Chapter 2: The Betrayal.
A/N: I don't know if you guys were even waiting for the update but here it is. I just want to apologize for being lazy. However, the time has been hard on me. I have been very anxious these past few days and everything bad is happening around me. May be it is just the vibe I am attracting but I haven't been in the mood to write for long. I also need to change some of my other fanfics so it would take me some time to be regular again. So yes some reviews would be better to motivate me but who knows as I am very moody.
Follow Trodden path, if you love dark stories and I am going to work on The Curse soon because that story makes me feel good.
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Sasuke had always acted spontaneous in life. Since the time he left the village till the time he decided to destroy Konoha. He had always been very unpredictable. So it wasn't hard to believe he would start to fall in love with her. Someone who belonged to a total opposite world of his.
When he realised his feelings, it was already too late. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about her like that but he couldn't help. He had wanted to stop but he didn't know if he could. He didn't know, if he should. He was far too deep by the time.
Ino had counselled him to find a hobby during those uneventful psychriatric sessions where he was dragged by that bastard Ibiki.
"Find a hobby, Sasuke. Keep yourself entertained" Ino had calmly stated after jotting down some points on her notepad. "Anything to keep your damn mind busy"
"Hn" He had replied unbothered but happy to leave her annoying purple painted office.
The Yamanaka along with the torturer Ibiki was given the task to frequently report on his mental health, whether he was capable of continuing his shinobi duties without defection. During those long hours of distress where she would try to invade his mind in his vulnerable state, he would clench his teeth and try to fight off the drug they would give him.
The mind reader had declared him broken beyond repair but still approved him capable to carry out his active missions.
The missions in where he found her. Maybe he should thank Ino for once because if it wasn't for her then Hinata wouldn't be his.
In those missions, he gave more thought to what Ino had said and wandered in search of whatever his personal psychriatric had told him to find until he gathered he already had it by his side. It was just a coincidence that his shy Hyuga partner happened to become the main focus of his new quest.
At first, Sasuke had thought maybe he was just bored of killing and tormenting people. So his attention had shifted to his quite (a blessing) partner who seemed so fragile and pathetic that he felt like getting rid of her. She was like a confusing puzzle to him. Each day he would find something new about her. Just when he would think he had her figured out, she would leave him at a loss again.
Naruto had trusted her with his life- The Last Uchiha's life and he could not comprehend the fucking reason. Not just that but his idiot of a best friend had her perform fuinjutsu on him. The nerve.
This mousy Hyuga had suddenly become a threat to him and he felt like she held a gun over his head but Naruto didn't feel like so.
"Hinata would never hurt you Sasuke and she is only one I can trust. If the council wants someone to hold power over you, it better be Hinata" Naruto had assured him.
"How do you know she wouldn't kill me under their order?" He had challenged because Naruto had always been a fool who easily put his belief on others. After all Naruto still trusted Sasuke of all people.
"I just know it, dattebayo!" Naruto had smiled and Sasuke didn't feel like continuing the discussion, losing interest because he knew the jinchuriki can't be reasoned with.
But with time he became curious as to how this girl got to win his blonde friend's trust. So he observed her from far.
The first thing he concluded about her was that she wasn't weak. In fact she was strong; strong enough kill a person with just one touch. Her jutsus were deadly but it was a shame that she didn't like using them. She was way too kind on their foes, avoiding bloodshed as much as possible and only committing slaughter in absolute necessity and even then she would go for the easy kill. It wasn't hard to determine that she hated killing as opposed to Sasuke who murdered without remorse.
He would also notice the way she would look disgusted with his method of preferred execution. It seemed like she was revolted from inside but was way too scared to voice her opinion in front of him. He knew she was told that he was unstable and to keep distance. He was happy that she stayed out of his way most of the time.
Another thing that became clear to him was her resilience. She took his beating down on her quietly. Something he didn't know a Hyuga was capable of because he had heard they were a hot headed clan like his. Their pride was bigger than their life. She proved to be different from his initial impression of hers and he then established that they could work well together as a team.
But then things took the wrong turn as months passed and she became more than just a growing interest.
And that is the reason they are stuck together in their current scenario.
The clock struck ten and Sasuke walked towards where he knew Hinata would be sitting waiting for him like she is used to. His steps made creaking sound and he decided that he hated the old wooden floor because it was way too loud like a ghost house. An empty shell that made unnecessary noises.
Then his smile grew as for now his home wasn't empty. Hinata was there to warm it up.
"Hinata? I am here." He announced his presence but the woman he loves continued to stare outside like a lifeless doll.
He sighed and then went towards her to lay his head on her lap. She stopped rocking the chair she sat on but still refused to acknowledge him. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her hands to place them on his head. It took her some time but eventually she started stroking his hair like she always does to ease his headaches.
If cruelty was in Sasuke's blood then kindness was in Hinata's soul and that is who they are. They can't wipe that out of existence and yet they think the other could change.
They were wrong.
Dead wrong.
Sasuke wants her to lose her humanity and become a shell like him.
It won't happen.
And Hinata wants him to become more human so he could feel her.
It won't happen either.
They could only hope that someday somehow they would meet in between and maybe stay like that forever.
"Would you ever leave me?" Sasuke asked and she stopped caressing his scalp. Her hold tightened on his hair to a point where his strands might rip off but Sasuke didn't mind. He liked to feel the pain she unknowingly inflicted on him. He loved to test her boundary.
She never answered.
"Don't worry I would never let you go" He kissed the back of her hand.
"A-and what if I need to Sasuke?"
Silence fell on them. "Y-you can't always keep me here a-and you can't protect me forever"
He lifted his head to look at her face veiled by her long hair and coldly answered, "I wouldn't have to protect you, if only you would stop jumping in front of people to save them instead"
"I-I am a shinobi S-sasuke." She stuttered, tired of explaining him that she didn't need him to keep her away from danger. Her breathing thinned and she finally met his gaze wide-eyed. "It is m-my duty to …"
"Sshhh" He silenced her with his scrawny digit on her supple lips, not listening to her just like every other time.
"Konoha is safe because you are with me. So you are doing your job and now let me do mine" He brought her forehead to rest on his. Their eyes didn't blink as they stared into each other's soul. They shared the intimate moment for some time before he broke it off because she looked like she was about to doze off.
"It is time for your medicine" He declared and the sleep vanished from her eyes instantly. A look of terror passed on her face that soon turned into anger. She withdrew from his touch like he burnt her.
"No. Sasuke . . . don't. Not again" Her voice rose as it pleaded, demanded and lastly begged.
"Ah but it's the Hokage's order" He half joked as he readied the supplies.
"Liar"
However, it fell on deaf ear as he brought the needle near her neck and pierced her porcelain skin injecting her vein with a burning liquid.
"I- I . . . Sasuke" Hinata couldn't finish and fell forward but Sasuke already had his arms wrapped around her body lifting her up. He started walking towards a dark room.
"Take rest" He ordered her as he placed her on the bed and even though her body couldn't move, she followed him around with her pale eyes.
He had activated his sharingan noticing how easily her chakra dissipated from her body until nothing left and soon she slipped into a temporary comma.
"I am sorry but soon I wouldn't have to worry about you being a shinobi" He smirked, "And I would take care of you forever"
He then took her hair between his fingers and thought how much he loved taking care of her.
He finally found a hobby.
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A heavy hand slammed on to the wooden table in the Hokage's office. Naruto was pissed because he didn't know how to handle this spiralling situation. Everything was fucked up and he had a large part to play in all this.
"What do you mean by 'another war' might break out?" He asked his former sensei who looked at him bored. Kakashi would rather be somewhere else than this place.
"Well . . . I have been informed that there are small terrorist groups working to end the peace treaty" Kakashi slowly let the information out so that Naruto could understand the severity.
"Can't we just eliminate them?" The blonde asked not understanding how some still desired war after witnessing the devastation it brought along. It was like a spark waiting to set everything on fire.
Shikamaru who had been listening to the conversation for the past hour suddenly spoke, "It is hard to locate these groups as I suspect someone powerful is behind them"
He then lit up his cigar and started thinking. "They are like rats working in close ties and they obviously belong to some criminal background"
Someone must have gathered them and is now organising their activities.
"Who do you suspect?" Kakashi inquired because that much was clear. Someone was working behind the scenes pulling the strings like a puppeteer.
"It is hard to say but I have the daimyos in my mind"
Naruto's eyes grew larger at Shikamaru's statement while Kakashi pressed his mouth in a thin line. That was a bold thing to say out loud.
"We can't point fingers at them without proof" Naruto muttered.
"Of course but they are the only ones powerful enough to hide such rouge ninjas for so long" The Nara explained. "Not to forget that there has been news of them trying to gain political powers over hidden nations"
No one could deny that as they too have caught on the fact that the daimyos were up to something.
"Then I think I need to call a meeting with them" The young Hokage wanted to set everything straight before something went downhill as most of the things were already out of his control. He would do anything to keep the peace by hook or crook and if he has to threaten them then so be it.
"Don't be an idiot Naruto. What would you tell them? That you suspect them of being traitors" Kakashi scolded his ex-student for even coming up with such ridiculous ideas. Maybe it was a wrong decision to let him become Hokage at such a young age. It was a pressure like no other, a responsibility so huge that could break someone's will power no matter how strong they were. Naruto unfortunately wasn't immune to the burden of power like previous Hokages.
"Then what should we do?" Naruto sat on his chair defeated.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes and questioned, "How about Sasuke and Hinata? The council sent them on those missions. Why don't you ask them if they came to know about something which I am they sure have?"
Suddenly Naruto stood straight like a stretched bow. "I can't. You know Sasuke has lost his mind and Hinata now hates me"
Both Shikamaru and Kakashi kept quite as they saw guilt slowly creeping in Naruto's blue eyes.
"I shouldn't have entrusted Hinata with the mission, especially when I knew that Sasuke was of unsound mind. What was I even thinking?" The Jinchuriki was on the verge of punching himself on the throat so Shikamaru intervened.
"Well I was the one who recommended Hinata to you but who knew your crazy best friend would become enamoured with her" He sighed pulling on his pineapple like hair and his growing beard.
"But don't you think that it's a good thing because now Sasuke has a reason to stay in Konoha willingly and finally listen to us" He cautiously pronounced.
"What the actual fuck Shikamaru! Hinata . . . she is my friend and I can't use her like a leash to keep Sasuke under my control. That is not how it is supposed to be" Naruto heaved in anger as Kakashi placed his hands on his shoulders to keep him calm.
Shikamaru frowned, "Friend eh? Some friend you are. Aren't you the one to strip her off her shinobi duties and put her in that coop with the Uchiha?"
He didn't stop at that as he continued to throw more jabs at the blonde "Aren't you the one to monitor those drugs on her so that she has no way out but to depend on your insane friend?"
"What have you two planned? To make her stop loving you and then fall in love with Sasuke? Is that the plan?" Shikamaru knew he was throwing baseless accusations now but he didn't care as he was just finishing up what Naruto started.
"Shikamaru stop" Kakashi requested.
Naruto brushed off Kakashi's hold on his shoulder but didn't attempt to fight.
"It was the only way to keep Sasuke stay sane. We need him in the war" He tried explaining it to his adviser but it seemed like he was trying to convince himself.
"And the Hyugas want to brand her and you know I can't interfere in clan matters. It was for her own safety"
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his face. "I am sorry for putting shitty blames on you. I know you tried your best but it is also true that what you have done to Hinata is in the wrong and she might never forgive you for that"
Naruto had ended Hinata's dream and for someone who valued dreams more than anything, he would understand if Hinata would start hating him for it.
But it was all for Sasuke and Konoha. It would be worth it.
Team 7 had always been very close and everyone knew that. The entire team consisted of such powerful ninjas who were known throughout the shinobi lives. However, their friendship was weird where one loved the other to such an extent that they could move the world for them. Naruto and Sakura had worked so hard to bring back a lost friend and in the process they had lost other things. It didn't matter though, it never mattered because Sasuke was finally here and they wouldn't let him go away. Not again.
Their dynamic could never be understood by others.
Never.
"You are right Shikamaru. I have lost the right to call her a friend"
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Thanks and review. This one was small because suddenly I am struggling to write more. Sometimes I find it difficult to stop and sometimes it's the opposite. Lol.