Author's Note: Hi guys! Just wanted to quickly apologize for the late update! Between work and study, I have been pretty swamped. It won't get much better until the end of April which is my exam, but I'm writing whenever I get the chance! Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes in this chapter, because I'm very excited to publish it!
Great Ninjas Don't Make Great Parents
Chapter 30: Curse of the Clan Meeting
It was a lively night at the house of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto. Hinode and Shisui had joined the family for dinner as they did on occasion. Mikoto was quite excited that their family of four all had the night off and wanted to spread the joy. She even bought the expensive beef for their sukiyaki dinner. Although Hinode was not thrilled to be sitting across from Fugaku on a Friday night, wagyu was hard to come by on a Chunin level teacher's salary.
"Ew, Hinode, you're disgusting!" Sasuke made a gagging noise as he watched Hinode mix a big spoonful of sugar into her raw egg dip for sukiyaki.
"That's Hinode-sensei for you, Sasuke!" Hinode stuck out her tongue at Sasuke and turned to Itachi with a spoonful of sugar. "Want some in your dip?"
Itachi nodded and presented his bowl to Hinode with both hands. Meanwhile, Shisui shook his head beside his best friend, silently agreeing with Sasuke.
"Hmph! You're just Hinode at home!" Sasuke's cheeks puffed from his signature pout.
"Now, now, Sasuke, Hinode is still your senior even if you guys are close," Mikoto grinned.
"We're not close!" Sasuke exclaimed.
"Speaking of school," Fugaku looked up from his bowl. "Hinode, you have not given homework in over two weeks."
Hinode's shoulders tensed. Several parents had shown the same concern to her recently. She had told them that homework was just to review what they learned in school, but she really had no clue.
"I, uh… I'm working on that," Hinode muttered with guilt.
"It seems to me that you're not suited to be a teacher," Fugaku said sternly. "If you're not going to take teaching seriously, then maybe you should quit before you waste any more time at that school."
Hinode almost slammed her hand on the dinner table, but Shisui grabbed her hand as soon as she dropped her chopsticks.
"Who are you, my father?" Hinode asked coldly.
"I'm just saying that your talents lie elsewhere, Hinode," Fugaku continued, unaffected by Hinode's hostility. "Uchihas are elite ninjas. The Hokage offering you that teaching job was just another way of keeping you in check, since you refuse to be part of the Police Force."
"Dear, let's not talk about that during dinner," Mikoto whispered to Fugaku.
The air thickened inside the dining room. Hinode had wanted to talk back some more, but she decided not to disrespect Fugaku in front of Sasuke and Itachi. But by the slight frown between Itachi's brows, it was clear that he was already uncomfortable.
Sasuke, not really understanding the dynamic between his father and Hinode yet, paid no attention to their quarrel. Instead, he turned to Itachi.
"Nii-san, will you teach me Shurikenjutsu after dinner?" Sasuke asked.
"Why don't you ask me? I'm your teacher!" Hinode leaned towards Sasuke, who effectively leaned away.
"Nii-san is better!"
"How would you know that? Have you not seen my accuracy with the chalk?"
"It goes from Nii-san, then Shisui-san, then you!"
Shisui chuckled. "Somehow I got roped into this silly competition."
"That's enough, Sasuke," Fugaku spoke up with a tone slightly too harsh, making Sasuke shrink behind the dining table. The man seemed not to notice Sasuke's tiny change in body language. "You will train with Hinode. Itachi and Shisui will be attending the clan meeting with me tonight."
That made Hinode arch her eyebrow. It was the first time that Fugaku deliberately left her out of a clan meeting, even though he was insistent on her attending before. When Hinode gave Fugaku a questioning look, he simply averted his gaze to his bowl. Then, Hinode realized why. It was simple; the clansmen must have expressed their distrust of her to Fugaku because she was teaching at the academy, which was directly under Konoha Council's responsibility.
However, Hinode decided not to react to it. As long as Shisui was still attending the meetings, she was sure that he would speak up if something concerned him. He was more eloquent than she was, after all. As if to relay a message, Hinode reached for Shisui's hand under the table, and he turned over his hand to give her hand a little squeeze. It was a gesture that the two of them developed since the Nine-Tails Attack, since the death of their father.
Trusting that Shisui was going to take care of the clan meeting, Hinode happily agreed to give Sasuke some tips on Shurikenjutsu, not that Sasuke asked for it. As soon as Fugaku, Itachi, and Shisui left for the clan meeting, Sasuke jumped from the dinner table and rushed to the training ground.
"No training right after eating!" Hinode grabbed the back of Sasuke's collar just before he could make it to the door. "And don't run!"
Sasuke mumbled his complaints, but walked at a regular pace after Hinode lowered him down. After Hinode thanked Mikoto for dinner, the two of them walked together to the training ground.
As summer approached them, even the nights were getting warmer. The full moon lit up the empty roads inside the Uchiha Compound, as the majority of its inhabitants left for the Naka Shrine. The last time that Hinode made the way to the training grounds was when she and Obito were little. Hinode realized that she had been living in the Uchiha Compound for almost twenty years. Back then, she and Obito were the ones who didn't really fit in with the rest of the Uchiha clan. But Obito was never discouraged that the other clansmen thought he was talentless as an Uchiha. He wanted to become Hokage.
So many things have changed, and yet, so many things remained the same. Like the clanspeople who resided there; they have lived there for their whole lives, and they would die there if they could help it. Hinode wondered whether Obito would have become a proud Uchiha if he had lived, if he eventually was accepted by the clan, or would he have stood on the side of Konoha and held on to his Hokage dream. He probably would have wanted both, considering how simple-minded he was.
Nonetheless, Hinode decided that it was a silly thing to think about. Obito had left the compound forever, and so did all the people she grew up with. From time to time, Hinode still felt a silent terror when she'd walk into an empty home. No one knew this about her; not even Shisui. The fear of losing Shisui was still there even as he grew older, it was just buried deeper.
"Why are you so quiet?" Sasuke asked suddenly.
Hinode looked down at Sasuke's inquisitive eyes. He was not pouting, for once.
"The full moon is pretty, isn't it?" Hinode answered him with another question. Sasuke looked up at the sky and said, "I guess so."
"Looking at beautiful things makes you think," said Hinode.
Sasuke observed her a little more, and mumbled, "Nii-san gets all quiet sometimes too when he's thinking…"
"Oh, does he?" Hinode smiled, thinking how quiet Itachi already was normally.
"I-I'm not saying that you're like Nii-san, got it?" Sasuke hurriedly added. "He's way smarter than you!"
"Well, I won't deny that," Hinode let out a short laugh "Itachi is great, but you know, you can learn a lot from your peers at school."
"Why? Nii-san is the best!"
"There's a whole wide world outside of this compound, young Sasuke."
The cool weather provided a great start to the new school week. The first year students were certainly glad that they were able to move on from meditation, only to find out that they were going over basic kata forms. Most of the class, including Naruto, groaned and complained about another dull exercise. Hinode explained that not all of the students were taught by their shinobi families, and even added sharply that some students from shinobi families had sloppy forms.
"You will practice in pairs," Hinode announced, in which all students looked to their friends, until she added, "Decided by me."
The class groaned again. Sakura certainly seemed nervous, as she was one of those with little experience in martial arts training.
"Taijutsu is about balance, not about how hard you can punch or kick," Hinode lectured the class. "It all comes down to footwork, and if I'm perfectly honest, there is only one of you who has it down."
Hinode caught Sasuke's intense gaze toward her. She had to resist the urge to laugh as he was so obviously curious who "the one who had it down" was, since Itachi was always at the top of his class in every subject. Without spoiling any of the mystery, Hinode led the students to the outdoor training ground.
"I'll briefly demonstrate the first five basic kata," Hinode said in front of the class. "And I'll need the help of Hinata-chan."
The entire class drew surprised breaths, including Sasuke and Hinata herself. As heads whirled towards Hinata, her face turned beet red. Immediately, Hinata begged Hinode with panicked eyes and shook her head incessantly. Hinode, however, only smiled and nodded at Hinata.
"I didn't know you were that good, Hinata!" Naruto grinned at Hinata and patted her on the back just a little bit too hard, and his loud voice only made Hinata more embarrassed. "Hurry and go up there!"
"I… I…" Hinata stammered, her legs frozen under her body.
"Come on, Hinata-chan," Hinode held out her hand, "We're doing this together."
Hinata bit her lips. With a deep breath through her nose, she finally stood up and joined Hinode at the front of the class. And once the two of them started performing the kata, the whole class quieted down.
The Hyuga clan was proud of their heavy Taijutsu influenced Techniques, and it was no surprise that their masters emphasized the importance of the basics. Hinode could tell that Hinata must have practiced all the basic kata hundreds of times. Although Hinata lacked confidence and decisiveness at the beginning, once she tuned out the attention from her classmates, her movements became beautiful and fluid.
Even Hinode was a little surprised; she was not so graceful at Hinata's age, or maybe even now. Her feet were so light at each step and turn, yet firmly rooted at striking points. Hinode peeked over at Sasuke, who caught her eyes, and gave her an annoyed pout. The fact that he was not the best in class at even the basic kata was a jab at his pride. But Hinode believed that it was necessary. Even if it was his dream, Sasuke could never be Itachi. Not to say that Itachi was unsurpassable, but if all of Sasuke's attention was focused on Itachi, Sasuke would be chasing after his brother for a long, long time.
Besides, Hinata also needed to step out of her comfort zone. Once they were finished with their demonstration, Hinata's shoulders shrunk back and her face reddened. Observing Hinata, Hinode let out a soft sigh, and put the children in pairs.
Hinode paired Hinata with Naruto, whose fighting style was basically punching through instinct. Even though he had no previous training whatsoever, he had an unexplainable confidence and overflowing energy. Hinode hoped that Naruto's confidence would rub off on Hinata, and Hinata's calmness would rub off on Naruto. She didn't have high expectations on the latter, but she hoped nonetheless.
The next pair was Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura had even less experience in fighting, coming from a civilian family, but she was a quick learner. Hinode was sure that Sakura could learn something by watching Sasuke closely. The only problem was her own nerves.
Hinode had the children face their partners while they practiced their kata. Watching one another closely could make one more conscious of oneself, and adjust to make improvements. That was how Hinode improved as a child, when Masano-sensei had Guy practice with her. She had the physical strength, but not Guy's speed and accuracy. To be really honest, Hinode improved more from training with Guy than from any of the Academy teachers. And she had a sudden realization that perhaps Masano-sensei was a really great teacher after all.
"Ack, s-sorry!" A shaky apology from Sakura rose from the crowd.
Hinode looked over to Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura's movements were unnaturally stiff, which could be due to the fact that she was practicing with someone who had stood out since the first day of school. She made several mistakes, and Hinode had specified at the beginning of the practice that partners had to start over from the beginning if either one of them made a mistake. Halfway through the practice, Sakura's face was as red as Hinata's was earlier. Each time she made a mistake, she peeked at Sasuke's stony expression and flinched.
Perhaps she didn't want to annoy Sasuke, so each time they started over, Sakura picked up her speed, which made her footwork even sloppier. At one turn, she twisted her feet so fast that she tripped over herself. She looked more terrified than hurt by her fall.
"Sasuke-kun, I'm…" Sakura began to apologize, but Sasuke finally spoke up.
"You need to widen your stance and bend your knees more," Sasuke said flatly, "Watch me."
Sakura blinked her wide eyes a few times, and stood up promptly. They performed the kata from the beginning, but this time, Sakura was fully watching Sasuke. They went at a slow and steady pace; even Sasuke's movements were getting better and more precise. Sakura took Sasuke's advice and paid closer attention to her legs, and finally, they finished the whole sequence together.
"I can't believe it!" A wide smile bloomed over Sakura's face as the redness in her face reduced into a light pink. She whirled towards Sasuke with excitement. "You're amazing, Sasuke-kun! Can we do that again?"
Sasuke seemed taken back by Sakura's sudden burst of spirit. Before Sasuke could respond, the school bell rang, signaling the time for lunch break. A look of disappointment replaced Sakura's smile for a brief moment as Hinode dismissed the class. Sakura shot Sasuke a grateful smile and began to turn away.
"Make it quick this time," Sasuke said, a ghost of his signature pout floated on the surface of his face.
Sakura halted and turned back to face Sasuke, beaming brightly. Even more delighted than the young girl was Hinode, who pressed her fingers to her curled lips. Hinode had been worried about Sasuke not being able to make friends at school, like his older brother and Shisui, but she was relieved to see that he was willing to spend extra time helping Sakura.
Hinode left the two of them at the training grounds and made her way to the teacher's lounge. By the time she got to the door, loud voices could already be heard from the inside. The loudest voice was none other than Naruto.
"Let's see what Hinode-sensei brought today!"
"Naruto-kun, shouldn't we wait for Hinode-sensei?"
"It's fine! Oh! A whole chocolate cake!"
"Don't tell me she's planning to eat that all by herself…"
The last voice was a new one to hear inside the teacher's lounge, but Hinode was familiar with it.
"Do you have a problem with that, Shikamaru-kun?" Hinode asked as she slid the door open. The boy with the ponytail had his back to her, but his shoulders visibly twitched. Besides him were Choji and Ino, along with the teacher's lounge regulars, Naruto and Hinata. The only couch there seemed much smaller now than when it was only Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura sitting there with their hands on their knees. In fact, Shikamaru had to sit in a separate chair due to the lack of space.
While Shikamaru shook his head at Hinode, Naruto and Choji were already helping themselves to Hinode's chocolate cake. They did not seem to notice Hinode's smile darkening as she approached them.
"Sensei, where's Sakura-chan?" Ino asked, diverting Hinode's attention.
As if she was summoned, Sakura appeared at the door with her face still slightly flushed. Though she was a little bit out of breath, she seemed to be quite pleased. Hinode looked behind Sakura to see if she had brought Sasuke along, but the boy was not there.
"Oh, hi, everyone!" Sakura smiled towards the group.
"What took you so long?" Ino asked Sakura.
"I had extra practice with Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled even wider. "He's really amazing!"
Ino did not respond to Sakura, nor did she share Sakura's gleeful sentiment, but Sakura did not notice because Choji started to laugh at the chocolate icing that Naruto had spread between his nose and lips. Naruto pretended to brush the icing as if it was his mustache, which caused Hinata and Sakura to giggle as well.
Stuck between the choices to either let the kids have fun or to save her lunch, Hinode blew out a deep breath. Then, without warning, the door to the teachers lounge slid open.
A young man with short brown hair took a visible step back at the scene inside the teacher's lounge. His astonished eyes scanned across the room, widening at the cake crumbles scattered everywhere, pausing at Naruto's chocolate icing beard, and finally stopping at Hinode's equally surprised face.
"Ungo-sensei," Hinode greeted first.
"Oh, I'm sorry for intruding…" the young teacher named Ungo whipped up an awkward smile as he noticed that all of the children's eyes were on him.
"Not at all. This is the teacher's lounge," Hinode gave him an apologetic look. "In fact, I discouraged this many times."
"Don't worry about it, Hinode-sensei," Ungo shook his head. "Most of the teachers take their lunch in their classrooms anyway. I just forgot to bring my bento today."
Ungo raised the instant cup noodle in his left hand, at which Hinode nodded and stepped aside, revealing the hot water dispenser behind her. As Ungo walked towards Hinode, the children's eyes followed him. He chuckled uncomfortably as he halted besides Hinode.
"So, uh, speaking of the other teachers," Ungo turned his head towards Hinode as he slowly ripped open the lid of his cup noodle. Hinode, not expecting Ungo to continue to converse with her, jumped slightly before turning towards him. This little action put a pink hue over Ungo's cheeks.
"S-sorry!"
"That's all right," said Hinode. "What were you saying?"
"Right, um, there's going to be a group dinner amongst the teachers after school this Friday—we do this monthly on our pay day!" Ungo spoke a little too fast. "You should join us!"
"Oh…" Hinode was at a loss of words. She was not close with the other teachers. Most of them seemed to have their noses in books or binders when they walked past each other.
As if sensing that Hinode was going to decline, Ungo blurted, "I'd like to get to know you—I mean, we're coworkers and all."
"Um… Sure, I guess," Hinode raised an eyebrow at Ungo's persistence, but shrugged at the end.
"Great!" Ungo grinned with relief. Finally, he filled his cup noodle with hot water and closed the lid. "I'll come find you Friday afternoon."
Ungo then turned around for the door, but his shoulders jerked when he realized that all of the children were ogling him still. Once again, he chuckled dryly.
"The kids sure like you a lot, Hinode-sensei," Ungo noted.
Hinode looked at her students and smiled. "Well, I like them too."
The pink hue on Ungo's cheeks spread all over his face at that point. He mumbled a "See ya" and escaped the room. After the kids' eyes followed Ungo out, their heads spun towards Hinode.
"Ooh, sensei's going on a date!" Ino sang teasingly.
"What? No," Hinode shook her head immediately. "It's a work dinner."
"Adults are supposed to be smarter than that, sensei," Shikamaru smiled sneakily as he leaned back in his chair, hands folded behind his head.
"Sensei, I thought that eyebrow guy said you are already dating someone," Naruto pointed out.
"Sensei, you shouldn't cheat," Hinata frowned with worry.
"Yeah, especially not with Poop-sensei," Choji added.
Hinode pressed her hand to her forehead in an attempt to subdue the headache that was growing inside. It was useless, as the next thing she noticed was that the chocolate cake was completely devoured while she was talking with Ungo.
"I am so giving you guys homework today."
The amount of satisfaction Hinode felt after she gave the class one hundred pages to read in their History of Konoha textbook was truly petty, but Hinode didn't care. She snickered to herself when she recalled the faces of the children who were in the teacher's lounge with her as she announced that she would quiz them the next day.
All the way home that evening, she was in a good mood. She bought herself a new chocolate at the grocery store, thinking that she would share it with Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke. Coincidentally, Shisui and Itachi were already standing by her front door when she arrived home.
As she approached them, their faces came into focus. Shisui had a rare frown on his face as he spoke to Itachi; almost like he was angry, or frustrated. Itachi's lips were in a tight line. Something was not right.
"Hey!" Hinode called out as she quickened her steps. Shisui jumped at the sound of her voice and immediately closed his mouth. Hinode's smile dropped when she noticed this.
"Hinode-san," Itachi greeted.
"What's going on?" Hinode asked, looking at Shisui.
"Noth…" Shisui began to say, but Itachi cut in.
"The clan is pushing for a coup d'etat against the Hokage."
Hinode's whole body froze. She would have been bothered by Shisui's protesting nudge at Itachi, but her mind was occupied by the thoughts of a vicious war. Her clansmen, led by Fugaku, with Shisui and Itachi on his sides, and even Mikoto with her old Jonin attire. The other side was Sarutobi Hiruzen, along with his Tokubetsu Jonin, including Genma, and all his best ANBU agents, like Kakashi, whose hand was bloodied once again after his Chidori took her clansman's life.
In whatever aftermath of the chaos, shinobi from other lands invaded Konoha. The village burned like the Kusagakure that she saw during the last war. Or like the Nine-Tail's Attack. The children from the Academy cried for help. Sakura's parents were defenseless; other shinobi parents lost in battle. Will Naruto be put to use or be protected? Who was Sasuke going to lose?
Hinode had not realized that her lips had been trembling, but when she looked up at Shisui and Itachi, her eyes were focused and her voice was steady.
"We can't let that happen," she stated firmly.
Under the moonlight, Itachi's black eyes glistened while fixed on Hinode's face.
To be continued.
Author's Note: Hinode the heartbreaker is at it again. Also, I promise Kakashi will be in the next chapter! He needs to see that he has some competition lol.
Hope you all liked this and see you at the next chapter!
