Love Never Dies
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Oh and in case anyone was wondering, I've decided to bring Hanabi into this story. I'm not sure how big her role will be though. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: This is something of a transition chapter. I wanted to show some 'average days' in the life of Team Seven before we jump into everything with Zabuza and Haku. Happy reading.
Chapter 9
Sasuke's life was growing increasingly annoying. If it wasn't for Hinata, he probably would have hurled more than one fireball at Kakashi, Naruto, and Neji by now. Speaking of the Hyuga Princess, Hinata should be down soon.
"Is this really how you plan to become stronger?" Neji walks over to him.
Not soon enough though. Wonderful. He was going to start his day off with Neji's 'delightful' morning greetings.
The youngest Uchiha rolls his eyes at the other Genin. "How I grow stronger is none of your concern." Sasuke smirks at him, deciding to hit below the belt. "Besides, don't you have a team of your own? It wouldn't be very 'youthful' to be late to training. Now would it?"
Neji actually twitches at that jab. Good. That one had landed. Sasuke mentally congratulates himself for annoying the Hyuga Prince before breakfast.
"No, it would not." Neji snorts. "Though I suppose I'm fortunate. I have a Sensei who actually knows how to read a watch and arrive on time." Alright. That one stung.
Sasuke had only been a Genin for a couple of weeks, but in that time he had learned to very important facts about Kakashi. The Jonin was always late to everything and he was a pervert. Seriously, Sasuke still couldn't believe that he read smut in front of twelve year olds.
"Well at least my Sensei doesn't wear ugly green spandex!" Sasuke hisses at him.
It was childish. Why was he comparing Senseis with Neji? It didn't matter what the Hyuga thought of Kakashi. All that mattered was Sasuke would benefit from Kakashi's instruction and in the end, he'd get strong enough to kill Itachi.
Neji rolls his eyes at that. "At least my Sensei doesn't hide his face behind a mask!" A surprisingly juvenile gesture from the aloof prodigy, but he was right. Kakashi did wear a mask.
"I don't care if he wears a mask!" Alright, maybe it was a bit annoying though. "He's going to make me stronger and then I can avenge my Clan. He could wear a sparkly pink tutu for all I care! Just as long as he teaches me the techniques I need to kill Itachi, it doesn't matter what he wears!"
Okay. So in hindsight, Sasuke realizes that was hypocritical. He had just teased Neji about Gai's lack of fashion sense and now, the Uchiha was saying he didn't care about Kakashi's mask.
Neji had that affect on him though. The other boy always managed to piss him off. Him and his stupid princess hair.
"Such a double standard." Neji clucks his tongue at Sasuke disapprovingly. "Taunting me about what my Sensei wears, while not holding your own instructor to the same standard that you hold mine to."
Sasuke didn't have a real response to that. So he just settles on glaring at Neji. Maybe, if he glared hard enough, the other boy would spontaneously combust or something.
"As I was saying though, I don't see how you chasing cats is really going to help you get strong enough to kill Itachi." Sadly, that didn't appear to be working. "He's a monster, Sasuke. You're better off letting the Leaf handle him."
Well, Neji was right about that much. Itachi was a monster, but Sasuke was going to be the one to kill him. He was the only one who had the right to slaughter that damn butcher.
"Careful, Neji." Sasuke smirks at the Hyuga. "It almost sounds like you care." He flicks the other Genin's forehead, just to piss him off. "This is an Uchiha thing. I don't comment on your Clan's affairs. So stay out of mine!"
Neji glares daggers at him. "I just don't want Lord Hiashi to be upset, when you get yourself killed." Ha. A likely excuse. "I don't care what happens to you, but don't you have a second goal? How are you going to restore your Clan, if you're dead?"
Sasuke frowns at that. It was something that he had considered. A nagging doubt that lingered in the back of his mind.
Maybe, he should wait and have children before challenging Itachi. That way the Clan would live on no matter what, but then he'd dismiss it. That monster would just target his nieces and nephews before Sasuke ever tracked him down.
"It's very simple." Sasuke's voice takes on a venomous tone. "I'm going to kill Itachi and then I'm going to restore my Clan!"
Hanabi nods as she walks down the stairs. "That's right." She smiles at Sasuke. "I know that you can do it, Big Brother!"
Hanabi was Hinata's younger sister. Ironically, she was five years younger than the Hyuga Heiress. Which meant the sisters had about the same age gap between them as he did with Itachi. Something that kinda disturbed Sasuke.
Hinata would never become like that butcher though. He knew that for a fact. That didn't stop the parallels from unnerving him sometimes though.
Neji gapes at Hanabi. "What did you call him?!" The veins around his eyes were now beginning to twitch with fury. The other Genin might actually activate his Byakugan unintentionally, Sasuke realizes. "The Uchiha is NOT your brother! He's not even a member of our Clan!"
Hyugas were kinda strange in Sasuke's mind. The term brother or sister could be used rather loosely sometimes. More or less, your 'brothers' and 'sister's could mean anyone from your biological siblings all the way to your distant cousins.
One thing was painfully obvious though. Sasuke simply didn't make either cut when it came to Hanabi in Neji's mind. He was an Uchiha. Not a Hyuga. Something that he'd have to remind Hiashi's younger daughter of later.
"Well not yet." Hanabi smiles. "But he's going to marry Hinata someday, so that will make him my Brother-In-Law." Sasuke and Neji both blink at this. "So it's just easier to call him my big brother." She grins at them.
Thud! Thud! That little comment causes both of them to land on their asses. Whatever Sasuke had been expecting Hanabi to say, it wasn't that.
It was also at that precise moment, that Sasuke hears some footsteps racing towards them. "S-Sorry, I'm late." Hinata smiles as she comes into view. "I couldn't find my sandals."
This was humiliating. He had just fallen over and Hinata was now looking at him and Neji in concern. Damn it. She was going to ask what they were doing on the ground.
"Are you both alright?" She smiles at them as she offers the two boys her hands. "You should be more careful. D-Did you trip over something?"
Hanabi giggles and beams. "No, they didn't trip over anything." Sasuke feels his face burn in humiliation. "I think Big Brother is just kinda shy."
Hinata looks at Hanabi in confusion as he and Neji get up. Damn it. Sasuke needed to get Hinata out of here before Hanabi caused the Hyuga Heiress to faint.
"Nevermind." He tugs on Hinata's hand politely, but insistently. "We should get going. We don't want to keep the Loser and Kakashi waiting."
"Okay." Hinata smiles as she allows herself to be drug off. "Though you really shouldn't him that! Naruto is our t-teammate!"
Sasuke shakes his head at that. Hinata would be the death of him one day. How was it possible for anyone to be that innocent and kind?
"Hinata, I've always called him that." The youngest Uchiha leads her to the bridge. "Besides, he calls me, Bastard. It's fair."
"W-Well he shouldn't call you that either!" Hinata nods at him.
Like he said, the girl was way too nice. Didn't she understand that was just how boys talked to each other?
About an hour later, Kakashi chuckles as he comes into view. It seemed that Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke had been waiting for him.
"I'm sorry that I'm late." He smiles at his Genin Team. "I'm afraid that I got lost on the road to life and helping an old woman cross the street."
"YOU LIAR!" Naruto and Sasuke both twitch and point at him.
They really were too adorable sometimes. He should have taken on a Genin Team sooner. It was quite amusing to tease them all.
Ignoring their outburst, he smiles. "Today, we're retrieving a woman's cat." He knew what was coming, but that didn't make it any less funny.
"Oh come on!" Naruto whines and Sasuke nods in agreement. "We're real ninjas now. Can't we have a real mission?" The boys were obviously chomping at the bit to get a more 'serious' mission. "Chasing after cats is kids stuff!"
Hinata didn't seem to have an issue with it though. The Hyuga Heiress was a shy little thing. It was hard to believe that she actually lived in the same estate as Sasuke sometimes.
"Well, I suppose that you have a point." The silver haired man smiles at them. "So I'll make you a deal."
That certainly got their attention. Suddenly, three pairs of eyes were staring at him rather intensely. Well, there was nothing wrong with a little motivation, Kakashi supposed.
"If you retrieve this cat and successfully complete a training exercise later, I'll ask the Hokage to give you a higher ranked mission." The silver haired man smiles at them.
"H-How high?" Hinata looks at him with worried eyes.
Kakashi smiles at her reassuringly. "Most likely a C ranked mission." The boys on his team probably wanted at least a B or A ranked mission, but Hinata was less sure of herself. "Don't worry. I'm confident that you can all handle it." C ranked missions were probably intimidating enough a prospect for her at the moment.
She nods at him. The girl was obviously trying to put on a brave face, but Kakashi had to give her credit for trying. Apparently, Sasuke saw through it though.
"If you can manage not to strangle Neji everyday, I think that you can handle a C Ranked mission." The raven haired ninja smiles at her.
Perhaps, it wasn't the most tactful way of comforting her, but it was apparently effective enough. "You're right." Because now, Hinata was smiling and Naruto had gotten the memo as well.
"You'll do great!" The bubbly blonde grins at her. "Believe it! It's like the bastard said, the three of us are one now!"
Naruto reminded Kakashi of Obito far too much sometimes. It was strange how things tended to go in cycles in this village. Still, Kakashi decides to savor the moment while it lasted because he knew the truth. All too soon, those three would be longing for the day when their most vicious opponent was a runaway cat.
Several hours later, Naruto hisses in pain. The good news was they had returned the cat to its owner. The bad news was, well the cat had fought back and viciously.
"S-Sorry." Hinata smiles at him. "I k-know that it stings, but this will make sure the scratches don't get infected."
The blonde knew that she was right about that, but man that freaking hurt. A lot. Of course, Sasuke had to be a bastard and put on his tough guy face when Hinata put the disinfectant on him.
"It's fine, Hinata." Sasuke smirks at the bluenette. "Naruto is just being a baby." He was not being a baby! That disinfectant hurt like Hell!
Kakashi chuckles as he flips another page of his book. "I have another page to read and then we'll get on with your chakra control training." What?! He was seriously going to make them wait just so Kakashi could finish reading his dirty books?!
Honestly, Naruto wasn't really sure how Kakashi was a Sensei. Yeah, he was a really cool ninja when he wanted to be and everything, but he was so lazy. He barely paid any attention to them unless it was to annoy them.
"Kakashi, if you don't put that book down, I will burn it." Sasuke hisses at him.
The CopyCat Ninja chuckles and shakes his head. "With a temper like that, Hinata is going to have her hands full with you." Wait. What was Kakashi saying about Sasuke and Hinata?!
Were they actually dating? Naruto thought they had some kind of brother-sister kinda relationship. Though that would explain a lot.
Sasuke always ignored the other girls in the Academy. Maybe, he was ignoring them on purpose though. If he already had a girlfriend, that would make sense.
"Bastard! You didn't tell me that you and Hinata were dating!" Naruto flails.
They were teammates. He should know this stuff about his teammates. This so wasn't right.
Hinata actually squeaks and blushes as red as a tomato. Was it safe for someone to turn that shade of red? Naruto wasn't sure. Maybe, she needed a medic.
"Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto looks at her with concern.
Sasuke twitches and swats Naruto. "She'd be fine, if you'd stop embarrassing her." Though it was more a warning swat than anything else. "For your information, we're not dating. Not that it's any of your business!"
Hinata was still read and watching them with anxious eyes. It was alright though. Naruto would just smack Sasuke around for being a Bastard and then everything would go back to normal.
"Alright." Kakashi chuckles. "I see that you've all still got a lot of energy to work out, so let's get started with your chakra exercise." He nods at them encouragingly. "Chakra control is very important. It's an overlooked skill, but it can mean the difference between life and death."
Later that night, Hinata blinks as she looks up at Sasuke and Naruto still struggling to climb the tree. The exercise was simple in theory, but apparently her teammates were having trouble with it.
"D-Do you want some help?" The Hyuga Heiress finally voices the question she should have asked ages ago.
Sasuke shakes his head quickly. "No, it's fine." He smiles at her. "I've got this. Though the Loser could probably use the extra help."
Boys, Hinata thinks to herself. Why did they have to be so stubborn? What was wrong with asking for help?
"Pft." The blonde rolls his eyes at his teammate. "We've been at this for hours and she's our teammate. Hinata already finished ages ago, maybe she can help us."
Those two fought like cats and dogs. She wasn't sure who Sasuke fought with more half the time, really. Neji or Naruto. Either way, Kakashi was right. Hinata really did have her hands full.
"I find it interesting that it's the female member of the squad who has the easiest time with a control exercise." Kakashi chuckles as he continues reading a second book that he had brought with him. "Perhaps, women just have a natural edge when it comes to such things. I should probably investigate this matter later on or it could just be that your both too hot headed to handle such a simple exercise."
Hinata gulps. Why did Kakashi have to go and say something like that? Didn't he understand that speaking in such a way would only make matters worse?
Naruto and Sasuke both shoot Kakashi their best respective death glares at that. "We can handle it!" If looks could kill, their Sensei would already be dead and buried.
"It doesn't seem as though that's the case to me." Kakashi chuckles. "Have it your way though." He goes back to reading as if he truly didn't care about the end result of their training, but Hinata knew differently. He was just egging the boys on.
A short while later, the boys finally managed to climb up the tree. How they figured out the trick was a bit of a mystery. Hinata was glad they had though. If she had helped them with it, they'd never let each other live that down. (Even if she had hoped, they would take her up on her offer).
"Well done." Kakashi nods at them. "You'd best head home. It's late and we'll ask the Hokage for another mission first thing in the morning."
Sasuke and Naruto both snort at that. Hinata was tempted to join them really. Kakashi and the phrase, 'First thing in the morning,' really didn't go together.
"Alright." Naruto shakes his head. "You better not be late though. I mean this is going to be our first real mission!"
Sasuke actually nods in agreement at that. Things were bad, when those two agreed on anything.
"He's right." The youngest Uchiha shakes his head. "I'm not sure how you ever became a Jonin when you couldn't be on time to save your life."
Kakashi just chuckles at that. He was probably used to such comments. To be fair, the man brought them on himself.
"I can be on time when my life depends on it." He winks at them. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. Still, you should all head home and get a good nights sleep." The CopyCat Ninja pauses for a moment. "Because you're going to need it." Well that sounded ominous.
"Whatever." Sasuke shakes his head as he walks over to Hinata. "Are you ready to head home?" He smiles at her.
Naruto was already ambling off and Hinata was only vaguely aware that Kakashi must have Flickered away because she no longer saw their Sensei. So it was just the two of them.
Hinata smiles. "Yes, I'm ready." It was good to see Sasuke smile again.
He probably felt proud of himself for mastering the exercise. Nevermind the fact that it had taken him all day to do so because he was so stubborn. Hinata wasn't going to mention that.
Sasuke had his pride. The pride of a ninja, the Uchiha Clan, and just the normal pride of being a twelve year old boy. All of that mixed together meant that it was only natural he was going to be stubborn and just had to do things the hard way.
"Good." With that being said, they walk off together.
It was something they often did. Walking together. Mostly, they walked to and from the Academy before they became Genin and now, they walked to and from training.
So Hinata was pretty use to the feeling of Sasuke's chakra and the sound of his nearly silent footsteps. Maybe, that was why she sensed something was amiss.
"Sasuke, did you sense something?" She looks at him in concern as they headed towards the Hyuga Estate.
Sasuke shakes his head quickly, but he looks at her in concern. "No, but that doesn't mean you didn't." He frowns. "You should activate your Byakugan."
Hinata nods at that and the veins around her eyes enlarge. It was now a familiar feeling. Activating the Byakugan. It had never let her down so far, but as she looks around the Hyuga Heiress didn't see anyone or anything amiss.
"That's weird." She shakes her head. "I guess I was just imagining things."
Sasuke nods in agreement. "It happens sometimes." He takes her hand in his own as they make the rest of the trek back to the Hyuga Estate. "It's been a long day."
Itachi chuckles once they were out of range The Hyuga Princess had good instincts. He had to give her that much, but apparently she hadn't seen through his Camouflage Jutsu.
"That was close." He sighs in relief.
Still, it was good to see that Sasuke hadn't pushed his childhood friend completely away. It was unexpected, but made Itachi happy nonetheless.
"She'll help him pick up the pieces after everything is said and done." He looks towards the Hyuga Estate as he sighs once again. "I suppose that it was all just too little, too late."
He really shouldn't be here, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Besides, his missions with the Akatsuki had taken him close to the Leaf. He could afford a small detour and Kisame usually slept like a rock.
Itachi would be back with the other Akatsuki Member before he woke up. "Good luck, my foolish little brother." Because he was going to need it. The path that Itachi set out for him wouldn't be easy, but it would make him strong and it would allow Sasuke a chance to start over.
That was all that Itachi could offer his foolish little brother now. His life and a fresh start. He couldn't bring back their dead family, but he could do that much at least and Hinata would apparently take care of the rest. At least, Sasuke would know peace. Eventually.
