.
.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"At one time in the world there were woods that no one owned."
- Cormac McCarthy -
.
.
The River Country is a perfect place to hide. Dense forests and cave systems provide plenty of cover, the natural landscape made for people on the run. That's what they are, Naruto supposes. Missing nin, like Masanobu Ryu, the rogue shinobi Teams 7 and 8 captured on a C-rank mission half a lifetime ago.
He wonders who's already out looking for him and Hinata. Could her own teammates be following them? He can't imagine Kiba or Shino volunteering for that job, but when the Hokage gives you a mission, you take it.
Naruto hopes Hinata's team isn't among the shinobi on their trail. He likes them, even though Kiba is an idiot and Shino is weird. Liking them won't matter if it comes to a fight, and he doesn't want Hinata to have to see him hurt her friends.
It's mid-afternoon, but the canopy of trees above them is so heavy that it feels either much earlier or much later. The sun may be shining above the leaves, but down here on the forest floor it's all green and gloom. At least the rain quit a few hours ago.
"Let's stop here," Naruto says, because Hinata will never be the first to suggest a break. "Eat some lunch."
They sit beneath a large tree with a black trunk, its leaves such a deep, shadowy color that they almost appear blue. It's not quite as tall as the trees around Konoha, but it's old and sturdy enough to give the impression of safety. Naruto imagines its branches as protective arms, blocking the sunlight as they split a pack of pork jerky.
He's tired after traveling for the better part of twenty-four hours. Their brief stay in the cave this morning was their only real break. Still, it's easier now that they're moving deeper into the woods rather than putting distance between themselves and Konoha. Whoever is following them would have found them by now if they had a solid trail. That means they're as safe as they're likely to get, and disappearing into the wilderness will be their best protection against hunter nin.
Naruto takes a sip from his canteen, then hands it to Hinata. She has her own, but they emptied it an hour ago and haven't stopped to refill since. If he watches her a bit more closely than is polite while she drinks, he hopes she doesn't notice. It's just, her lips are really pretty, and now he knows what they taste like.
She looks at him with her wide, white eyes. The Byakugan has always seemed inscrutable to him, as unsettling as it is beautiful.
After his mom died, he and his father had to sort through her things. In her jewelry box, he found a necklace with a teardrop pendant, the gem pale and opaque. A moonstone, his dad had called it. Hinata's eyes are like that, and Naruto wishes he'd taken the necklace before leaving home. It would suit Hinata.
"Naruto," she says, so softly.
It makes it easy for people not to hear her, how gentle her voice is, but he swears to himself that he'll always listen when Hinata speaks.
"Yeah?"
"After we find somewhere to hide, what do you want to do?" she asks.
"I hadn't thought that far ahead," Naruto admits. "I just wanted to get you out of Konoha, take you somewhere safe."
"Nowhere is safe," Hinata whispers. "Not while the Uchiha rule Konoha."
Naruto opens his mouth, then shuts it. He can tell Hinata. There's no point in keeping secrets now. He isn't a rebel anymore, just a boy on the run with a girl he wants to protect.
"The Uchiha Clan might not hold Konoha for much longer," Naruto says.
Hinata frowns. "What do you mean?"
"You remember a few years ago, when some shinobi were executed for planning an insurrection?"
She nods slowly, waiting.
Naruto takes her hand. "My dad is a rebel. So is Sakura, and Kakashi, and a lot of other people you know. The rebellion had to go even deeper underground after the executions, but it never went away. And they're almost ready for an uprising."
Hinata pulls her hand out of his. "But what about my family? They support the Uchiha. They'll die in an uprising too."
"Surely not all of your clan would side with the Uchiha," Naruto says. "The branch family can't be happy with what's being done to them. Neji definitely isn't."
Hinata shakes her head. "You don't understand. They have no choice. Whether they're happy or not, it—it doesn't matter." She touches her forehead. "The cursed seal makes sure of it. You don't know what it's like, the power it takes away from the branch family, the kind of pain they'll face if they disobey. I—I've seen it, and it's horrible."
"I'm sorry," Naruto says. "I never thought about it like that. But if the rebellion wins, everything will change. The branch family can be free."
She looks at him sadly, like he's painfully naive. "My clan is older than the Leaf. Just because Konoha changes, doesn't mean they will."
Hinata knows the Hyuuga far better than he ever could. Maybe she's right, and even a rebellion won't save her clan. But Naruto has to hope. It's what he does best.
"The uprising should happen soon. If the rebels take Konoha, we can go home, and my dad will be Hokage. He'd never let Hiashi hurt you again. Especially if…" His cheeks are growing hot, but he makes himself say the rest. "Especially if we're together."
Hinata's eyes grow rounder. Even though she could look through him, could examine every chamber of the heart pounding in his chest, Naruto is certain she didn't see that coming.
"Would you w-want that?" she asks.
"Yeah, I would." He wishes he could touch her, but the last time he tried she pulled away. "I like you a lot, Hinata. I just wish I'd realized it sooner."
Hinata ducks her head, her face as pink as his feels. "For now, I guess we should find shelter."
Naruto clears his throat, but his voice sounds rough when he says, "Uh huh. Somewhere to lay low until the search for us is probably called off. Then we can disguise ourselves and visit a town, see if there's any news about Konoha."
Hinata taps her first fingers together absently. "That sounds like a good plan."
"Are you mad at me?" Naruto asks. "Because I'm a rebel."
Hinata stops fidgeting. She reaches over and lightly grasps his wrist. His skin warms where she touches him even though her hand is cool.
"No," she says. "I understand your reasoning. Things in Konoha aren't right, and they need to change. Even if it means people are going to get hurt."
Hinata is so good. Much too good for him, but for some reason she likes him, and he isn't going to run her off because he doesn't deserve her affection. Instead, he'll try to be worthy of her.
.
.
Sasuke sent out a messenger this morning to inform his father of what happened in the village. He expects it to take at least a day for Jun to catch up to the contingent of Uchiha and Hyuuga who went to capture Naruto and Hinata, but she returns by late afternoon. Shaken, bloody, and alone.
"What happened?" Sasuke asks. "Where's my father? And the others?"
Jun's lips tremble, but she stands up straight and says, "They were ambushed. I'm so sorry, but—they're dead, all of them. Only one Hyuuga ninja was still alive when I found them, and she had minutes left. Just long enough to tell me who was behind the attack. She said it was… Itachi, and three others. Men in black cloaks patterned with red clouds."
Sasuke grabs the edge of his father's desk to steady himself. He's cold all over, and he feels strangely detached from his own body. Like some stranger stands here talking to a lesser cousin, hearing these awful things, while he looks down on it. He's in shock, he thinks distantly. Like a shinobi who has been dealt a fatal blow, except that he's horribly alive.
In one day, he has become an orphan. He thinks of his harsh father and gentle mother, and wonders if either of them could have guessed that they would die by their sons' hands. He hopes not.
Itachi will pay for this.
"What do you want to do about the bodies?" Jun asks.
His father deserves better than to feed the crows, and so do the others. But Konoha is vulnerable, and he can't afford to send out a large party to carry them back home. Now is a time for caution, not ceremony.
"Use summoning scrolls to move the bodies," Sasuke says. "Our doctors are busy healing the injured right now, but as soon as they're free I want them performing autopsies. We need to know what we're up against."
Jun nods. "I'll take care of it… Godaime."
Sasuke flinches, then dismisses her.
He's the Fifth Hokage now, and Konoha is his to protect. He's done such a fine job of it so far.
He needs to gather his clan, and the Hyuuga as well, and deliver the news about their families. Then speak to the warden of the prison and make certain the captured rebels are shackled and secured. Check on the injured at the hospital. Set up shelters for the homeless. Write and send messages to the other Kage, warning them of the consequences of aiding the rebels, should any of them be considering an alliance with Minato.
There are many, many things he needs to do, but first Sasuke locks the door to his father's—no, his office—sits on the floor with his back against the desk, and puts his head in his hands. He'll give himself five minutes to grieve. Five minutes to be selfish and weak. Then he'll stand, and become a Hokage his father would be proud of.
.
.
Sakura expects Sasuke to come for her by the end of the day, but he doesn't. She both dreads and aches at the prospect of seeing him. He must hate her now, this boy who loved her not long ago. But she needs to explain, to confess, to look him in the eye and tell the truth. He deserves that much at least.
That doesn't stop her from trying to escape. She wouldn't be much of a kunoichi if she didn't attempt it, but without her chakra it's hopeless. She tries everything she can think of to remove the shackles on her wrists, and nothing works. The window in her room must be specially reinforced somehow, because she can't break it, and there is only one door out, which her guards watch vigilantly. They escort her to the bathroom to shower, and they bring her water and two cold meals throughout the day. No one abuses her, but they don't answer her questions either. They don't touch her, or say even one word, which must be Sasuke's orders.
So Sakura sits, and worries, and tries not to wonder who's alive and who's dead. Did Kakashi make it? Her mother? What about Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji? She can't imagine Minato falling in battle, but if the rebels lost, it's possible.
She's going to die soon. When Fugaku returns to the village, he'll have every single one of them killed. They'll all be executed, the rebels who have been caught and caged.
Despite spending all morning in a genjutsu, Sakura is exhausted. Maybe it was the battle, and her fight to save Mikoto's life, but the reason might be far simpler. She's spent so many years lying, and now that burden has been lifted. She doesn't have much longer, but at least the last days of her life will be spent honestly. That night, she lies down on her narrow bed beneath a thin but serviceable blanket and falls into a dark, dreamless sleep.
"Sakura."
The voice comes from a distance, distorted as if traveling through water. Like she's at the bottom of a well, and a man calls down from above.
"Sakura. Wake up."
Sasuke. It's Sasuke's voice.
She jolts upright, heart pounding. He's here. He came for her. To say goodbye?
"Don't panic," Sasuke says. "You're safe."
His words are reassuring, but his tone isn't.
By the pale morning light, she must have slept a long time, but she still feels tired. Her dampened chakra is clearly affecting more than her ability to perform jutsu. Sakura tugs at the shackle on her right wrist, but it remains firmly in place.
"Those bracelets are something special Orochimaru has been working on," Sasuke says. "How do you like them?"
His question sounds almost sincere, not snotty.
"I hate them," she says honestly. "Will they kill me in time?"
It's a fair question. When a person runs out of chakra, they die. She's heard that it's a gentler way to go than most, at least. Almost like falling asleep.
Sasuke sits beside her on the bed, and Sakura jumps.
"No. They suppress chakra, but not to a dangerous level. You might feel fatigued, and of course you won't be able to perform any jutsu."
Sakura nods. "Good to know. How long do I have?"
"Until you die?" Sasuke asks. "Depends on how cooperative you are. Shin tells me you've been searching for ways to escape all day, which I don't appreciate. You're under house arrest as long as you don't cause trouble. If you hurt anyone, you'll be thrown in prison with the other traitors, and if you kill anyone, you'll die. Stay on good behavior, and I'll even allow you restricted access to the village. With an escort of loyal shinobi, naturally."
Sakura waits for the rest. The promise of torture. Or maybe he'll hold the lives of her friends over her head to get information out of her. Something worse than this.
It doesn't come.
"That's merciful," Sakura says.
"It is," Sasuke agrees. "Don't think you're getting special treatment because we slept together. This is because you tried to save my mother's life."
She thinks of poor Mikoto, who was innocent of her husband's crimes. The only thing that brings Sakura any peace is that she succumbed to smoke inhalation, and her burns weren't very severe. It must have been frightening, lost in a mansion on fire, but at least she passed out before the worst happened.
"I did try. As hard as I could."
"I know," he murmurs. "It's the reason you're not in prison with the rest of them right now."
His dark eyes look glassy, but his tears don't fall. Of course they don't; he's been trained all his life to put duty before love, and his duty right now is to remain strong.
"Sasuke—"
"No. You don't get to address me so informally," he says. "You can call me Hokage, Godaime, or nothing, as you prefer."
That can only mean one thing. Sasuke lost both of his parents. She wishes she could comfort him, but she knows he won't want that from her. She's only a traitor to him now, not a lover.
"Is my mom alive? And Kakashi?"
"They both escaped," Sasuke says shortly. "How long have you been working for the rebellion?"
Sakura forces herself not to look away from him. "Years. Since we were genin."
"And were you spying on me for them?"
His questions are cold, clinical. A surgeon cutting away rotten flesh.
"Yes," Sakura whispers. "I was, and I'm sorry for that. I did what I thought was right for Konoha, but hurting you is the last thing I've ever wanted."
His throat works, like he's trying to swallow something. "Did you actually care for me, or was that a ploy to get information out of me?"
"Of course I care for you!" Sakura clenches her fists around the blanket to keep from reaching for his hands. "I love you—"
"No you don't. Love can't be built on lies."
Sasuke stands, and the look he gives her makes her feel small and ugly, like the traitor he called her.
"You better get used to this little house," he says. "It's all you're going to be seeing for a while."
"Wait! Please don't go—"
But the door is already shut behind him. She hears him speaking to her guards. Orders to keep a careful watch on her at all times. If she escapes, they'll be stripped of their ranks and dishonored.
Sasuke leaves, and takes her hope with him.
.
.
The hospital is a cesspit of misery. There are more victims than they have beds for, so the less seriously injured are shunted to gurneys and wheelchairs in the hallways. Everywhere, Sasuke smells blood and burned flesh and antiseptic. Doctors, medic-nin, and nurses are spread thin, probably running on coffee and adrenaline. He's sure none of them have had a break in two days.
Tsunade was the chief of the hospital, Sakura her right hand. Without either of them, the place is a mess. For a moment, Sasuke considers taking off Sakura's shackles and giving her temporary privileges to heal. The patients here might be her enemies, but he knows she wouldn't stand by and watch people suffer when she could do something about it.
Ridiculous. She's too dangerous to set free even for a few hours, and he's a fool to think for a second that she wouldn't use that freedom to escape.
Sasuke speaks with the interim chief, a harassed-looking Hyuuga woman named Hana, who gives him a hurried update on the casualties.
"Ten more died in the night," she says. "And we have another thirty-odd in intensive care. It's touch and go with most of them."
"When do you expect you can get to the people in the shelters?" Sasuke asks.
Most of the Uchiha were without homes, and plenty of loyalists and civilians as well. As a temporary measure, he put his family in the houses and apartments abandoned by the rebels, and set up shelters at the Academy and local businesses for the others. Those who were minorly injured were there, still waiting for treatment.
"I don't know," Hana says. "I've got every doctor, nurse, and medic-nin chunin level and up working their asses off. I can't spare them."
None of the people at the shelters were emergently injured, but some had burns, cuts, and sprains. They were in pain, and many were children.
"You said chunin level and up. What about genin medic-nin? They could heal minor injuries, couldn't they?"
"Some," Hana says warily. "I wouldn't trust most of them with more than scrapes and bruises, as green as they are."
"Better than nothing. I want them organized and sent to the shelters immediately."
Hana shakes her head, scowling. "I don't have the time to corral barely trained medic-nin for the sake of—"
"Then delegate it," Sasuke snaps. "These people have already waited two days for treatment. I want the genin medics seeing to them by this evening, or it's on your head. You understand?"
Hana gives a shallow bow and says, "Yes, Godaime."
On his way out of the hospital, he runs into Masami. She looks exhausted, her hair lank and her dark eyes shadowed. He realizes with a lurch of shame that, apart from making sure she was alive, he hasn't checked on her.
"Who are you here for?" Sasuke asks.
"My sister, Airi. She lost her right arm." Masami's expression hardens, and she says, "I heard Sakura isn't in prison with the rest of them. Why not?"
Sasuke looks around. The waiting room is overflowing, and people are watching. He takes Masami's hand and leads her out the front doors. The sky is grey, and the smell of rain is in the air. It's a relief after an hour surrounded by the stink of suffering.
"Sakura is under house arrest, and her chakra is restrained," Sasuke says. "Her punishment is lighter because she tried to save my mother's life. I found her healing her."
Masami pushes his chest, almost hard enough to knock him back. "But she's still dead! And my father is too. My sister will never be a kunoichi again. More of my cousins are killed or injured than I can count. Sakura is a traitor, and if your father was still alive, she'd have a broken neck by now."
"Well he isn't alive!" Sasuke shouts. "I'm Hokage now, and it isn't your place to question my decisions."
A raindrop hits his cheek and slides down to his chin like a tear. Another moment, and it's like the bottom falls out of the sky, a spring storm raging around them.
"I'm not an idiot, Sasuke. I know you love her." Masami pushes her hair out of her face, rain running over her skin. He respects that she doesn't cry, even after all that's happened, when she asks, "Have you been sleeping with her?"
Sasuke closes his eyes. He thinks of Sakura beneath him, gasping his name. Her nails digging into his back, her mouth open under his. The pleasure he found with her, that they learned together.
He wonders if the little house they snuck off to is still standing, or if it burned to the ground two nights ago like everything else he loved.
"Yes," Sasuke says. "I was sleeping with her, and before you tell me what a fool I am, I already know."
"Good." Masami crosses her arms over her chest, shivering. "I assume the wedding is off."
He hoped she wouldn't bring that up, but perhaps it's better to get it out of the way. "It's not a good time. There's a war now, and I don't even know how many fronts it will be on."
"You have no obligation to me," Masami says, her usually bright voice so dull. "Our fathers made the match, and our fathers are dead."
It's an ugly truth, but she's not wrong. "If you want out of our engagement, I won't stop you."
"Then I want out," Masami says.
She marches back into the hospital, leaving Sasuke alone in the rain.
Just days ago, he prayed for the freedom to be with the girl he loved. Now he has it, but the girl is a liar and the price of that freedom was his parents' blood.
He walks back to the Hokage tower. He has letters to write, orders to give. A good leader doesn't have time to feel sorry for himself.
.
.
On their seventh day away from Konoha, Naruto and Hinata find an abandoned cabin. Moss creeps up the walls, the door hangs crookedly on its rusted hinges, and it looks like a few families of rodents have made nests here. As a home goes it's not much, but it's far better shelter than a cave.
They straighten things up, and that night they get to rest in an actual bed. The mattress is lumpy and the blankets smell of mildew, but Naruto doesn't give a damn. After a week of sleeping on the ground, he would be thankful for a particularly soft patch of grass, much less a bed. Besides, Hinata lies next to him, and that's a matter of much greater concern than the accommodations.
Naruto tries to sleep, but he can hear a hundred little sounds. Some small creature running across the floor, it's skittering feet bringing to mind a mouse. Tree branches rapping against the window, tap tap tap. Howling wind and the rolling thunder that follows dry lightning. Really, though, it's not the noise that keeps him up. Hinata is awake too, and he can practically feel her anxiety. He's afraid that she's afraid to be in the same bed as him.
"I can sleep on the floor. If you'd rather—"
"No," Hinata says quickly. "Please s-stay."
Naruto would like to take that at face value, but her voice is shaking. "You're nervous. I don't want you to be scared of me."
"I'm not! I could never be scared of you." She turns onto her side toward him. "I'm nervous because I…" Lightning sparks outside, filling the room with a flash of blue, and in that moment he can see her expression. Earnest, honest. "I keep wondering if you'll kiss me."
"Oh." He blinks. "Oh. Does that mean I can kiss you? Like right now?"
Hinata giggles. "Yes, Naruto. You can kiss me right now."
They spend more of the night kissing than sleeping, but Naruto isn't sorry for it. By morning, he knows her taste better than his own, and he thinks he could happily stay here forever. Deep in the middle of the forest, hiding in a house that hasn't been touched by human hands in years. The woods have reclaimed this place, tree roots pushing through the floorboards and vines climbing the walls, inside and out.
Maybe if they stay here long enough, the woods will claim them too. They won't be shinobi anymore, won't be an Uzumaki and a Hyuuga, and the seals that were forced on their bodies won't matter. They can be nobodies living nowhere, lost and forgotten by the world.
.
.
AN: A personal note today. I live in Tennessee, which was recently hit by a tornado. As I wrote about Sasuke dealing with a Konoha in crisis, I couldn't help but think of the people in my own city who have just died, as well as the survivors whose homes have been destroyed. I don't really have a point here, except to say that I'm thankful that I'm fine and that my family is safe. And maybe that I've learned a lesson which will probably color my approach to the rest of this story: it's easy to take the safety of your community for granted until you watch it disappear around you.
Anyway, thanks so much for reading. Please let me know what you think of the chapter. :)
