I'm going to keep the Naruto war elements as vague as possible; otherwise it'd get too complicated.
Black Zetsu was killed. Kaguya was never revived and Sasuke never lost his arm or attained the Rinnegan.
No one will know about the Byakugan and Sharingan producing super babies…yet. LOL
Disclaimer – Naruto does not belong to me.
Hinata groggily opened up her eyes as shots of pain pierced through her body. Her once pristine white kimono was now ripped and covered in streaks of red. Her once lustrous hair was now smeared with sweat and tears.
The first 30 lashes had been excruciating. She had to delve into her happy memories of her friends, her family and Naruto to block out the pain. She thought she could make it through this torture with her dignity intact, but her smothered cries and stubborn refusal to beg for mercy had infuriated Namiko.
The grey-haired woman had not forgiven Hinata for her earlier insolence – just who did the Hyuuga think she was to rebuff the Emperor? Namiko would make sure she suffered, and suffered greatly at that. A pouring of salt on her wounds had Hinata screaming in agony. Namiko had personally rubbed them in, making sure to apply extra pressure to draw out the Hyuuga's torment. Hinata could no longer hide her anguished cries or silent tears when the guards resumed their whipping. Her salvation came when she eventually surrendered to unconsciousness.
It was worth it. It'll all be worth it, once she gains Madara's trust, she repeated to herself. Her family's bloodline, though not as feared as their rival had one major advantage, longevity. They did not go blind or lose their powers with overuse. On the contrary, they were blessed with sharp vision throughout their entire life because the Hyuuga had the foresight to protect their gifts rather than squander it. Years of perfecting their chakra control and refining their healing techniques meant every Hyuuga of age knew how to repair their own blocked or damaged eye nerves. It helped that they had near 360 degree x-ray vision of course. The Uchiha bloodline, fortunately for the Hyuuga did not share this same advantage. Their arrogant leaders never did understand how the Hyuuga retained their sight and they were always too proud to ask – not that the Hyuuga would willingly share anyway. One less Uchiha to worry about, they'd say.
Hinata knew she was betraying her family's legacy but she hoped the sacrifice would gain Madara's confidence and perhaps, loosen his tongue.
"Hinata" a voice softly whispered.
"K – Karui-chan?" She couldn't believe it. "What are you doing here? Where am I?"
"In the servant's quarters. You're under bitch-face Namiko's employment from tomorrow." Hinata flinched at the news but somehow, it did not surprise her.
"How did you get in here?"
"Easy, I'm a concubine now…waiting for His Royal hotness to grace me with his presence" she chuckled. "Though we all know he'll never pick me. I'm too much woman for him." she winked.
"I'm so glad you're safe. The others, they're okay too?"
"They're fine. Riku eventually got chosen but she didn't seem too distressed. What you did though…I'm proud of you but don't pull that shit again. You might not be so lucky next time."
"I..I know"
"Here, let me clean your wounds"
HInata was grateful for Karui's assistance. Not too long ago, they would've been sworn enemies with the Cloud's craving for the Hyuuga eyes. Now though, Karui was Hinata's strength and dearest friend.
"Thank you" she smiled faintly "..for everything."
"Don't go soft on me Hyuuga. We've still got an escape to plan." She murmured quietly as Hinata dressed in her new brown yukata.
X-X
After the defeat of the Tsuchikage, the village of Iwagakure reluctantly surrendered to Madara and his army. The Land of Earth however, was large and many of its occupants had opposed the Earth Damiyo's submission to their new self-appointed "Emperor".
The most vocal of them was Kublai, the barbarian leader from the far west. He had relocated his clan and any who wished to follow him to their spiritual home in the 'Rocky Mountains'. The terrain here was peppered with many stony formations, vast canyons and sheer cliffs.
For the past two years, Madara had left them in relative peace whilst he went about building his Empire and conquering more prosperous or tactical nations. Unfortunately, they had become conceited and tried reclaiming back many of the lands that now belonged to Madara.
Sasuke and his team were sent to remedy the situation.
And now, here he was, washing Kublai's blood off his prized Kusanagi. The barbarian and his men were tough and fearless, Sasuke would admit. But they were no match against his Susanoo, let alone his Amaterasu. Fortunately, Sasuke did not have to resort to the latter technique, one that gave him immense migraines for a week afterwards.
Leaving Renji, their Ambassador to the Earth Country to deal with the treaty and paperwork with the Barbarians; Sasuke, Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo proceeded to the Fire Nation's capital. After filling their stomachs and getting some rest, Sasuke would leave his team there to venture back to the Palace. He was not interested in getting 'wasted' or 'whoring' around with his subordinates. He had dallied with many of the fairer sex during his travels but he was tired of all the fighting and meaningless romps.
He had not faced a worthy adversary since Naruto (Madara and Obito didn't count, they were family) and though his clan was avenged after killing the last of the councillors, he still felt somewhat unfulfilled.
His goal of restoring the Uchiha clan was no longer a priority, given Madara's enthusiasm, he smirked. No, he wanted quality, not quantity and with a woman worthy of the Uchiha name. Someone strong, fearless and most importantly - dark haired. It was never a requirement before, but after seeing some of Madara's children, well…it changed his perspective.
He would love and protect them regardless of how they turned out but the sight of blonde and red-haired Uchihas running around still bewildered him. Perhaps he was more traditional than he thought. Or perhaps, he could not relinquish the memory of his family and clan from childhood.
He would think about that another time. Right now, he was restless and needed a new purpose. Conquering lands had lost its appeal but if he read Madara's cryptic message from last night correctly, he had an intriguing gift waiting for him back at the Palace.
X-X
Please let me know if I ramble on too much, I have a habit of overdoing things.
Thank you again for your support, it means a lot when I read your wonderful reviews (and some from my favourite authors! - crystalblue19, TAYYABALARAIB , pro-uchiha to name a few).