(A/N): Just a reminder that this story is rated M, and this chapter gets a little lemony.
Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters
CHAPTER FOURTEEN – THE HOKAGE'S REQUEST
Tsunade yawned as she poured yet another steaming cup of "tea" while sitting at her desk in the Hokage office. They don't pay me enough to do this, she thought with a sigh.
On her desk to her right were the lab reports that contained the test results of the Nobu dust samples. To her left was a letter from Ginza, one of the monks that work in the Nobu library. And to the center, there were the notes Shizune had hastily scrawled during Tsunade's mission debrief with Hyuuga Hinata earlier that morning at the hospital.
The Fifth Hokage shivered slightly as a cold draft of air breezed through the windows behind her, and she slowly rose to close the old shutters. Winter is going to be early this year.
She glanced up at the slightly overcast sky as she closed the windows. It was one of those days where one could see the moon even in the daytime, and Tsunade aimed her piercing honey-colored irises at Earth's distant satellite.
How distant was it really?
A knock at her door brought her back to Earth and she finally shut the windows securely.
"Enter."
Kakashi sauntered through her office doorway. "Hokage-sama." he greeted in his usual aloof tone.
"Kakashi, thank you for coming at such short notice. Please sit."
The two elite ninja took their places at the Hokage's desk. Tsunade wordlessly offered Kakashi some of her tea, which he politely accepted but left untouched in front of him. Tsunade barely noticed as she continued.
"So, just to ensure we are on the same page, I'm going to run through content I have briefly before we move on to discuss paths forward."
Tsunade placed her hand on the lab reports. "As we discussed on Monday, these are the lab results indicating that the dust-like samples that your teams found in Nobu and Bincho are identical to the moondust samples from the Suna astronomical lab." Kakashi nodded once in agreement.
Tsunade's hand moved to Ginza's letter. "This was also received later on Monday: it is a letter from Ginza, who worked with you during the mission to Nobu. We already knew that the scroll mainly provided historical information on the Otsutsuki clan, but it wasn't clear what portion of the account was stolen by the thieves. In this letter Ginza says that apparently after some research they were able to determine that the part of the scroll that was ripped off had something to do with the Otsutsuki clan that existed more than a thousand years ago. We're talking about the beginning of known shinobi history. Ginza's letter mentions a string of civil wars between the Otsutsuki main and branch families during which the branch family attempted to wipe out all shinobi on Earth due to their belief that shinobi were misusing chakra for inappropriate ends. It is possible that the piece of scroll that was taken centered around this war."
Tsunade's golden eyes shifted to the final document on her desk.
"This is the report from Team Eight's latest mission, amended with the additional information provided this morning by Hyuuga Hinata, who has awoken and was able to speak with me. Her side of the story is what made me call you here today."
Tsunade pushed the file to Kakashi, who picked it up and opened it, scanning it over briefly.
"Visions of a war... a weapon called the Tenseigan?" he queried. Tsunade nodded.
"It sounded strange at first, but I reread Ginza's letter again, and it mentions that the Otsutsuki branch family was able to decimate hundreds of thousands before the main family was able to stop them. And Hinata's team found out for us that the individuals kidnapping people in Fire Country are in fact just puppets..."
Tsunade looked at Kakashi hard. "Kakashi. The Otsutsuki were the first to employ puppet jutsus. The scroll had details on how the Otsutsuki employed entire platoons of puppets during their reign."
Kakashi looked at the Hokage with his one visible eye. "So…you think it is them, then? The Otsutsuki?"
Tsunade took a deep breath. "I don't know if it is them necessarily. Perhaps it could be some group of idiot copycats. What I know is that they were interested in a scroll that had details about a superweapon and they have been kidnapping people around Fire Country as if…as if they were…"
"Building an army?" finished Kakashi. Tsunade looked at her advisor critically.
"Exactly." she said harshly. "I will continue to have Hinata monitored. For some reason she seems to be connected to all this as well. She seems like she saw more than what she told me but she seems to have trouble remembering it all, so we could potentially gather more information from her in the future. In the meantime, I don't want to sit idly by while more people are kidnapped and these hooligans continue whatever operation they have in mind. I want to start sending out regular patrols. Guard villages that are unable to defend themselves. Apprehend more puppets, potentially find out the password for their portal seals, and figure out who is behind all this. I want to nip this in the bud before it becomes something big."
Kakashi nodded somberly. "I will create a rotation schedule so we may begin to deal out some assignments. I'd imagine we should be beefing up home security as well?"
Tsunade refilled her cup yet again. "Yes of course. I don't want to deplete our home resources too much. We haven't experienced any kidnappings here but who knows what could happen. Let's schedule an all-hands where I can give everyone the heads up first, then you can take over with the schedule."
"I understand, Hokage-sama. I will begin to assemble everyone." Kakashi nodded in conclusion before rising and poofing out of sight.
Tsunade sat back in her chair and let out a sigh, trying to find comfort in Kakashi's calm acceptance of her plan. She swiveled her tea in the little white cup and glanced out the window again, her eyes locking quickly onto the moon far up in the sky.
Hinata winced as she repositioned herself in her hospital bed for the fourth time, trying to avoid triggering the pain in her side from her bruised ribcage. After the medics had put her out after Naruto had visited her, she had awoken fairly early the next morning, prompting the nurses to set about notifying the Hokage and her family as they had been instructed to do. Within the hour, Tsunade and her assistant Shizune were in her room coaxing her to provide more details about her confrontation with the animated puppets that she fought. She was frustrated that yet again she struggled to recall everything she saw and heard in her vision, but the Hokage said it was enough for now and that she would be called in throughout the next week to be reassessed and questioned further. Now the nurses were trying to make her eat something for breakfast while they ran more tests and replaced her bandages.
"Hinata-sama, please try to finish all of your liquids. It is important to stay hydrated." said one nurse to her left. Hinata sighed and fingered the paper cup on the tray that had been placed on her lap. The drink was a special mixture that contained extra electrolytes and minerals that the hospital used for recovering patients, but it had a terrible bitter taste. She held her breath and downed the rest of the cup, quickly reaching for the other cup of orange juice to try and wash it down. She heard someone approach her from the side and sit on the edge of the bed.
"Very good miss. Now please allow me to change your head bandages."
Hinata nodded and sat still as the pressure around her head slowly diminished as the bandages were unraveled. She shut her eyelids a bit tighter as more light began to shine on her face. The nurse rose from the bed.
"Please wait one moment while I get the new bandages."
Hinata sat with her hands covering her eyes, listening to the sounds of the hospital while she waited for the nurse. Angling her head downwards away from the ceiling light, she began to crack her eyelids open just to test how sensitive she truly was. It wasn't that bad, and she found that if she used her hands to shield the worst of the light from her face, she could squint around her surroundings.
She looked at her half-eaten breakfast on her lap before moving on to the floor tiles, the curtain pulled halfway around her bed, and the wall cabinets directly in front of her. Remembering something with a jolt, she turned to her right to look at her night table, and her stomach did an excited flip-flop as she caught sight of the three sunflowers Naruto had brought her the night before.
So it wasn't a dream. She thought in happiness. Naruto really did come to see her last night, bearing flowers and all! She squirmed at the thought of how he had held her hand to comfort her, and how they had even joked and laughed together. He was the absolute sweetest.
She gulped as she thought of the borderline flirtatious words that had just tumbled out of her mouth in her exhaustion. It was harmless, right? He didn't seem to take anything seriously. Naruto was the king of clowning around, so he definitely didn't take her playful wordplay too seriously she was sure.
Still, she was just so happy about the fact that he went out of his way to see her. She was sure it had been past visiting hours as well. And the flowers! Hinata sighed contentedly as she thought that somehow, she was finally beginning to connect with Naruto. Even as just friends, it was leaps and bounds beyond what they were before he had left for his long trip.
Her back ached from sitting up and she finally looked away from her flowers as she made to settle back into her pillows when she saw it.
There. In the corner.
Hinata inhaled sharply at the sight of the elderly horned man from her vision standing in the corner of her room. He was staring wordlessly at her, his eyes boring into hers.
Hinata's voice cracked as she whimpered in surprise and fear, her heartbeat revving up rapidly. She could barely get out a cry for help when the nurse finally came back into the room.
"I'm sorry for the wait, Hinata-sama….Hinata-sama!" The nurse rushed to Hinata's bedside at the sight of the terrified young woman. "What is wrong? Please, breath, breath Hinata-sama!"
Hinata tore her eyes away from the man to look at the nurse. "R-r-run!" she managed to get out before she flicked her eyes back to the corner. But the man was gone.
The nurse looked at her in concern before glancing at the corner of the room. "Hinata-sama…did you see something?"
Hinata blinked repeatedly as she stared at the blank wall in the corner.
"N-no...I'm sorry, I…must just be t-tired." she murmured. The nurse looked at her for a moment before nodding and beginning to replace the bandages around her head while she chattered about needing more rest.
Hinata tried to take deep breaths. Another vision… She tried to rationalize in her mind. Still, she tried to focus despite the nurse's presence to sense for other chakras in the immediate vicinity. She couldn't feel anything strange besides those of the medics and patients in the other rooms. Shaken, she allowed the nurse to push her back into a lying position, the fresh bandages on her head providing a sense of comfort.
"Hinata-sama, based on your condition the hospital has told your father that it is safe for you to continue your recovery at home. We will be discharging you this afternoon. Does that sound alright?"
After nodding her consent, the nurse excused herself and left Hinata alone yet again. The heiress gripped her sheets, still frightened from her latest vision. Just side-effects. They don't mean anything.
But the roiling feeling in her stomach said otherwise.
Naruto dragged his feet as he shuffled around his kitchen to throw together some breakfast ramen. Or was it more like brunch ramen? He had overslept that morning, due to a very restless night. And who could blame him? He had had another dream about Hinata.
And it had been intense.
Naruto's eyelids twitched, but didn't open as he slowly became aware of his head that was pressed against something warm and cushiony. He hummed and turned his head closer to the comforting surface, beginning to notice that he felt the same sensation down his torso. His arm was draped around it, and he shifted his arm slightly. Silky, he thought before trying to move a bit further away.
He gasped roughly as strong pleasurable sensations suddenly began emanating from his cock. His eyes began to flutter open in alarm as he registered that his dick was encased in an unbelievably tight, searing hot space. Finally, his eyes focused enough to see what his head had been resting on.
A set of large, perfectly-shaped breasts with two rosy erect nipples.
Dumbstruck, Naruto reared his head back to stare openly at the magnificent globes.
"Why did you stop, Naru?" He snapped his head up at the sound of a soft voice whispering to him and instantly felt his stomach flip flop as he took in the sight of Hinata's face mere inches from his. His chest heaved as he registered the way she was looking at him, with her hooded eyelids partially covering her violet doe eyes, a blush on her cheeks and her sexy, pouty lips slightly parted. Naruto was frozen as he watched those lips curve into a coy smile.
"Keep going…" she murmured before she pressed herself closer to him. Immediately Naruto let out a groan as he felt his dick slide deeper into-
"Oh…oh Kami!" he choked as it finally came together. Those breasts, they were Hinata's, and he was on top of her, and his dick…he was…they were…
Hinata suddenly wrapped a leg around his waist and gently pulled his hand by the wrist to coax him to grip her thigh. "Please Naru…I need you." she said again with a breathy sigh. Naruto blinked hard and began to jerkily shake his head.
"I…I can't…I…" But his traitorous body didn't give him a chance to finish as his hips began to move, feeling her walls squeeze him pleasurably.
"Oh fuck!" Naruto was astounded as to how fucking good it felt. She was deliciously wet, her pussy was tight around him and practically sucking him in, and he was as hard as a brick.
Hinata moaned softly, and the sound aroused him to no end. "Hinata…" he said harshly, curling his hand around her thigh to get a tighter grip. He locked his gaze on her eyes, which were looking back at him with unmasked desire. He began to pump slowly, watching her hungrily as her eyes fluttered back and her luscious lips parted.
"Oh…yes…"
Naruto mumbled a string of curses as he continued to slowly grind into her, gripping her thigh while he remained propped up on his left hand. Words could not even begin to explain. It felt incredible, so much so that it was starting to bring tears to his eyes. He could go on forever. He would willingly do whatever she wants, however she wants. His eyes trailed down her body, taking in her breasts, her tiny waist, her sexy hips. He sucked in a breath as he watched his cock slide in and out of her deep pink folds, which were glistening with their mixed juices, and he moaned loudly at the lewd sight.
A soft giggle was heard, and he picked his head back up to look at his gorgeous lover. She was smiling up at him, a hand trailing up his left arm to feel his biceps, shoulder, and then his chest, the muscles twitching at her playful touch. Warmth began to spread through his chest and Naruto found himself smiling back, a chuckle rising from deep in his chest. He felt her hand curve around his shoulder and tug gently downwards, and he complied by coming down so that their chests were pressed together and his head was buried into her neck. He grunted at the close contact of their bodies and felt a rush of emotions overtake him. He felt so completed, so safe, so warm, so happy.
"Naruto…" Hinata murmured in his ear. "I want more…I want it hard."
Naruto shuddered as his cock throbbed at her words.
"Of course baby." he growled passionately. He readjusted himself, sliding his hands to grip both her hips while he slightly drew up his knees to improve his mobility. He picked up his pace, bucking deep into her pussy.
"Oh!...oh…Kami…" Hinata cried out, sliding her arms around Naruto's shoulders.
"Kami, Hina…" Naruto groaned, feeling a major orgasm coming. Hinata turned her head to the side so that her face was pressed against Naruto's. Their panting mouths brushed against each other, and Hinata flicked her tongue into his mouth. Naruto hummed in approval and began to kiss her roughly while he felt himself swell inside her.
"Naru…I'm gonna cum…" Hinata moaned into his mouth.
Naruto growled in excitement and continued to lick and suck her lips. "That's right baby, cum on me…cum all over me." Their kisses became rushed and sloppy, and Naruto's ears were filled with the sounds of Hinata's sexy mewls of pleasure and the wet, slapping sound of their fucking.
"Oh Kami… oh NARUTO!" Hinata cried, and she began to writhe and thrash underneath him. It was the last straw, and Naruto began to pound her with all he had as he drove himself to the finish line, and then-
He woke up.
Needless to say, he had spent quite some time vigorously bringing himself to orgasm multiple times before he finally came down from the all-consuming horniness that the dream left him with. Afterwards he sat panting in his bed, feeling the stickiness in his hand as he stared at his ceiling.
He wished it had been real. He wished she desired him that way. He wanted her.
Despite his late rising he felt exhausted, explaining his groggy movements around his kitchen. Naruto pressed his forehead into the cool door of his fridge as he waited for the water to finish boiling and sighed for the umpteenth time that morning. Instead of fading away, his fantasies were only intensifying. How long does it take for infatuation to go away? Was he doomed to lust after Hinata forever?
His thoughts were interrupted by knocks on his door. His brows furrowed in annoyance as he made his way to his front door and unlocked it.
"Yeah?" he answered tiredly. He blinked as he took in the sight of Kakashi.
"Yo." said the silver-haired ninja, holding up a hand in cheerful greeting. "All-hands meeting in twenty minutes at the Hokage Tower. Please be on time. Goodbye!"
And with that he poofed out of sight. It was just a shadow clone. Naruto frowned as he closed the door. An impromptu all-hands? Those were usually scheduled in advance. Something must be going down. The blonde ninja pivoted on his heel to go change and scarf down his breakfast, his energy levels returning full force.
Naruto was able to make it in record time, scooting through the door to one of the Hokage's larger conference rooms just as Tsunade was beginning. The large room was still packed from wall to wall. All active Genin, Chuunin and Jonin were present. Naruto squeezed his way to where he saw Shikamaru standing by Choji and Ino. Neji, Tenten, and Lee were behind them, while Kiba and Shino were a few feet to the right. Sakura was closer to where Tsunade was, while Sai was near Captain Yamato by the window. Kakashi stood to Tsunade's right, while Shizune was to her left with TonTon in her arms.
Glancing around, he noted that Hinata was not present. Obviously she was still unwell.
"Thank you all for convening promptly. I have called you all in because there is reason to believe that a significant force of chakra-wielding individuals is carrying out activities around the country that may pose at least a Level Four threat to shinobi and non-shinobi communities."
The room filled with murmurs as the assembled ninja became noticeably anxious. Threats were measured on a scale from One to Five, One being the lowest risk and Five being the highest. Level Four threats implied that significant evacuation of civilians would be required, and were usually used to classify war-related threats.
Naruto tensed as he realized this meeting was a result of Hinata's mission. He knew that Tsunade must have talked to Hinata about her visions.
She must mean the 'Tenseigan'.
"Please do not be alarmed. We are just acting out of precaution while we still work to determine exactly who is committing the kidnapping and theft crimes throughout the country. We will be proactively trying to prevent further crimes by sending regular patrol teams to target cities in the region. They will be in charge of defending civilians and, if the opportunity presents itself, taking offensive measures against said criminals. We will also be increasing local defense here in Konoha. To that end, Kakashi will be sitting down with all teams today to discuss a patrol schedule that will be put into effect immediately and will continue at least for the next few weeks or until we have enough reason to cease. Please treat these missions with at minimum B-rank level confidentiality and do not share details with civilians. I do not want to incite panic. Is this understood?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama." the audience chanted back to her. Once Tsunade rose to dismiss everyone, the buzz in the room raised considerably as the attending shinobi processed this new development.
"Attention, attention!" Kakashi said at a normal volume with one hand raised halfway in the air. Somehow, the noise died instantly.
"I would like Teams 1 through 10 to meet with me in Training Ground 5 in the next fifteen minutes, Teams 11 through 20 at fourteen hundred…" and on he went listing the appointments for Teams to receive their schedules. The chatter in the room returned to medium levels. Naruto pushed his way through the crowd to Sakura and Sai.
"Hey Sakura-chan, Sai!"
"Hey Naruto." said Sakura, turning to face him. "I wonder what is causing this kind of response from the Hokage. It must be really serious."
Naruto looked around before responding. "Yeah. I have a pretty good idea of what it is, but we can chat about it later once this meeting is over."
Sakura looked at him curiously but shrugged her consent. The team began to move out to Training Ground 5 with the rest of the teams that were asked to convene first, which basically included the entire Konoha 11, minus Hinata of course. Being ninja, they made it there fairly quickly, and surprisingly did not have to wait long for Kakashi to catch up either. They formed a semicircle around him while Kakashi set down two cardboard boxes he had been carrying.
"Alright, so the way it will go is that half of you will be stationed in Konoha while the other half will be sent out on patrol missions. Each assignment will last one week and then you will all switch. Odd numbered teams will be sent out this week, while even numbered teams will stay home. Got it? If you are an odd-numbered team, please come up to get your mission scroll. It is expected that you leave within the next 24 hours."
Kakashi opened one box that held the mission scrolls and began to deal them out. Sai went forward to collect the mission scroll for Team 7.
Sakura sighed. "Man, I was hoping to be home this week since there should be some downtime at the hospital. Guess not!"
Naruto looked at her. "Hey Sakura-chan, do you know how Hinata is doing by the way? She has been in the hospital since yesterday."
Sakura nodded. "I know, I didn't actually see her today but I happened to see that she was scheduled for discharge today when I was talking to the receptionist. So by now she has probably gone home or will be going home soon."
Naruto hummed his understanding and looked away. It was good that she was apparently good enough to go home, but now he couldn't go visit her again. He cringed internally at the thought of knocking on the front door of the Hyuuga estate only to have her father answer. Looks like it would be some time until he next saw her.
"Odd-numbered teams: all details regarding your destinations and objectives are detailed in your scrolls. I also have something else for you…"
The teams watched as Kakashi opened the second box, which was filled with more scrolls. He pulled one out and unfurled it, holding it up for all to see. There was some sort of seal, and Naruto frowned as he read the characters. It looked familiar…
"You will be using these to aid your travel. Please watch to see how it is activated."
Kakashi channeled chakra to his hand and passed it over the seal. The characters suddenly glowed a bright white light, and everyone took several steps back as something began to erupt from the scroll. Naruto's eyes widened as the ink on the paper flew off the page and began to form…
An ink bird!
"No fucking way…" he heard Kiba breathe as the enormous ink bird flew into the air and began to circle the assembled shinobi.
"Sai has been kind enough to help us develop these sealed jutsus containing his ink birds so that more teams can utilize them for long-range travel, without Sai needing to be present. The jutsus are reusable up to a certain extent – the chakra "runs out" after a while, for lack of a better word. Thus, use them sparingly. Obviously use them in your initial trip to your target city, as well as on your return to Konoha. Do not use them while on patrol, unless there is a special circumstance requiring you to travel particularly long distances, but even then I still would advise you to travel by foot."
Everyone crowded Sai and thumped him on the back to praise him for his wonderful contribution. Sai just smiled his strange smile, but it was clear that he was pleased to receive such attention.
"Sai-kun, you are amazing!" cooed Ino, pulling Sai into a tight hug.
Kiba whooped. "This is awesome! We got hot new rides! Sai you're the man!"
Naruto grinned. It was exciting to get new equipment, and something like this was game-changing. Shinobi have always had to travel by foot. It was the norm, and no one ever questioned it, but it could surely be a pain as it was very time-consuming. Now they could complete their missions even faster, and have more time to spend at home.
Hinata is going to love this. he thought to himself, his smile increasing as he thought back to their joyride. Maybe if the jutsu seal is further improved he could have Sai make one for him to give to Hinata as a gift?
Kami, he couldn't believe it. A few months ago he'd be scrambling to hop on one of those bad boys himself. Now all he can think of is how to give Hinata one. He took a deep breath as he tried to bring himself back to the present. Everyone was crowding around Kakashi to obtain their ink bird scrolls. Of course, Team 7 didn't need a scroll since they had Sai himself.
Sakura was reading their mission scroll. "What?! Naruto is the team lead?"
Kakashi overheard and chuckled. "Yup. You guys are heading to Yasuda, and Naruto is very familiar with the area. So it makes sense for him to be leading the patrol strategy."
Naruto blinked and grinned. "Hear that, Sakura-chan? I'm in charge." he said with an evil snicker, looming over Sakura with a huge smirk.
Sakura huffed. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Just don't lead us to our deaths. And don't let it inflate your big-ass head any further."
"What was that about my big-ass head? Wow Sakura-chan how did you know, I mean you've never seen me naked…"
"NARUTO!"
The rest of the Konoha 11 looked on in surprise and amusement as they watched the outraged pink-haired kunoichi chase the giggling blond shinobi with a threatening fist raised in the air.
He had to admit, it was a beautiful day outside.
Autumn was coming into full swing with the leaves on the trees turning into a myriad of reds, oranges, and browns, making the forests look like they were catching fire across the countryside, an apt description given they were in Fire Country. There were barely any clouds in the sky, and a light cool breeze complimented the still-warm sun well.
How the world could look so beautiful when terrible things were occurring simultaneously was both confusing and humbling to him.
When did Uchiha Sasuke become so sentimental? The world may never know.
It had been over three years since he defected from the Hidden Leaf village in favor of consorting with the likes of Orochimaru to gain the power he needed to finally kill his brother, Uchiha Itachi. Only then would the bloodlust coursing through him be quelled. Only then would he feel like he could truly call himself an Uchiha, a person that is loyal to the clan, who would do anything to uphold the clan's honor. Only then he could die happy.
Or maybe not happy, more like fulfilled.
Or maybe not fulfilled, but content?
Satisfied?
Somewhat okay?
The problem was, ladies and gentlemen, that during his apprenticeship with Orochimaru, Sasuke gained more than just raw power. He gained maturity.
Sasuke started to think more strategically, more long-term. He considered all the angles of a situation. He did deep analysis. And he began to prefer planning ahead, instead of jumping for each and every desirable opportunity that happened to present itself at the time. Like randomly running off with one of the most evil and powerful shinobi in recent history just to get stronger to kill his homicidal brother.
He was more confident in his ninja abilities now, and his lifelong goal seemed a lot more realistic, like maybe it could be achieved next year instead of in five. And that realization started to make him feel restless. It was an uncomfortable feeling, the feeling of looking into the future and seeing a void of uncertainty approaching in the distance. It had been easy to go through life up to this point with a clear end goal in sight. For the first time, he began to consider the idea that just killing Itachi was not going to be enough for him.
The only thing that would make sense as a post-Itachi goal would be to reinstate his clan as the new clan head. What good would it be to regain the pride of the Uchiha only to let it die with him when he inevitably passed one day?
It sounded like a good idea, but how to get there? For a long time he had no clue. He was a traitor to Konoha. He was a missing-nin. Moreover, he was a criminal for being an accessory to Orochimaru's sinister activities. Not a great start for someone who needed the support of a strong political and social network to build back the reputation of a high-profile clan. Who needed a suitable wife so that he could obtain the strong, noble heirs to carry on the Uchiha name. Who needed money to build a nice estate to house his future descendents.
So he threw out the idea for a while and forced himself to just focus on Itachi. Without killing him, he couldn't start a clan anyways. And being under Orochimaru distracted him. The Snake Sannin was obsessed with discovering the key to immortality, and at times Sasuke would get caught in these dangerous dreams of never having to fear death. Maybe he didn't need a clan. He could be the sole Uchiha who never died. He would become invincible, having an eternity to become the strongest shinobi in the world. Konoha and all other hidden villages would tremble in fear at his name, and it wouldn't matter anymore that he had defected and committed some stupid crimes. They would all be at his mercy…
He may have continued down this spiral if it weren't for Toneri.
Toneri's plan to decimate the world's shinobi population save for his own fake-ass puppets and followers (read: pseudo-zombie-like slaves) to carry out the absurd vision of a forgotten sect of a dead clan threw a wrench into his future plannings.
What was the point of being immortal and all-powerful if there were no shinobi to worship you?
What was the point of building a clan only to have all of shinobi society torn down?
How could he support a plan that would basically sentence his heirs to at best a lifetime of servitude to that skinny pale fucking alien shithead who would rather steal another clan's kekkei genkai rather than build his own strength?
Phew. He really should add "anger management therapy" to his future plans.
There were many things that Orochimaru did that a younger Sasuke bent on revenge did not care about.
Kill the Third Hokage? He didn't care. He was old anyways.
Destroy all of Konoha? He didn't care. He didn't need Konoha to rebuild his clan.
But the day Orochimaru decided to "support" Toneri in order to steal the Tenseigan and carry out true world domination was the day he truly became Sasuke's enemy.
Looking at the multicolored foliage below him from his perch at the edge of a high cliff, Sasuke thought about how he used to think he was like the Earth. Just as the seasons continue to change despite the events of the human and animal worlds, so too did he continue on his path to retribution without a care for anyone and anything.
But Toneri inadvertently taught him that that wasn't true. Sasuke wasn't an inhumane object. For the first time, Sasuke realized he cared about something other than his own personal desires. He didn't want the shinobi world to be razed to the ground and controlled by some radical lunatic. He wanted a place to return to once he carried out his honorable duty. He did want to continue his life, to build a life.
Deep down, his morals and ethics were still there somewhere.
And so, unbeknownst to Konoha or Toneri or even Orochimaru, a third master plan was born by the shinobi world's most unlikely ally. It was quite simple really, he was just going to beat Orochimaru at his own game. There was just one little part of it that he didn't like but had accepted was necessary…
He was going to need help.
"Enter." drawled the Fifth Hokage after hearing a few short knocks on her door. She smiled faintly when Hyuuga Hinata entered along with Hyuuga Ko, a branch family member who had been charged with monitoring the Hyuuga heiress for the majority of her life. He was holding Hinata securely by her elbow, as her eyes were still wrapped in bandages. Two nights had passed since Hinata had returned home from the hospital, and she was here for a follow-up check-in with the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama" Hinata gave a bow when Ko stationed her by the Hokage's desk.
"Hinata, thank you for coming in. Have her sit there." Tsunade nodded to Ko to help Hinata sit in a chair.
"I will be waiting outside, Hinata-sama." murmured Ko before bowing to both women and quickly exiting the office.
"So, how is your progress, Hinata? Still feeling pains with your Byakugan?" asked Tsunade as Ko closed the door behind him.
"Not as much today, Hokage-sama, thank you for asking. I think I will take off the bandages tomorrow." said Hinata in her polite, soft-spoken voice.
"That's good to hear. And how about your memory? Do you remember anything new from your ordeal that you would like to share?"
Hinata hummed. "My memory is…still a bit blurry in some parts. The parts of my vision that I already told you about I can still remember quite vividly, but, I know there are some gaps that are still somewhat evading me. The elderly man in the vision said other things to me besides calling me 'Byakugan Princess', but I still just can't remember. I am sorry…"
Tsunade nodded patiently. "That is fine Hinata. Your body is still recovering from the trauma you experienced and it may take some time. In the meantime, would you mind answering a couple more questions about what you had already told me?"
Hinata proceeded to answer Tsunade's questions about exactly how the elderly man looked, as well as the designs on the two military flags in the battle scene she had witnessed.
"That will be helpful for now. I will reach out to the monks in Nobu to see if they can validate that what you saw may have actually happened. In terms of next steps for you, have you already been informed by your family regarding the new patrol mission strategy we are executing this month?"
Hinata nodded. "I heard of it through my teammates. I understand they are currently assigned to perform local patrol here in Konoha for the next week, and then they will be sent to patrol in another town in Fire Country."
Tsunade hummed in confirmation. "Yes. Given the evidence we have collected from your missions to Nobu and Iroha, I want to begin a proactive approach to seeing if we could eliminate this security threat before it becomes something more. Now obviously you will not be joining this first round of patrol with your team as you are still recovering. However depending on your progress, we can see if you can join them when your week of travel arrives. How does that sound?"
Hinata was still for a moment before nodding hesitantly. "I agree with and accept this proposal, Hokage-sama. However, I must ask…what of my teaching role at the Academy?"
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, rubbing her neck in thought. "Indeed, I was just contemplating that earlier. Since you left for Iroha, Umino Iruka has been filling in for you. Of course, it isn't ideal for him as he already teaches two other classrooms as well as running the Academy administration. We can see about you teaching part-time while you are based in Konoha for your local patrol assignments, but I am unsure about you being a full-time teacher at least for the rest of this month until we make headway in this case."
Hinata nodded in understanding, but her fidgeting hands gave away her anxiety. Tsunade smiled.
"Don't worry Hinata, you will not lose your teaching role. I know Iruka wants you at the Academy, and I know it is important for you. We will work it out."
Hinata gave a small smile of appreciation. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Wonderful. Now, I do have one other unrelated question for you Hinata…" Tsunade leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. "As you know, at the end of December we will be putting on the End of Year Festival. Each year during the festival there is a dance performance in tribute to one of the five elemental chakra natures, and a ninja talented in that chakra nature is selected to do that dance."
Tsunade smiled. "This year the performance will be for the water chakra nature, and I wanted to know if you would like to perform."
Hinata's heart skipped a beat in surprise. "M-me, Hokage-sama? I…well I am honored to be offered the chance but…why me?"
Tsunade chuckled. "Well, a few weeks ago I recall having Naruto in my office yelling about how skilled you are at water manipulation. He said that apparently you are "the best water release ninja in the Leaf", his words. Since then I've been meaning to ask you if you were interested."
Hinata's lips parted in disbelief at that statement. Naruto actually told the Hokage that I am the best water release ninja? She swallowed as a giddy feeling turned her stomach upside down, but her insecurities began to bubble up as well.
"I…I don't know if I am the best, Hokage-sama…I've never performed like that before…"
"I'm sure you can put on a fine performance. It's usually only fifteen to twenty minutes. I can have Shizune connect you with last year's performer who can give you some tips on how to prepare. There are some general themes that are usually followed, but otherwise you have creative freedom to make it what you want. I'm sure your clan will be happy to have you represent them in such an age-old tradition." The Hokage added with a wry smile.
Hinata straightened at that comment. The Hokage was right! If Hinata did this really well, it would only play in her favor as she continued to bargain with her father regarding her teaching role. She could prove that teaching does not hold her back from being a strong ninja, and perhaps her father would finally relent in letting her continue to pursue her own goals.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. I will participate in the water dance."
Hinata sat on her bed looking carefully around her room. She had taken off her bandages to give herself some relief while she slept, and was checking to see how her eyes were faring. The low light from the lamp in the corner of her bedroom did not bother her, and she was pleased to see that her vision was no longer blurry as it had been in the hospital.
She slipped off her bed and stepped quietly to her vanity to find a hair tie. Her mind had been swimming all day after her meeting with Tsunade with thoughts of the water dance she would be performing in just a couple of months! She had to start putting a choreography together ASAP, and she had no idea where to start. She would be meeting the next day with the woman who performed the Earth dance the year before and she hoped it would help her gain some inspiration.
She found a hair tie but paused to peer at her reflection in her vanity mirror before fixing her hair. She didn't think she was ugly, but was she a great beauty like Sakura or Ino? She wouldn't go as far as to say that. She wondered about Naruto talking about her with the Hokage, and visiting her in the hospital. None of these things stood out as anything particularly romantic to the objective eye, but they were things that Naruto had never done when they were younger. But could she blame him? She would always turned into a petrified stuttering mess whenever he came near her.
Though she could safely say they were now true friends, could they potentially become something more? Maybe this water dance could be a double blessing in disguise. Not only could she impress her clan, but maybe she could impress Naruto enough to make him truly notice her!
She smiled nervously at her own reflection before proceeding to flip her head over to aid her in gathering her thick hair to the crown of her head. When her hair was securely in her grasp at the top of her head she bent back up to look in the mirror, and let out a shriek.
Through the mirror she saw the elderly horned man standing right behind her, his haunting eyes staring back at hers. In her surprise she whipped around and backed up jerkily into her vanity, causing a small commotion as the various toiletries and trinkets on the table knocked over while the heavy piece of furniture bumped loudly against the wall.
Hinata's heart was pounding a mile a minute as her eyes flitted all around her room for the man who had just been behind her a second ago. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she shakily tried to sense for chakra. She sorely wanted to activate her Byakugan but she was afraid it would still be too sensitive. Nothing appeared like someone had just broken into her room – her window, closet and bedroom door were shut closed as they always had been.
She jumped when she heard a sharp rap at her door. "Hinata-sama, is everything okay? I heard a noise."
It was just one of the branch member guards. Hinata opened her mouth a few times as she tried to rationalize her fears.
"Oh, yes yes…I'm sorry…I just dropped something and it made a loud sound. I'm fine." she finally called out.
"Hai, Hinata-sama." she listened as the guard's footsteps faded away as he continued on his nightly patrol. Slowly, she relinquished her death grip on the vanity behind her and noted how sweaty her palms were.
It was just a hallucination. This is just a result of the vision I had, nothing more. No one is there. She thought desperately. She didn't bother telling the Hokage that morning about these 'vision remnants' since it hadn't happened since that first time in her hospital room. But this second appearance had her worrying.
What if it wasn't just a side-effect?