Hi again!

This chapter almost wrote itself, as I had a clear image of what I wanted. I hope that you will like it!

Thank you again for all of your reviews and ongoing support. I read each one of your reviews, and they really push me to continue writing for you.

I am thinking about changing the fic's title, as I initially named it for the one-shot. It is not relevant anymore. I am open to your suggestions.

Again, English is not my first language and I apologise in advance for any grammar/vocabulary mistake!

Stay safe!

Azure eyes scanned the imposing mansion hiding behind tall Sakura trees as he walked towards it. The blonde Shinobi had never set foot on Hyuga grounds, despite being native to Konoha. Only a few lucky people, – like the elite of the Shinobi world, had the honour of being invited by the prestigious Hyuga clan. He could not help but feel nervous as he approached the compound.

Anyone could see how grand the mansion looked from outside. It was not a flashy display of wealth like some other clans would try to do to impress guests. It was more subtle, which was to be expected from an old noble clan as they did not need to prove their power or wealth to anyone. The fear and respect their name brought to the Shinobi world was enough.

The blonde noticed two intimidating Hyuga guards standing at the entrance, emphasising how guarded the clan was, even during a festival. Naruto approached the guards, his wife at his side.

"Naruto-sama, Sakura-sama." Greeted the Hyugas as they slightly bowed their heads.

The couple bowed in return. As Naruto raised his head, his gaze lingered on the guards' headbands. He knew that behind the Konoha headbands lied the infamous seal. Neji's face flashed before his eyes. He had promised him to change the Hyūga clan. Yet, nothing had changed.

"Naruto?"

His thoughts were cut short upon hearing his wife's worried voice calling out to him. He turned his head towards her, and put his hand on her back, gently pushing her to enter the Hyuga grounds with him. He could feel Sakura's inquisitive gaze on him, and he decided to ignore it for now.

As they stepped into the front garden, they were welcomed by a few maids, who offered them high quality refreshments. Naruto did not feel like drinking anything, while Sakura took the glass of wine offered to her. The garden in Naruto's eyes was very large, and well maintained. He was however surprised to see that no guest was there yet. As he was going to voice his observation, one of the maids offered to walk the couple towards the main garden where the festival took place. Naruto thanked her, while internally realising that this was just the front garden. Obviously.

The maid led them through a stone path that ran alongside the main residence. Naruto quickly scanned his surroundings, and as Kakashi had said, only maids were present. He did not meet a single clan member, which only meant that Sasuke would be able to infiltrate the compound without much trouble. His ocean eyes flickered to one of trees hovering above the main compound, sensing a faint chakra. It was probably a member of Sasuke's ANBU team.

"We have arrived." The maid said, gesturing towards the garden behind her. "Please enjoy your evening, and do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything."

Both Naruto and Sakura were surprised to see that the "garden" was swarming with people. They recognised some faces, all of them belonging to the highest ranks. The garden, - although he would probably call this an estate or grounds given its size, was magnificent. He understood why the clan proudly held a Sakura viewing festival.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the gentle wind made it seem like it was raining petals. Several white tents held by Hyuga branch members were installed at the feet of trees, providing the guests with entertainment and succulent refreshment. The blonde could also see a pond if he narrowed his eyes as it was further away behind the trees. A few stone lanterns were surrounding them, lighting up the festival. It was a very expensive and highly maintained traditional garden.

"Wow…. It's really beautiful!" Whispered his wife, her green eyes brightening at the sight.

He nodded in agreement. It sure was. As he observed his surroundings, the blonde felt out of place. Yes, he also came from a powerful clan, although clan was the wrong word to use. Apart from Karin and himself, there was no Uzumaki left.

"Naruto-sama, Sakura-sama!" Called a familiar voice.

The couple turned around to see who was calling them.

Ko Hyuga approached them, the heiress at his side. A blush crept up on Naruto's cheeks as his eyes settled on Hinata. Everyone in the village knew that she was a beautiful woman. Seeing her in traditional clothing made her even more attractive. She was wearing a heavy night blue kimono embroidered with cherry blossoms, tightened with a pale pink obi. His eyes then flickered to her intricate hairstyle, held by a silver kanzashi in the shape of a flower blossom. He took a hold of himself and taking a deep breath to make his blush fade, he offered the two Hyugas a smile.

"Hinata! Thank you for inviting us." He then glanced at the Hyuga standing next to her. He did not remember his name. "And uh…"

"My name is Ko." Said the branch member with an amused smile.

"Oh, sorry!" Grinned the Uzumaki, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Hi, Ko!"

It took a lot from Hinata to maintain her composure and not blush around Naruto. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she saw her first love's lovely grin. She knew that her love would never be returned, yet her body seemed to betray her. She mentally cursed herself. She needed to get a hold of herself. She was attending the festival as an heiress, not as a kunoichi who was still not over her first love's rejection.

Hinata respectfully bowed to both Sakura and Naruto with her hands in front of her. It was not an inch too low or too deep to be misinterpreted, in line with the noble clans' etiquette.

"I welcome you to the Hyuga gardens, Sakura-san and Naruto-san." She slowly said, as she raised her head to meet the guests' eyes.

Both Sakura and Naruto winced as she called Naruto "Naruto-san", instead of her usual "Naruto-kun". Even Ko narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Thank you, Hinata." Replied the medic-nin trying to break the tense atmosphere. "You have a lovely garden."

"Thank you." A smile finally stretched Hinata's lips. "Our clan members have worked very hard to maintain the garden. I hope that you enjoy it."

Hinata did her best to ignore Naruto's stare by looking straight at Sakura's eyes. He was probably wondering why she was acting in this way. In official events such as this festival, she was not allowed to call guests in such a personal way, unless they were close relatives or close allies to the clan. Even then, calling someone in such a personal manner was frowned upon.

Feeling the conversation die, the heiress made a suggestion. "Gaara-san is in attendance today, and he wanted to speak to both of you. Shall Ko lead you to him?"

The Uzumaki's eyes never left the heiress' face, even when Sakura accepted her proposal. Why was she acting like this? He knew that things had become awkward between them since his rejection. However, this did not change the fact that Hinata was someone he deeply cared about, and above all, his friend. One of his closest friends. The way she was ignoring him unnerved the blonde.

"Naruto-sama?"

Naruto finally snapped out of his thoughts and realised that Hinata had already left.

"Are you ready to follow me?" Ko asked, tilting his head.

"I'm always ready, haha!" Grinned the blonde, trying to put his thoughts together. "Let's go see Gaara!"

Sakura threw him a concerned side glance. She wondered why Hinata's behaviour disturbed him this much. She needed to speak with him later on. They had a mission to carry out first. Her emerald eyes noticed Gaara and Temari under a tree, surrounded by many Hyuga clansmen. Their mission was to distract as many Hyugas as possible, and this was the perfect opportunity.

She did not see the Hyuga heiress hiding behind a tree, a hand on her heart in an attempt to calm her erratic heartbeat. She took deep breaths as she tried to collect her thoughts. She could not understand why her body was still reacting to Naruto's flashy grin, although she noted that his effect on her was not as strong as it used to be. She hated herself for still reacting like this when Naruto had rejected her. She could not be any more pitiful. Sighing internally, the heiress readjusted her obi, and discreetly activated her Byakugan from behind the tree. One of the clan's many rules was to not activate the Byakugan within the compound unless it was for training, and she was currently breaking it.

Her pale eyes focused on the many corridors within the main compound, trying to find a particular person. Her eyes finally settled on a figure she struggled to follow. She deactivated her dojutsu, a small smile on her lips. Sasuke was on another level when it came to speed. He was like a dash of lightning. With a flash of determination in her eyes, the heiress came out of her hiding spot to accomplish her own mission, which was ensuring that no one except the maids entered the compound.

A full hour passed as Hinata entertained the guests and the clan members to ensure the successful infiltration. Naruto and Sakura were doing a good job of attracting the attention, as most of the guests were surrounding them, trying to have a conversation with the war heroes who defeated a goddess. Naruto managed to entertain them by relating the details of his fight during the war. Hinata knew that no matter where Naruto would go, his warm personality and his undeniable charisma would attract any kind of person to him. Sakura on the other hand seemed to attract most of the women in attendance, by advising them as to medical ninjutsu or telling funny stories about the Godaime.

Hinata massaged her temples, the weight of her hairstyle starting to finally tire her down. She was an introverted person and entertaining this many guests was starting to take a toll on her. She wondered how her introverted father could withstand exchanging pleasantries with each of them during the course of the festival. It probably became a habit.

Her pale eyes caught a glimpse of familiar unruly brown hair. An amused smile appeared on her lips, as she observed her younger sister strolling down the garden with Konohamaru, smiling at each other. Her grandfather would certainly be pleased to know that Hanabi was forming a valuable alliance with the influential Sarutobi clan. She did not know the nature of their relationship, but she made a note to tease her sister about this later on.

The heiress decided to return to her hiding spot in order to check whether Sasuke was still in the compound. She silently activated her Byakugan, as she searched for the last Uchiha. She wondered if he had found anything relevant to the dissident faction. She had herself tried to look for anything suspicious, without success. Hinata finally noticed Sasuke, exiting a room through a window. He gracefully jumped on the grass, readjusting his eagle mask. She watched him walk towards the pond, ready to leave by leaping over the tall wall protecting the Hyuga estate from outsiders. Why was he leaving already?

Despite her heavy garment, the heiress dashed towards the pond, earning a few looks from the guests. She finally reached it, almost out of breath due to the weight of her kimono and her hairstyle. The survivor seemed to have been waiting for her. Hinata realised that he probably felt her observing him with her Byakugan. His skills were truly scary.

"Sasuke-san…" She greeted, respectfully bowing her head.

The survivor's dark eyes watched the heiress through the holes of his ANBU mask. She looked… different. He noted that traditional clothes enhanced her natural beauty. It almost seemed like she could pull off any kind of clothing, and still look good in it. Except for that horrible thick sweater which she used to wear as a genin.

"We will speak tomorrow at Kakashi's office." He casually said. He could not speak about his mission in the middle of a festival.

"Oh, no, I know." Replied the heiress, nodding. "I came because I wanted you to come to the festival. There is still some time left."

Hinata knew that she could not ask him about the mission. However, she wanted him to attend the festival. His teammates were there, and he would probably be more comfortable around them.

Sasuke's eyes slightly widened. He did not expect her to invite him. He thought that she came running to him to ask him about the infiltration as he had felt her eyes on him while he was in the compound. A unfamiliar warm feeling spread in his chest. People always expected something from him, except for Team 7. He knew to a certain extent that Hinata Hyuga was a very polite, and compassionate person. Anyone in her position would have begged him to disclose what he had found. Yet, here she was, inviting him to partake in the festival. He realised then how truly kind-hearted she was. He could see the sincerity in her wide moon-like eyes.

"Um… Sasuke-san?" Whispered the heiress, uncomfortably shifting under the Uchiha's intense stare. A light blush tinted her cheeks, as she peered at him with a questioning look. "O-of course, if you don't want to, I understand."

The survivor had an internal battle, as he tried to figure out whether he could attend the festival. Naruto and Sakura were probably still there, and he could join them. He was also of noble clan descent, and even if Hisato Hyuga would be displeased by his presence, he would not voice it.

Three unfamiliar chakra signatures approaching them snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hinata-sama!" Called a gravelly voice.

Sasuke recognised their faces, as he had seen them during the Hyuga meeting he barged into. He remembered one in particular among them, the one who had vehemently protested about the Hokage interfering in clan affairs. He also remembered how he threatened him not to touch Hinata's hand.

Sasuke glanced at Hinata, whose face betrayed her displeasure. Her eyes had hardened, and he noticed how she stepped closer to him, as to protect him from them. He smirked in amusement under his mask. He could tell from their chakra signature that they were certainly strong. However, they definitely were not strong enough to even scratch him.

Hinata slightly narrowed her eyes as she watched the three Hyuga generals approaching her. She saw Akio first and could not help but sigh internally. Her eyes then settled on the two other generals accompanying him. She recognised the twins Hidaki and Hideharu Hyuga. They were both prominent generals within the clan and were much older than Akio. She did not have a good feeling about this.

"Hidaki-san, Hideharu-san, Akio-san." Greeted the heiress.

They slightly bowed their heads in response. Hideharu looked at the ANBU behind Hinata, before exchanging glances with his twin brother.

"Hinata-sama, you should return to the festival. People will talk if they see you alone with a man." Gently said Hideharu as he locked eyes with the heiress.

Sasuke rolled his eyes behind the eagle mask. This reminded him of the Uchiha clan rules, which were painfully similar to the Hyugas'. He recalled his female cousins being told the same.

"I choose whom I wish to speak to, Hideharu-san." Sharply replied the heiress. "The clan will talk about me whatever I do anyway."

The Uchiha was pleasantly surprised to see the heiress standing her ground. He knew that she was not as timid as in the olden days, however, he was pleased to see that she had a backbone. He noted that the twin seemed to be taken aback by her reply. Hideharu was clever enough to not press the matter any further. A smirk stretched the Uchiha's lips.

His other twin seemed to be much less understanding.

"You hold the Hyuga clan's reputation on your shoulders. You must be aware of the consequences of your actions." Stated Hidaki Hyuga, narrowing his eyes. "Hiashi-sama will not let it slide if strange rumours start to circulate in the village."

"I know better than any of you how it is to bear the weight of the clan's reputation." Hinata stared straight into the twin's eyes. "I will deal with Father myself if anything happens."

Sasuke wondered how such a gentle voice could sound so threatening at the same time. He was starting to get irritated by the three Hyugas. Hinata was more than capable of handling her own affairs. He did not voice his opinion and stayed silent, as he did not want to make the situation worse for the heiress. He watched Hideaki's jaw clench as he listened to his heiress' reply. Sasuke's smirk grew wider.

Hinata was starting to get impatient. Why were they treating her like a child? She was hoping that they understood now, and that they would leave her alone.

"Identify yourself, ANBU." Akio Hyuga finally spoke, his piercing eyes on Sasuke. "You are on Hyuga grounds and must take your mask off upon request."

The tone Akio used to speak to him unnerved the survivor. He glanced at the heiress, who stiffened. They both knew that if he revealed his identity, things would get worse. If he did not and fled, Hinata would suffer the consequences. Taking his decision in a matter of seconds, the Uchiha took off his eagle mask, revealing his pale face. He also stopped concealing his chakra.

The three Hyugas' eyes widened as they recognised the shinobi standing in front of them. Akio was the first one to react, seething with rage as he stared at the heiress.

"Him? Again?" He asked aggressively. "You cannot befriend him, Hinata-sama!"

"I was requested to guard the compound by Hisato Hyuga." Intervened the Uchiha in an attempt to calm the angry general.

"This does not matter." Akio turned towards Sasuke with a threatening glint in his eyes. "Do not approach Hinata-sama. The Uchihas only bring chaos and blood. Your clan was so rotten that your own brother killed them. You are just a bunch of traitors and murderers."

"Akio-san, that is enough." Hinata left Sasuke's side and approached the general to try to reason with him.

"Calm down Akio, this is unnecessary." Hideaki warned, glancing at the youngest general. He was also displeased by the presence of the Uchiha, but this was not the way to settle this matter.

Akio ignored their warnings and passed by the heiress as he approached the Uchiha survivor so that only a small distance separated them. He was slightly shorter than Sasuke, however, this did not stop him from staring straight into the Uchiha's dark eyes, holding his head high.

He was absolutely furious. He did not understand why the heiress of a noble clan like the Hyuga had to always be around this traitor. Like many, Akio did not trust him. He did not need his Byakugan to see the flash of anger in the survivor's onyx eyes. Seeing this made him internally rejoice.

"The war was caused by your relatives. We lost so many lives because of your pathetic clan and your greed for power and blood." Spat the youngest Hyuga general, as he remembered Neji's death. "I still do not understand how you are allowed to roam freely in our village."

"Akio, I think we should stop here." Said Hideharu, as he walked towards the angry general. He put a hand on his arm. "You are going too far."

The youngest general pushed Hiheharu's hand away, as he continued to stare at Sasuke. "In the end, even if people claim that your brother was serving Konoha's interests, we all know that he was truly as greedy as the others. He killed his entire clan out of greed for power!"

The air suddenly shifted with a chilling aura, suffocating the heiress and the generals. They could feel Sasuke's strong killing intent wrapping them, causing goosebumps to appear all over their pale skin. Hinata felt her heart rate increase and realised that she could not move.

Her pale orbs glanced at the dark-haired shinobi in front of her. She noticed how tense his shoulders were, radiating with murderous rage. Hinata had heard of Sasuke's ruthlessness in the past. Stories of how he killed his only brother, Orochimaru and Danzo spread widely in Konoha at the time. It was her first time witnessing Sasuke displaying such a strong killing intent. She knew that he could end Akio's life in mere seconds if he wanted to.

She was afraid. Her body and her instincts were telling her to run away. She suddenly recalled Ino informing her that a flee on sight warning was issued by all the neighbouring countries to anyone who encountered the avenger. She finally understood why by just feeling his aura and chakra. This was the aura of a shinobi who killed countless of people. This was Sasuke Uchiha, the avenger. The ex-missing nin who killed Orochimaru, Danzo and many others. Wielder of the Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan.

She looked down at her feet. She needed to move. Now. She knew that if she did not intervene, Akio would be in danger. She did not condone any of Akio's words, and was herself extremely angry at his behaviour. She however had to stop this before anything serious happened. She noticed that the twin generals were in Gentle Fist position, with their Byakugan activated. She was close enough to see their hands slightly shaking.

She barely blinked and realised that the Uchiha had drawn his katana, which was now pointing at Akio's neck.

"Sasuke-san!" Hinata pleaded, in an attempt to calm him down. The Uchiha did not even flinch at her voice.

Hinata took a deep breath, and slowly stepped toward the dark-haired shinobi. It was probably an idiotic move to approach the Uchiha in this state. But the heiress knew that she could not take him on. She had no other choice but to be diplomatic.

"Sasuke-san. Please." She softly said, as she gently grabbed the survivor's pale wrist holding the sharp katana. She could feel his tense muscles and the radiating anger under his warm skin.

She looked up at his face. His sharingan spun dangerously, while his rinnegan glinted darkly. Her moonlike eyes widened as she recognised the emotion in the Uchiha's eyes. He was in pain. Hinata felt her chest tighten.

Sasuke was seconds away from slicing the general's head. He rarely lost his cool, even when people like Akio would say hurtful words against his clan. He understood their feelings, as it was true that Obito and Madara caused the war. However, Akio crossed the line when he ridiculed his brother's sacrifice.

He heard Hinata's gentle voice calling out his name. He ignored her, focused on how to painfully kill the Hyuga in front of him. He suddenly sensed the heiress move, half-expecting her to shield Akio from him.

He slightly flinched when he felt her hand gently grabbing his wrist, which snapped him out of his anger. To his surprise, he felt his tense body relax under her soft touch despite the fact that he despised any kind of physical contact.

He slowly turned his head towards Hinata as he came back to his senses. Her glossy wide eyes were pleading him to stop. He had a choice. He could either kill Akio Hyuga and cause an uproar in the Hyuga clan or avoid a murder and calm down.

The Uchiha breathed in sharply, as he took a step back. He gently pulled his wrist away from Hinata's grasp and looked at the three generals in front of him without deactivating his dojutsu. He slid his katana behind his back.

"I will kill you if I see you again." His aggressive tone made the three generals' gulp.

The twins deactivated their Byakugan and grabbed Akio by his shoulders to pull him towards them in order to put a safe distance between him and the Uchiha. Although Akio still held the Uchiha's gaze with pride, the twins could feel his body shaking under their fingers.

"How can you defend him, Hinata-sama?" Angrily asked Akio, bothered by the fact that she touched a lowly man like the traitor.

Hinata slowly walked towards the three generals while activating her Dojutsu. Her pearly eyes were piercing into Akio's. Only a few inches separated their faces.

"Akio Hyuga. I will not repeat myself. Leave. Now."

The general's eyes widened, as he gulped. His heiress' voice was as sharp as a sword. Her eyes were flashing with an anger that he had never seen in her. He found himself to be speechless for the first time.

"We apologise for Akio's behaviour, Hinata-sama. We will leave now." Said Hideharu, as he bowed again, followed by his twin.

The generals strongly grabbed Akio's arms and lead him away from the heiress.

Hinata watched them leave, and once she ensured that they were out of hearing distance, she deactivated her Byakugan and turned around to face Sasuke. She genuinely felt ashamed of her clan members. She bowed deeply.

"I sincerely apologise on behalf of Akio-san. I know that apologies cannot erase his hurtful words, but…"

"Lift your head." Ordered the Uchiha. "It's not your fault."

Surprised, Hinata obeyed as she met his gaze. She could still see the hurt in his eyes.

"I'm used to this." He confessed, as he covered his face with his ANBU mask. "Although I did not expect him to go as far as insulting Itachi's sacrifice. That made me lose my temper."

It pained Hinata to learn that he was used to these kinds of words. It did not surprise her though, as she knew very well how a certain part of the village talked about him. People seemed to forget that he too was human. She did not blame him for losing his temper. She would have done the same if she were in his shoes.

"I will see you tomorrow at Kakashi's." Said the avenger, his eyes on the Hyuga heiress.

Sasuke stared at the petite kunoichi in front of him. He could not understand how she had managed to snap him out of his anger with a simple touch. He wondered if she had somehow used the Gentle Fist on him without his knowledge.

Sasuke chased these thoughts out of his mind. He would dwell on them later. He nodded at the heiress before disappearing.

Hinata watched him vanish as the cool breeze he left behind gently touched her face. She wondered how strong the Uchiha mentally was, to be able to withstand such pain.

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other as they felt a familiar chakra flaring with murderous intent. They both knew who it was.

"Gaara, cover for me and Sakura. We need to go now." Whispered the blonde in the Kazekage's ears.

Gaara nodded in understanding, as he watched the couple leave with concern.

The couple were a few meters away as they watched a Hyuga accusing the Uchiha clan of horrendous acts. They both noticed how fast the avenger had drawn his katana to Akio's neck.

"He is going to kill him!" Said the medic-nin, running faster.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing Naruto to also stop. The couple watched from afar how Hinata had somehow managed to calm the Uchiha down by just touching his wrist.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she observed the interaction between the heiress and the survivor. She knew for a fact that Sasuke absolutely hated any kind of physical contact, except for Naruto's occasional hand over his shoulders. He sometimes also tolerated her touch when it came to healing only. Seeing him relax under someone else's touch was unusual. She felt an uneasy feeling spreading in her chest, as her eyes remained fixated on them. She then glanced at Naruto next to her. His face betrayed his surprise and confusion.

The three generals passed by them, as Naruto and Sakura continued to observe the interaction between their friends with shock.

"Did Hinata actually manage to calm Sasuke down?" Whispered the blonde shinobi, glancing at his wife.

"Apparently so…" Bitterly replied the medic-nin, the uneasy feeling still present in her chest.

Hinata bowed to the last guests leaving the premises. She let a sigh of relief when the final guest finally left the compound. She could at last change her clothes and let her hair loose. She almost ran to her room to take her heavy kimono off. She made a note to deal with Akio the next day, as she was still angry at his shameful behaviour.

She brushed her long hair and tied it into a bun, before slipping into her bed. She did not wait long to fall asleep.

That night, she dreamt of a dark-haired shinobi with a spinning sharingan.