Hard to Forgive

Summary: Banished from Konoha after an accident with Kyuubi, Naruto swears to come back too powerful to be brought down. Years pass with no sign. Until they hear a Hidden Village has risen, and its' residents are demons and outcasts. Will they find Naruto there?

Pairing/s: None.

Warnings: Strong!Naruto, Demon!Naruto, some people-bashing, blood, violence… maybe some more, I don't know.

Disclaimers: Does it look like I own Naruto? I didn't think so either…

Thanks for all the reviews!

People are questioning me now whether it will be a Sora/Hinata story, this one, but I can only say again; no pairings at all. So whatever I may accidently have implied about those two, it won't happen. Just so you know. Enkai may view Hinata as her mother, but there won't be anything romantic going on between Sora and Hinata because of that.

Anyway, enjoy chapter nine!

UPDATED 2011-07-15

-o-

Chapter Nine

Sora looked up as Hinata entered the office.

"Hinata-hime."

"No," she replied. He looked at her in confusion as she walked forward. His eyes widened when she kneeled down in front of his desk and continued, "I wish to relocate to your village… Onikage-sama, as the company of so called demons pleases me more than my own family. I beg you to allow me to stay, for I have no longer a life in Konoha."

Well… that was unexpected. Never in his life did he think the Hyuuga heir would leave Konoha; something bad must have happened for her to do it.

Sora rose up from his chair and walked around the desk. He helped her to stand up and said:

"Never before have anyone of my people bowed to me, and I shall make no habit of it. For what reason don't you consider Konoha as your home anymore?"

"My father told me I might as well go and live here because I enjoy your company," Hinata said. "Of all the Hyuugas, there is only one I respected."

"Respected, as in past tense?"

"I am quite sure… Neji-niisan no longer uses the Hyuuga name," she said. "I also knew what he would have chosen."

"And what would that have been?" Sora asked, tilting his head.

"Where his heart lay," the woman said. "My heart lies here with this village, with you people. Konoha… has become something I don't consider a home but a chaotic warzone."

Sora stretched a bit and the woman waited.

"You do know the one rule we have?"

"Throw away who you were," Hinata said and looked into his eyes. "Become reborn. I don't mind that. I would really like a new start, free from Konoha… free from my father."

-o-

Kakashi entered and looked at Sora.

"Please say you took her in, Onikage-sama," the Copy-nin said.

"I'm not that cruel," Sora said with a near-pout, causing Kakashi's lips to twitch in a small smile underneath his mask. "Of course I took her in, Kakashi-san. Was there any objections from Tsunade-hime?"

"I'm not sure if she knows this," Kakashi said as he sat down. "If she did, she did a good job hiding it from me. This is from her. Considering all of our birds are recovering here, she sent me."

"I see," Sora said and opened the scroll. "Aah, it's an update of how you are progressing. I have one prepared, I was going to send it once the birds recovered but you can take it. Do you wish to stay overnight or do you have to hurry back?"

"It will take me three days to get there, so…"

"I can have Yokaze take you back," Sora said. "He isn't really doing anything besides annoying Yasha."

"I heard that, Onikage-sama."

"Oh, Yokaze!"

The man nodded to Kakashi and gave Sora a clipboard.

"What is this?" the elder man asked suspiciously.

"It won't bite you so read it."

"Stingy. Just because I said you're just annoying Yasha."

"I am not annoying her."

"Then pray tell me; what are you doing?" Sora asked.

"I did that," Yokaze replied and pointed at the clipboard, or rather at the paper attached to it.

Sora gave in and read it through.

"Sounds good," Sora said and gave it back to Yokaze. "Do you mind bringing Kakashi-san back to Konoha tomorrow?"

"I saw Hinata-san, isn't she going back as well?"

"She is not Hinata anymore," Sora said. "And she does not live in Konoha anymore."

Yokaze's eyes widened.

"Do you mean…?" he managed.

"She's Yuugao(1) now," Sora said.

-o-

"Yuugao-hime!"

Newly-named Yuugao turned around in surprise as Hijutsu came walking.

"… How did you know?" she asked.

"Me, Kageenja, Konchuu and Yokaze are always informed first of a new villager," Hijutsu said with a small smile as he came to a stop near her. She wondered if he could see despite the cloth around his eyes. "We spread the information around. And don't worry about it being spilled you are formerly Hyuuga Hinata; that information won't leave this village. No one saw you leave Konoha with Kakashi-san."

"But… I look like my old self."

"That's why I'm here, to take you to Yasha. You are to be changed completely into Yuugao-hime, and not a trace of Hyuuga Hinata shall be visible until you yourself choose it."

-o-

Enkai was happy to bounce on Yuugao's hip a few hours later as the woman walked to the Onikage's office. Mebana greeted on her cheerfully, and said:

"He's in there with Gaara-sama. Just walk in."

"Thank you, Mebana-san."

As she entered the two looked up and Sora said:

"I see you have been with Yasha, Yuugao-hime."

Gaara looked strangely at the two, as he did not know anything before once more settling his gaze on the woman carrying Enkai. She had long flowing dark blue hair, spilling over her shoulders and down her back, her eyes completely white (for others maybe that was a bit freaky, but hey it's Gaara!). She was dressed in a white jacket, a dark blue tank top underneath, and white baggy pants with a kunai-holster on her right thigh. She smiled at the two and said:

"She has a wonderful taste in clothing, Onikage-sama."

"Sora… help me, I'm confused," Gaara said and waved his hand. Sora laughed and said:

"I didn't have time to tell you, but Yuugao-hime here was a few hours ago Hinata-hime."

Gaara gaped and Yuugao laughed.

"No need to look so surprised, Kazekage-sama," she said and let the girl down who ran up to Gaara and promptly climbed onto his lap. He blinked and now focused on the girl quickly to make sure she would not fall off before looking up at the woman again.

"Why?" he asked.

"I respect Tsunade-sama," she stated first. "I always will. I had good friends. They will forever remain good friends in my heart. But the rest of the village… my own father… was pure pain. I could not remain."

Gaara nodded thoughtfully and Sora struck up a finger in the air, saying:

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

"You always forget something," Gaara corrected.

"Shut up!"

"Never."

"Gaara, I'm warning you…"

"Try making me," the redhead challenged.

Yuugao and Enkai looked on as the two glared at each other, ending with Sora huffing and getting up.

"Fine, fine, I know I forget things but at least I remember most of it!" he said.

"True," Gaara agreed. "What did you remember now?"

"It was about Yuugao-hime actually," Sora said and Yuugao felt flattered that she was called -hime by everyone in the village.

"About me?" she asked.

"Yes. Yasha told you a bit about us, yes?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "I was going to live at her place until I got used to it all, then I would move to my own place if I wanted. Also she said…"

"Said what?"

"That we're all family."

"Yes, it's quite the deal to be the father to all these brats," Sora said with a grin.

"We heard that!"

Startled, he whipped his head around. Hijutsu, Kageenja and Konchuu sat crouched outside one of the windows, said window open. Kageenja, naturally, was the one who had spoken.

"You out to give me a freaking heart attack?" Onikage shouted.

"No, you're too stubborn to die anyway," Kageenja said as he jumped inside.

"See, Yuugao-hime? They are all brats!" Sora whined.

"…" Konchuu looked at the man and Sora continued:

"Alright, Konchuu is not one."

"But I am?" Hijutsu stated, eyebrow twitching.

"Well… hmm… I have to give that a bit of thought."

Yuugao giggled at the sight Hijutsu presented, and a moment later Sora received a smack on his head by said man.

"That's not the behaviour a child should have against its father," Gaara pointed out.

"I can't believe you two!" Hijutsu shouted and Sora broke down laughing. Yuugao tried to hold it in but she also broke down and laughed.

"Anyway," the demon-like man said once he had calmed down, "there is something that these three and I wish to tell you, Yuugao-hime."

"And what is that?" Yuugao asked, curious.

Hijutsu as a response slowly undid the cloth around his eyes.

"I do not wear this because I'm blind," Hijutsu said. "I have another reason."

As the cloth fell away, Yuugao's eyes widened a bit. The man's eyes opened, and she stared.

-o-

"You guys haven't seen Hinata lately, have you?"

Lee, Tenten and Kiba looked up to see Ino. The three were seated in a restaurant and had been eating.

Now the three looked between each other and shook their heads. The blonde woman sat down and said:

"No one has seen her. I think I have to go to Tsunade-sama and ask, because I'm a bit worried."

"Yeah, now when we're so close to war, she shouldn't been sent out without us knowing," Kiba agreed, worried. He and Hinata had been close friends after Shino vanished, and the thought of her gone as well made his heart ache a bit. He still had Akamaru, but sometimes it was so easy to talk to Hinata about Shino, about life, about the past treatment of Naruto when Kiba was too depressed to think about something else… she was good at cheering him up on a bad day. Just like any friend should.

"You guys, you sure you haven't seen her?"

"No," Tenten replied. "Last time was days ago, and then she was… she had been crying. Hiashi-san had been an asshole again."

"He really needs to get that stick out of his ass," Kiba muttered and the three had to agree. "All he enjoys to do is making Hinata upset."

They quieted down though when Hanabi entered the restaurant. She stepped up arrogantly to them and said:

"Have you seen Hinata?"

"No," the four replied, not sparing her a glance.

"What? She was supposed to be at our meeting today, she really is useless."

"Why don't you ask the Hokage if she has seen Hinata?" Kiba asked. "Tsunade-sama at least cares of where she is."

Hanabi glared at him and stomped out.

"Brat," he muttered under his breath. Yet again, the three had to agree.

-o-

Tsunade looked up as Kakashi entered.

"Did you know?" he asked as he shut the door. Sasuke looked up from the book he was reading.

"Know what?"

"About my secret companion to Chigakure."

"Oh… yes, I did, Kakashi."

He nodded and sat down before pulling out a scroll and giving it to the Hokage. She accepted it but did not open it.

"Well?"

"Well what?" he asked, fully knowing what she wanted.

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened?"

"I know what happened but amuse an old hag."

"Onikage-sama would never have turned her away," Kakashi said. "Funny though; everyone calls her -hime."

"Well, that's nice of them."

"Not Enkai though. Poor woman is stuck with being called mommy I think."

Tsunade laughed. Sasuke looked at the two and said:

"Who are you talking about?"

"A woman whose father is an ass," Tsunade replied.

'Aha… Hinata,' Sasuke thought and nodded. Then he said, "She in Chigakure now, as in not coming back here?"

"Not as a Konoha shinobi, but as one of Onikage's people," Tsunade said a bit sadly. She would miss Hinata, and she knew people were going to question where the woman was soon.

Well, she just had to play innocent and wondering. She was a rather good actor despite it all.

-o-

A few hours later the Hokage finally got the visit she had been dreading; the visit from Hiashi.

"Where did you send my daughter?"

"No greeting, Hiashi? Well, no matter. I haven't send Hinata anywhere," Tsunade said with a frown. "She's supposed to be in the village."

"Well, she's not!" Hiashi said hotly. "I demand to know where she is!"

"I can't tell you something I don't know," the woman said and rose up. "But I'll have a group of ANBUs look for her."

He looked satisfied at that, and Tsunade sighed mentally in relief. The man gave up more easily when it came to his eldest daughter, and she was partly relived and partly angry due to that. He left and she called for a group that she would order search around Konoha for the Hyuuga although she knew Hinata was not in the country anymore.

-o-

Tsunade was having a meeting where the council had calmed down at least a bit and both Shikaku and Shibi was present.

The door banged open and Shizune came in, looking a bit out of breath.

"Tsunade-sama, we finally have some leads on Uchiha Itachi!"

"Let hear it!" she commanded, glancing over at Sasuke who had straightened up. Hate or no hate, Sasuke still wanted to know things about his brother.

"Yes!" The woman came forward and the council watched her. She looked down at the papers she was holding and continued, "He was reported seen in Water Country eight years ago, and someone took him in for a few weeks. We have spoken to the woman, and she said his eyes were constantly bleeding, causing him pain enough to be in bed most of the day. But after a few weeks he had gotten up and simply vanished. He showed up two weeks later in another village, apparently with bloodied bandages around his eyes and in pain."

Tsunade's hands tightened. His eyes had been giving up so long ago, yet Orochimaru still wanted him?

"Here come the most recent ones, although dated seven years and six months ago," Shizune said and looked up briefly at them. "Uchiha Itachi was spotted alongside a dirty road in Iwa, near death. Most people dared not to stop but a family we spoke to did see a tall, cloaked man stop by Itachi. The adults never saw the man's face but he brought Itachi with him."

"Any descriptions at all?" Tsunade asked.

Shizune's hands trembled slightly.

"Shizune?"

"Yes… the daughter described something for us," the woman said. "Tsunade-sama… she told us the cloaked man had two tattoos underneath his eyes in the formation of three dots each."

Tsunade's eyes widened as it sunk in. Onikage had Itachi? No one noticed Sasuke closing his eyes.

Tbc…


(1) Moonflower

How was that? -smile- I got tons of strange Naruto-inspiration so I just suck it up and hope it all goes well!

Chapter ten: Tsunade must know if Sora has Itachi living in his village, but the council makes a mistake… resulting in some nasty consequences. Slowly but surely this story begins to come to the climax (or at least so I think) but I will try and drag it out as long as possible (I love writing this story!)

Until later,

Ja,

Tiro