura. "You've allowed the darkness inside of you to take you over. You hardly can be considered human."
Surprisingly that caused the Uchiha to laugh. "That's rich. You are after all standing beside someone who's probably even less human."
"So says the person inside the cage." Naruto calmly retorted. Having nothing more both he and Sakura left. They had just gotten outside when they came to a stop. "What are you doing here?" Standing a few feet away from the two was their former sensei, Kakashi Hatake.
Whether the jonin noticed the hostility was unknown as he retained that same nonchalant attitude. "I hared about the verdict that was made. Simply came here to say a few words to Sasuke. It's the least I should do."
"Do what you want." Not even batting an eye, Naruto walked pass Kakashi. "As long as it doesn't involve me I could care less."
"Don't you think you were a little harsh there?" questioned Sakura. She had hurried to catch up with her friend although she briefly acknowledged Kakashi before leaving. "I know that you have your issues with him but shouldn't you take it easy?"
Naruto had to stop himself from saying the first thing that crossed his mind. There was no need to snap at his friend. "I know that you're trying to be peacemaker Sakura but don't bother. A shinobi's life isn't known to have many secrets however there should be exceptions and this is one of them. If he had left it alone instead of continuing to pry I may have trusted him enough to tell him but that ship has long since sailed. I've said it before: Kakashi stays out of my way, I'll stay out of he's."
Realizing that there was no way to change her friend's mind, Sakura let the subject drop. She couldn't blame him though. Kakashi had even attempted to have her discover what Naruto could've been hiding. While she hoped that the entire issue to be done and buried, Sakura knew that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon, if ever.
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"Another guest? I must be popular." Sasuke's remarks got no reaction from the Kakashi. "You haven't change Kakashi. You're still as impassive as always."
"I can't say the same for you." countered the jonin. "I'm disappointed in you Sasuke. You had everything you could've wanted in Konoha and you threw it all away for vengeance." This was something that Kakashi had wanted to say ever since his wayward student deserted. "What could you possibly have been thinking?"
Not bothering to look directly at the jonin, Sasuke simply stared at him from the corner of his eye. "Don't speak of things that you don't fully comprehend, Hatake." He hissed with an icy tone. "You may have a Sharingan but you know nothing of what the Uchiha's have gone through. A somewhat derange smile appeared on Sasuke's face as he leaned the back of his head against the wall. "Someday this village will pay for what it's done to my family. One way or another it will fall."
Hearing all of this, Kakashi shook his head in disappointment. "You're truly a lost cause, Sasuke. Probably was lost since I've known you." Not wanting to be there any longer he took his leave but had something to say. "It's a shame really. The Uchihas have surely fallen." There was no telling what his remark got as a reaction as he left without looking back.
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"Naruto, are you here?"
"I'm in the living room, Hinata."
Walking into the room the Hyuga saw the blond sitting on the couch going over a scroll. She immediately noticed the slight scowl on his face. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." Naruto waved off. "A few things happen before coming home that got on my nerves." Putting away the scroll he patted the spot beside him. Accepting the invitation, Hinata sat down on the couch and let Naruto place his arm on her shoulders. "What about you? How did your meeting with your father go?"
"It went over." Hinata may have said that but she looked a bit apprehensive. "Father wanted to know how I've preformed in my recent missions. Also…" Whatever she wanted to say she had trouble getting the words out. "Also, he wants us to have with him."
"Is that all?" asked Naruto. "That's fine. It wouldn't be the first time." On a few occasions Naruto and Hinata would have a meal with Hiashi. Usually it was at some restaurant or at the Hyuga compound. "So when and where does he want to have dinner?"
"Tomorrow night." When it got to naming the location, Hinata hesitated. "Thing is though, he wants to have dinner here."
Naruto's surprise was evident as he stared at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious. Tell me that you didn't agree to have it here." He got his answer when his girlfriend averted her eyes elsewhere. "You did, didn't you?"
"I couldn't help it." Hinata tried apologizing. "He said that he had something that he wanted to discuss and thought that doing it here would make it easier. I accepted when he continually asked. Again, I'm sorry."
"It's all right." Naruto reassured. "This was bound to happen. Wish it would've been later. Any idea what we'll be having? My cooking skills are nearly nonexistent and I doubt instant ramen would be suitable dinner." That caused Hinata to chuckle.
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Next Day…
"So, are you enjoying your meal?" As planned, Hiashi was having dinner at Naruto and Hinata's place. He wasn't the only guest as he brought his other daughter, Hanabi with him. The surprise addition wasn't an issue as there was plenty of food. Speaking of food, since either Naruto or Hinata weren't that proficient in cooking they went with the next best thing, getting takeout from a restaurant.
"Its adequate." was the only answer that the Hyuga family leader gave. A slight uneasy silence came over the table and it wouldn't be until Hiashi spoke up again did it get lifted. "I've been told that Sasuke Uchiha is to be executed. As I recall, the two of you were once teammates."
"That's correct." Naruto confirmed. "Those weren't some of my fondest memories being teamed with him. He was one of the best in our age group and probably become even better. Sadly Sasuke couldn't let go of the past. It festered inside of him until it consumed him." Even though Naruto knew about the real reason behind the Uchiha massacre, his opinion hadn't really changed. "Instead of remaining in the past, he should've looked toward the future."
"Speaking of the future, it's the reason why I wanted to meet with you." announced Hiashi. "I'm curious to know what your plans are for the future."
"Honestly, I haven't given it much thought." confessed Naruto. "Being an instructor at the academy has crossed my mind but my teaching methods wouldn't be that suitable." Hinata let out a small chuckle at the honesty of that statement. "Maybe I'll teach a group of genin. I mean, I did an okay job when I was in charge of Hanabi's team a while back."
"That's not a good example." muttered Hanabi. While the mission was a success, it wasn't her team's finest moment.
"While those are good and all, I was actually alluding to what are your plans concerning my daughter." Hiashi's clarification was surprising and made everyone wonder what he was getting at. "The two of you have been together for little over a year and knew each other far longer. Simply put, do you plan to ever marry my daughter?"
"That question came completely out of the blue that Naruto nearly choke on his drink. "E-Excuse me. Mind repeating that?"
"Father! How could you ask such a thing?" reprimanded a shocked Hinata. She was so caught off guard that she hardly notice that her sister Hanabi was staring wide-eyed at their father.
"I merely wanted to know whether he intends to have the relationship you two are in to progress further than it currently is." explained Hiashi calmly. "In not, then I think that he now waste anymore of your time."
"Now wait a minute." spoke up Naruto once over the shock of the recent question. "First off, I've told you before that I love your daughter. I've even told her that while I never given it much thought of us being married was something that I wasn't against." Recalling that moment, Hinata became a bit shy as the whole event with finding that ring was embarrassing.
"Hinata is someone that I deeply care for. Whenever the time comes when I get married, I would want no one other than her at my side." His confession got a reaction from all those there. While caught off guard, Hinata couldn't help being deeply touched. Hanabi even couldn't deny that what had been said had an affect on her. Made her somewhat hope that she would have something like that one day.
As for Hiashi, he may have tried to retain that same nonexpresive look but there was a small hint of a smile. "So be it." The simple comment was unexpected and no one knew what to make of it. "As I stated before, I wanted to make sure that you were completely committed to my daughter and I got my answer. There's no need to discuss it any further." For the rest of the dinner the conversations were basic ones and the whole marriage topic wasn't brought up again.
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A Week Later…
"Sasuke Uchiha. For your crimes against the nations, it has been decided that you to be executed." announced Tsunade. "Before sentence is delivered, you'll be allowed to say some final words. Have you anything to say?"
Locked within a large room that was comprised of reinforced glass was Sasuke. There was no way for him to escape as both his arms and legs were shackled with chains that restricted his chakra. Along with it were seals that were painted from the corners of the room to the center where the Uchiha was.
When the opportunity to speak was given, Sasuke gave the Hokage a sideway glance that lacked any respect. "Why would I waste my time justifying my actions?" He followed his defiance by spitting in the direction that the spectators were sitting.
Having heard enough, Tsunade motioned for the process to begin. Standing outside of the room were four shinobis that had their faces covered to conceal their identities. Simultaneously they performed a series of hand signs. Once done they slammed their hands on the glass which caused the seals to react.
Glowing bright red the seals traveled toward Sasuke. When they reached him he started to grimace in pain until it was too unbearable to hold in the screams. After about a minute the process was stopped and when it did, Sasuke crumbled completely to the floor. Cautiously Tsunade made her way into the glass room and diagnosis the body. It was soon determined that the life of Sasuke Uchiha had ended.
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In a remote location in Taki a long haired redheaded girl was traveling down a path. She stopped and stared off into the distance. There wasn't anything within her field of vision she must've noticed something as she gave a halfway smile.
"Farewell Sasuke. You got what you deserved." Moving on, Karin resumed her journey. What that'll take her was unknown. Even to her.
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"Where am I?" When he woke up, Sasuke saw that he wasn't in his holding cell but still had on his restraints. "I demand to know what is going on."
"All in due time." Spoke up someone from the shadows. "A lot of work went into replacing you with someone that was surgically made to look like you." Emerging from the shadows was the person behind it all. "A bit of gratitude would be appreciated."
When he got a good look at the person, Sasuke was shocked. "For now you rest Sasuke. Soon we'll make our presence known."
You likely know what the ending is all about but I'm hoping to do something that'll make it still worth checking. Also the whole dinner between Naruto and the Hyugas was done to have them be somewhat still involved in the story/series as well as to see how things have developed as things went on. Will really try to update again so here's hoping that I'll be able to do so.
