In Another Life
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm aiming to update this one at least once every two weeks, but I prefer to update it once a week or more when I'm able. I really appreciate everyone who has been sticking with this story. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 10
The next day, Hinata gathers all her courage and heads to Madara's chambers. It was still early in the morning. There was time to speak with him before he 'attended to affairs of state.'
"I still don't know what that means exactly." Hinata sighs.
She didn't really want to. That could run the gambit from actual paperwork to regular meetings to executions for all she knew. This was Madara Uchiha, after all.
Before she could even knock on the door, it opens. "Well, this is a rather pleasant way to start the morning." Speaking of the devil, there he was.
"Don't you ever wear a shirt?" Hinata's face goes crimson red.
She hadn't been expecting that. Maybe, she should have. It seemed that her fiancée must have been getting ready for the day. Thank goodness for the wonderful invention known as pants or else she never would have stopped blushing.
Madara smirks at that as he gestures for her to come in. "I do occasionally." Who knew he had a sense of humor? "Though I see no reason to wear one in front of my fiancée, especially when I know you enjoy the view so much."
It was probably an Uchiha thing. Hinata hadn't really known any of the Uchihas well before the Massacre, but the bluenette strongly suspected that smirk was at least partially genetic.
"C-Confidence has never really been an issue for you." She shakes her head as she walks inside his chambers. "H-Has it?"
There was no need to fake her stutter now. It was definitely back and back with a vengeance. So much for any hope that she had simply outgrown it.
Madara chuckles at that as he sits on the bed and pulls her into his lap. "No, it never has been." Of course, it wasn't.
Madara Uchiha didn't suffer from low self-esteem from time to time like mere mortals. Oh no. He had been born an arrogant god with sexy abs.
"Right." She bites her lower lip. "I w-was wondering if I could ask for a small favor."
The Hyuga Heiress needed to focus, if she was going to save her friends. She had a plan now. Kinda.
It was just Madara's body heat was so distracting. He was like a natural furnace. For some strange reason, it was disturbingly soothing and the impulse just to curl up against him was powerful.
He actually smiles at her. "Of course, you may ask for anything you like." It was a nice smile, but it would have been nicer if there was just a hint of deviancy in it that would have made Hiashi Hyuga smack him.
"Thank you." If only, she had been a natural seductress. "I was h-hoping that I could speak with Shikamaru, Naruto, and the others." This all would have been so much easier than.
Maybe. Perhaps not though. Hinata was certain that more than one woman had attempted to use such a tactic on him, but Madara seemed too smart to fall for such a thing. He had a cunning intelligence.
He raises an eyebrow at that. "I see." Hinata could only pray that he wasn't actually angry with her. "Well, I suppose that it's only natural you wish to speak with your friends and your loyalty isn't in question."
"Thank you so much." Hinata lets out the breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.
She had done it. If the bluenette could speak with Shikamaru, she might be able to come up with a more concrete plan. Preferably, one that wouldn't get them all killed.
Madara nods at her. "After all, you did strike Sasuke for his advances." What?! "I know that you're loyal."
Oh Gods and Goddesses, Hinata's heart suddenly felt like it was going to burst. "I-Is he still alive?" Madara knew somehow. How did he know?
He shouldn't know. No one had been near them. Hinata hadn't sensed any chakra.
"Yes." He shakes his head. "Calm yourself. I made you a promise that I wouldn't kill him or hurt him too badly." He brushes his lips against hers. "I am a man of my word. I haven't spoken to him yet about the incident, but his cheek is still bruised."
Oh. Madara had seen the injury and put two and two together and yet, Sasuke was still alive.
"Good." Hinata wasn't even entirely sure if she said that or merely thought it. "He deserved it. H-He shouldn't have made advances towards someone who is engaged." Then again, Madara shouldn't have taken over the world. "But I don't want him dead."
She'd just have to try things his way. So Hinata deepens the kiss slightly. Unlike Sasuke and Madara, she had little idea what she was doing.
Her fiancé didn't seem to mind that much though. "I figured as much." Madara nudges her until she was laying flat on her back and he was on top of her. "Which is why I didn't kill him."
The blush was never going to go away. Hinata knew that without a doubt. Madara was on top of her and only half dressed.
"Thank you." She dares herself to look up at him.
Madara shakes his head in amusement as he leaves a trail of kisses along her jaw and over the curve of her neck. "You're still such an innocent little thing." Hot. His lips felt like they were burning the skin they touched, but in a wonderful way.
It shouldn't feel good. Hinata had been warned about ninjas who used seduction as a weapon. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, but she had never experienced it firsthand.
"I-Is that a bad thing?" Now, she knew why it was so widely used.
It was effective, especially when it came paired with those sexy abs and hot kisses. It didn't seem like a fair fight, but Sasuke was still alive. So was she. If she played her cards right, everyone still might survive Madara's reign.
He chuckles and shakes his head. "I find it strangely endearing and I look forward to thoroughly corrupting you." Madara sighs as he pulls away from her. "Though for now, I'm afraid that I have to have a talk with my descendant and you may speak with your friends." He tosses her a key. "I doubt you're foolish enough to try leave, but you wouldn't get far if you did."
She just nods dumbly as he leaves. There was really nothing to say to that. Madara was giving her what she wanted, but he was also right. She wouldn't get far.
Orochimaru laughs softly. Fate was a strange thing sometimes. Who would have ever thought that Kakashi would be asking for his help?
"Your concern over Madara supersedes your hatred of me." That was rather impressive.
Kakashi glares at him. "Oh believe me, I don't enjoy this." The Sannin did believe him, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to have a little fun.
He had been concerned for his own survival in this place since Madara took over. Tormenting Kakashi was a fun way to pass the time.
"Madara doesn't trust me, but I'll give you the useful information I have all the same." He sighs and shakes his head. "He'll only keep me around as long as he perceives me to be useful."
More likely than not, the Uchiha patriarch would end him at the first decent excuse he saw to do so. Orochimaru didn't fancy his odds in that sort of situation.
He had too many underlings that he had once put in a similar category. They were all long since dead by now. Orochimaru wouldn't be next.
"I can't say I blame him." Kakashi shakes his head, clearly trying to hide his disgust. "In that regard, we're similar."
That may be true, but the silver haired ninja was more of a known entity to Orochimaru. That made him less dangerous than someone like Madara.
"That doesn't bother me." He rolls his eyes. "I've advised the Hyuga Princess to play nicely with Madara. She could be an empress."
Kakashi's eyes narrow and for a moment, Orochimaru thought it would come to blows. It seems that the man thought better of it though.
"That's unexpectedly wise advice for now." He glances at Orochimaru. "Do you think poison would work on Madara?"
Orochimaru frowns at that. It was a good question and rather difficult to say. There was always a chance that could have built up immunities over time.
The Sannin sighs and shakes his head. "I'm not entirely sure and I would caution against such an attempt without knowing the results in advance." Madara was many things, but unintelligent was not one of them.
"You mean you're afraid that he would ring your neck." Kakashi smirks at him. "If you got caught."
He was as astute as always. "I see no reason to deny that." The emperor was practically a god when one considered what he was capable of. "I'd have to get some sort of genetic sample to see what he's resistant too and he's too smart to let that happen though.
Meanwhile Sasuke was getting really tired of this. The whole getting smacked around thing was getting really old.
"You're fortunate that I made a promise to her." Madara rolls his eyes at him. "I've certainly killed men for a lot less than whatever did to earn that bruise on your face."
Sasuke gets up and glares at him. It wasn't his brightest idea, but he charges straight into Madara. Slamming him into the ground.
"It's sick!" He snarls at him. "Do you think that keeping that promise to her is going to negate the fact you took over the fucking world?!"
He and Naruto had almost done it once. Maybe, he could pull it off this time. Maybe, he could finally kill this bastard.
Madara smirks as they grapple with one another. "No, but I imagine she'll quite like being an empress in time." His body was like a mountain, but Sasuke was going to Susanoo this prick. "Why wouldn't she?"
It was hard to believe that this man was his ancestor, but Sasuke couldn't deny it. Looking at those eyes told him that yes, they were related. Unfortunately.
"I barely knew her before all this." Sasuke's voice sounds more like a serpent's hiss than a human's even to his own ears at the moment, but he didn't care. "But even I knew she never cared about power for the sake of power!"
They were still locked in a battle. This wasn't about skill. This wasn't about intelligence. This was about pure, animalistic ferocity.
Madara's punches were like battering rams, but Sasuke would punch right back. Never really knowing, if Madara felt any pain from his attacks. Still, he refused to give up this time.
"You may be right about that." Madara grunts as Sasuke knees him hard in the gut. "But I don't necessarily need to motivate her with power. She enjoys my touch very much."
That bastard! Sasuke slams his fist straight into Madara's jaw for that comment. He smirks when he feels some blood spurt out of the other man's mouth and onto his face and hears a crunching sound.
"You're g-going to r-regret that." It must have been hard to speak with a broken jaw, but Sasuke certainly didn't feel sorry for the asshole.
Sasuke spits in his face. "The only thing I regret is that it wasn't below the belt." If he was going to do this, he'd make it count.
Whether he lived or died, at the very least, he could weaken Madara. Maybe then Naruto or even Gaara could finish the job. Someone.
Madara wipes his face in disgust and Sasuke takes his chance. He immediately flips them and begins lunching a flurry of punches to him. His angry was so great, that he didn't think to use a Jutsu.
Madara snarls in pain and then Sasuke feels a sharp pain to the back of his head. Everything went black after that.
"Itachi was right." Madara grunts as he shoves Sasuke off of him. "You really are foolish, but a promise is a promise." So he throws the other Uchiha over his shoulder and carries him off. He was going to need to see Orochimaru about the broken jaw though.
So that's exactly what he would do. It shouldn't take long. Considering everything else the Sannin was capable of, this sort of task should be easy.
It was impressive that Sasuke had managed to break a bone though. He hadn't expected that.
"C-Can I help you, Emperor Madara?" One of the maids bows to him.
He shakes his head. "No." There was no need to involve her in this.
Madara also didn't particularly care that the woman was staring at him as he carries his descendant off over his shoulder. There was likely blood on his face and they both had bruises, he knew that much.
"V-Very well, Emperor." The maid quickly courtesies and scurries off.
Still, she was a smart one. He should give her a raise. If only, he could remember her name.
Oh well. He had more important things to worry about. Like getting medical attention and throwing Sasuke in the dungeon with the Kages. That should prove entertaining.
"After all, h-he attacked them." He coughs up a bit of blood and continues on his way.
Oh yes. Revenge was sweet and technically, he was still keep his promise to Hinata. He just couldn't let Sasuke's cheek go unpunished. No matter how much he admired his guts.
Hinata sighs as she makes her way to the dungeon. This wasn't going to be pleasant, but it had to be done. Shikamaru was her best hope.
"It's alright." She bites her lower lip as she walks into the room. "I'm here, but I need help."
Naruto, Tsunade, the Raikage, and Shikamaru were all still there. Hinata was pretty sure Shikamaru was going to stay with Naruto as long as possible.
"Hinata!" The blond grins at her. "How'd you get a key? Are you going to let us out of here?"
For a ninja, her friend wasn't the most subtle person on the planet. Then again, they were in a nearly empty section of the castle. So it made sense that he didn't mind being loud.
She smiles sadly at him and shakes her head. "Not yet." The bluenette really wanted to, but Madara's words were still firmly etched in her mind. "If I got you out of here, we'd still get caught and have to fight our way out."
Something that she wasn't entirely sure they could manage. Plus Madara was in a good mood. That was the main advantage she had at the moment and the Hyuga woman knew better than to squander it.
"We've heard the rumors." Shikamaru sighs and yawns loudly. "It's a drag, but it's pretty obvious that Madara thinks he's actually going to marry you. We can use that to our advantage."
That was exactly why she had come here. Shikamaru might be lazy, but he was also a genius. If anyone could help her, it was him.
"You have our sympathy, Hinata." Tsunade looks at her with pity. "This can't be easy for you."
The Raikage rolls his eyes. "That's putting it mildly, but perhaps Mei or Tsunade can help the girl keep him distracted." His words cause Hinata to blush at least ten shades of red.
He wasn't exactly being subtle in his meaning. Neither had Madara though. Was there really no way she could get out of this without becoming his lover and why wasn't that thought as terrifying as it should have been?
"Don't make the poor girl faint." Tsunade glares at him. "She's in a difficult enough position as it is."
This was just going from bad to worse. Hinata was never going to live this down.
She bites her lower lip and shakes her head. "I think Sasuke will help as well." Shikamaru gives her an appraising look.
"Sasuke is Madara's reincarnation." Why didn't Hinata like where this was going. "They're the same soul. It might be time to get a little unconventional."