foreword: all I have are excuses, and excuses aren't reasons. So I will not write a long paragraph on why this took a year+ to update. I humbly apologize and hope this chapter and the next ones make up for it.
My One In A Million
Chapter Fifteen:
Three frightened Genin teams, four hours and a field later, Sasuke felt like he was finally done with his workout for the day.
It would be winter soon, so says the scent in the wind, the temperature was dropping gradually too. He didn't mind the rainy season, what he hated was the snowy days where everything was as dead as night and cold as stone.
His body recovered remarkably fast, only a few weeks out of the hospital and he was already capable of summoning Susanoo, completely control amaterasu and even attempt the more advanced techniques he'd learned after obtaining Itachi's eyes.
The only downside was the splitting headache that hit him mercilessly afterwards, and the painful stab of pain at the base of his spine if he pushed his body too hard.
The sun was dipping into the horizon, signaling the end of the day, but his work wasn't quite over.
Without bothering with the excitement on the streets –the villagers always found a reason or another to celebrate and get drunk- he pushed through the crowds and headed towards the Hokage tower. What was once the rebuilding committee hallway just to the left of the tower double doors, what had been busy with men and women arranging materials and ordering supplies, was now a deserted storage area. To him it was only a few weeks ago that he walked through here with Naruto by his side, but in reality, it had been months since the last time anyone's ever set foot here.
It was troublesome that he had to request missions in person since he refused to be put on the list of available ninja for hire. Maybe he should just file a request for an actual job at the employment office two floors up instead of taking random assignments every few days.
…Nah.
Naruto couldn't stay away from the village any longer, he must have received news of his recovery and will be here soon, he would leave the minute the blonde returned, a regular job would just hold him back.
The woman on the desk today was visually familiar but he couldn't be bothered to remember her name.
She didn't look too concerned about people seeing through her mesh shirt at the big breasts underneath. "You're not fit for missions, kiddo, come back when you're cleared from rehab." She dropped his file to the table and plucked out a bamboo skewer from her mouth, unaware of having dumpling glaze dribbling down her chin. "Unless you want a position with agriculture, topless and bent over a haystack…?" She grinned at his unimpressed expression. "Well, what else do you want me to suggest? I don't have battle missions fit for your current abilities… Actually besides the fact that you're the only other pupil Orochimaru ever trained, I know nothing about you." Her grin spread wider when he was too interested to change the subject but too skeptical of her to ask about it. She pulled at the collar of her shirt, offering him her white neck. "I'll show you my curse seal if you show me yours."
Ah, now he remembered her name. Mitarashi Anko. No wonder he kept thinking of colorful dumplings the minute he walked in, not that there was an empty cup of tea and traces of syrup on the desk or anything. "Unless you're interested in a snake gallery or have someone who needs to be tortured to death in illusion, this conversation is over."
As if her 'work' button was pushed, she schooled her face into a professional expression and pretended to shuffle through the papers on her desk. "Well, there are always openings for Academy teachers-"
"No."
She never missed a beat, and moved on to the next scroll. "Chuunin exam proctor, position: Intimidator." At his silent contemplation, she explained, "You use the power of intimidation and maybe some harmless jutsu to sift out the softies before they go into the forest of death." With a grunt, she hauled her plaster-coated leg over the table for him to see. "I'd take it up myself, but a beautiful boa constrictor thought it'd be funny to turn my shin into puree, so someone else has to fill in this year."
If possible, he'd rather have something that required minimum to no contact with snotty, sniveling children thinking they were tough guys. "Anything else?"
Her mouth curved up at the sound of his defeat. "The Yamanaka flower shop put up a wanted ad for a part time worker because their daughter is getting married." His eyes narrowed at the mere mention of the name, so she gave him a nudge. "Wrapping up bouquets is good finger rehab if you ask me."
He shifted his weight impatiently. "When do the exams start?"
She laughed. "In four days. You're not allowed to actually kill anyone, you know."
"Unfortunately."
X x x x
The exam day, he was decked out to be as intimidating as possible. Of course, he was Uchiha Sasuke, he could be in his underwear and kids will still be intimidated. They made the mistake of giving him the chance to go all-out to mentally scar someone and he would make damn sure to use it to the fullest.
His kimono was bland and dark at the front, but the minute he turned around and the kids saw the bold emblem of the Uchiha clan, hah! Some kid actually peed his pants.
He thought it'd be amusing to wrap his hands in gauze as if he was ready for a fight but it turned out to be too much work considering how short his role was. a jingling pouch of weapons hung idly by his side out of his obi. His trusted sword pressed snugly against his lower back even when he doubted he'd get a chance to draw it.
The patch on his eye was probably what disturbed the kids the most; ironically, it was the only accessory he actually needed.
Now that his left eye was in top condition, he could see in the mirror that his hair had grown a few gray patches, Shizune told him it was temporary because of the stress his body had gone through, but how long did 'temporary' last? He'd been out of the hospital for more than a month now and they're still there, aesthetics were never important enough for him to try to change it. It stopped bothering him when he realized that he'd been having a hard time getting any decent sleep lately, testimony of the dark circles around his eyes. Maybe the gray hairs would disappear once he was tired enough to catch himself a dreamless hour or two.
His scanned the few teams in the clearing outside the entrance to the forbidden forest for the last time, whenever he looked a Genin in the eye they'd jump and look away except for that one teenager who held his gaze steadily. The boy's face was vaguely familiar but he couldn't pinpoint where he'd seen him exactly. Maybe he'd murdered his family or crushed his home during the war, who knew. Faces and names meant nearly nothing to him nowadays.
At least this boy wasn't too afraid to look at him, maybe this village could produce a fighter with a backbone after all.
A team of Genin approached the clearing with the intention to waltz through as if he wasn't there, he turned his back to the groups in time to catch an Anbu member hidden in the trees give the OK, that was all of the candidates.
They stood there mumbling to each other for the longest moment until he turned to them with an annoyed sneer. "What do you want?"
"W- We passed the written test." One of the two boys said, his eyes were defiant but his posture was nervous.
Sasuke allowed himself to be amused. "Good for you. If you think you're good enough, go ahead and join the others."
It was thrilling how his words were simple and innocent but somehow convinced the kids to not take his word at face value. Just by being spoken by Uchiha Sasuke, all words turned into a threat.
"Just like that?"
"Unless you don't trust me with your back?" He let his arms hang idly by his side; his palm was comfortably close to his kunai pouch. The girl whimpered and hid behind one of the boys. "You'd better go to mommy if you're scared."
"We're not scared. Come on." The team followed the courageous member and joined the others in the clearing. Everyone released a collective sigh of relief as they thought the test was passed once they were allowed through, unaware that the actual test was just about to begin.
A small eagle soared over their heads, drawing the attention of the anxious Genin who have been waiting a whole hour for the gates of the forest to open, the wind from it's wings grazed their heads then landed on his shoulder with a low screech. In that moment when everyone's eyes were on his, the sky melted into a dull gray haze and the ground beneath them shook with what felt like a minor earthquake.
Snakes of every color and size burst out of the ground and landed like rain over the children who were not prepared for battle. Chaos took over in no time, screaming, random names of Jutsu and cries of fright filled the air. Some children were bitten in the neck and lay drowning in their own blood, others lost a limb or two, some kids watched in horror a giant snake swallow their teammates one after the other. The forest caught fire and surrounded them from all sides, no escape. A giant monster of smoke towered over them with a sword rising high above his head as he gained momentum to crush them like ants, in it's mouth the screams of a thousand anguished souls.
And then it was over.
The teams found themselves in the same spot they had been before the frightening vision happened, safe and silent and in a sunny field surrounded with pleasant greenery. In a parody of the chaos that had been in their minds, the adrenaline rush caused a kid to run out of the clearing screaming that the crazy psychopath was going to kill them for real if they stayed; it spread panic to the others and several teams found themselves running away as fast as they could.
The ones that remained made up seven teams in total; despite being noticeably shaky and traumatized, they stood their ground and kept their bodies tense for battle. Sasuke wasn't a fan of odd numbers, but it only meant things will be interesting when it was time for one-on-one battle in the arena.
Overall, he considered it a job well done.
Once the gates to the forest were open and the competitors disappeared into the greenery, he made his way to the building at the very center where the teams will eventually congregate, then pushed his way through the doors to the teachers' lounge.
The room was full of Jounin and instructors chatting over tea as they waited for the teams to find their way here. Some Anbu members stood at attention at doorways and windows in case of an emergency. As a Genin, he never thought the adults in charge of the process would be so relaxed. Going through his own exam was a stressful and dangerous experience. Having been interrupted by Orochimaru, receiving a seal in the neck and then their team getting attacked by sound nin of a higher level. To learn that they'd gone through all that danger while the teachers were having tea and cake disgusted him.
His eyes instinctively landed on familiar faces, Iruka, Naruto's younger friend- what was his name… Konohamaru?- and Hyuuga Hanabi. She didn't notice him at first as she was too busy with what seemed to be a gripping conversation with the third Hokage's grandson; the silence that filled the room at his entry alarmed everyone to his presence and he noticed that she was pointedly not looking at him.
Conversation flourished back to full volume when he turned away and let the doors swing shut behind him. there was very little he could do to the exam takers at the moment, but standing around and commenting about the weather when someone out there could be bleeding to death wasn't an answer.
Besides, if there was something he hated more than girls fawning over him, it's small talk.
Their tea must taste awful, anyway.
Thankfully, if there was one thing he could trust about the village it would be that there are vending machines everywhere.
He punched the button to order himself a bottle of hot green tea and leaned against as he sipped his drink.
Halfway through his drink, the teacher's lounge doors pushed open to let out a small figure and the closer it approached under the buzzing lights the shorter he noticed it was; Hanabi. Only a few months of age separated her from Sarutobi's grandson, unofficially granting her the title of youngest Chuunin on the force.
Or at least that's what he read in an old magazine Hinata had stacked in the storage room, along with several other outdated publications that featured news about any Hyuuga member.
Hanabi approached with her head held high and her back straight. She didn't have to say anything for him to understand that she absolutely hated his guts. "Thank you for your hard work."
He just nodded, not in the mood for fake pleasantries.
Edgy, she huffed and fished into the pocket of her jacket for a coin to slip into the slot, and shot him a wary glance before retrieving a bottle of banana milk from the chilled drinks machine. "So how're you?"
"Fine."
"What's with your eye?"
He regarded her for a moment, aware of the effect of his silence on her nerves. "Wearing it frightens them."
"Oh." She drank her milk slowly, looking at everything but his face. "So how many of them passed?"
"Seven. Four teams from the leaf. And one each from The Sand, The Cloud, and The Lightening."
She nodded her understanding.
"You're up and working already; merciless system or you were just too bored to stay in bed?"
"I recover fast." She tossed her head back to get the last of her milk then chucked the bottle into the waste basket a few feet away. Finally, she found the courage to state what she really came here for. "Listen… Thanks for helping me when you did… You know, at the hospital and all that."
He didn't like her attitude. "Careful not to bow too quickly, you might hit your head on the floor."
Just as her name implied, she instantly flared up like a firecracker. "I'm thankful to you but I'm not happy about owing you! I think you're the worst person to ever walk this earth, you know! Now that I know what's inside your head I'm surprised I'm letting myself talk to you!"
"So walk away."
"I will, but I want to say everything now, because I don't want to have to talk to you again!" her eyes were fierce and in her anger, the veins around her eyes threatened to fill up. "Thank you, Uchiha, for saving my life. I'll do whatever I can to repay you as long as you don't ask for something ridiculous. But that's it, I'm not loyal to you or think you're a person worthy of my time, you don't even deserve to be called human." He just watched with a blank expression and sipped his tea. She could have been talking about the weather and he'd be just as interested. "I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes, they really did let you near the Genin teams! Allowed you to attack them, no less; you, someone who wouldn't think twice about killing your own family. Hmph, ridiculous."
"Are you done?" He asked calmly, "Your voice is annoying."
"I'm done." She huffed again, relieved. "Also, word is still around that you're engaged to my sister. Do something about it."
"It's not my problem, tell her that yourself." He motioned with his chin for her to look back.
Two Anbu, a team of Genin and Hyuuga Hinata were the first to walk through the open doors. He couldn't help but be slightly surprised that she was participating in the exams, she clearly told him she declined the offer of work at the academy, yet she is here. Maybe she signed up for the mission without being directly employed at the academy just like he did, but why?
She crossed his mind lesser and lesser lately, which was good. He'd caught himself thinking about her too many times a day at some point, damn her for being a confusing puzzle.
She looked different now that she was wearing a standard issue Jounin jacket over a long-sleeved shirt, pitch-black pants and dark gloves. Her mouth remained straight but her eyes smiled when she noticed him and Hanabi, but had to push through the first door in the corridor towards the emergency room to deliver the unconscious child in her arms. The masked members of the special forces turned on their heel and went back outside without a word.
"Whoa, you guys are quick!" Hanabi's tone changed drastically from enemy to homeroom teacher, she seemed to know the two members who have been escorted in. "How'd you find your way here without interruptions?"
"Our team mate got hurt the minute we went into the trees, so the medics took her to the emergency wing. We just followed them when they weren't looking." The same boy who met his gaze unwaveringly in the clearing stood there, grinning. His attitude reminded him of a younger Naruto. "Pretty smart, huh?"
"You were always a rascal." Hanabi shook her head in dismay. "Well, smart or not, you made it. Go straight ahead and then turn left at the first corridor for the waiting area. Rest up, believe me you'll need it for the single battles."
"Have I seen you before?" He asked the boy suddenly, all eyes were on him.
The boy wasn't afraid to turn to him and bow respectfully. "Yes, I and my sister Ami owe you our lives."
Ami… Ami… He'd heard that name before but it didn't belong to someone important. Strangely, it reminded him of the sensation of being hugged from behind and having cold water in his face.
"How'd that ever happen?" Hanabi narrowed her eyes at the two boys. "I can't imagine this guy helping anyone but himself."
"When the old ninja academy was on fire." The boy said as if it was a tragic event that everyone should remember vividly. "He rode on this giant eagle and picked us up from the window, he even carried her to safety himself. You remember it right, Hanabi-sensei? I saw him catch you when the building collapsed and you jumped out the window!"
Hanabi paled noticeably, but nodded her understanding.
Hinata exited the medical wing and approached them with a small smile. "Hello, is anyone else injured?"
"No, we're both fine." The boy said.
"Too fine." Sasuke noted, and said nothing when the boy grinned knowingly. Was this their plan to begin with? Momentarily Sacrifice a team mate for the other two to reach the tower safely? Hm, he'd give them extra points for teamwork if his opinion mattered.
When the two Genin boys excused themselves and headed towards their designated area, Hanabi turned her attention to him and worked her jaw without actually saying anything.
Just to annoy her, he turned to the more interesting Hyuuga. "So you're with the medics?"
She jumped. "Y- Yes. We comb the forest for any injured Genin and help them."
"There wasn't something like that in our time."
She smiled, "Sakura chan suggested it a few years ago, it was the first thing she did when they put her in charge of the medical teams for the exams."
So the sappy Haruno was good for something after all. "Hm…"
"How have you been lately?" he imagined her voice had gone softer just a touch. "You're still covering your eye."
"It's just more intimidating this way."
"Does it still bleed?" was what she said, what he heard was 'If you say so, even though I'm sure it's not the whole truth.'
"Only in bright light." It amazed him how naturally she could strike up conversation even after having parted on bad terms. Was her life so eventful that she forgot what went on between them the last time they spoke?
"I hope you feel better soon."
"Mm." Or maybe it was his life that wasn't eventful enough to be distracting. He focused too much on the details of his interactions with people, maybe this was the natural way of coexisting between normal people; pretending that everything was fine as long as others were looking.
The sulking Hanabi looked to and fro between them, as if the conversation was too hard for her to understand. Sasuke saw this, and decided to be unusually nice to Hinata just to fish out a reaction. A little part of him wanted to hurt the little brat, too, for still remembering images he considered private. "Want anything to drink, princess?"
Hinata was already flushed from the effort of carrying an injured kid across the forest, but blushed redder at the sudden offer. "Eh? Really? Um, but I have to go back right now."
"That's why they serve them in bottles."
The back of her hand touched her lips as if to hold back a laugh. "Um… Okay, is there something warm?"
He shook the bottle in his hand, still half full. "This green tea isn't too bad."
"I'll have that, then. Thank you for your generosity!"
He offered his drink to her.
"Huh!? That's- that's yours! Oh no, is it the last one?! Then, never mind I don't need anything!"
He smirked, caught the fuming glare of a certain teenager, and casually slipped a coin into the slot to order Hinata a fresh bottle of hot green tea. She accepted it with flustered gratitude and excused herself on the pretense that she had to go back to the field in case someone else was injured.
In the silence that followed the last few minutes of sound and motion, Hanabi finally muttered her thoughts. "I think I convinced myself that the day the academy burned down was a figment of my imagination, because of how horrible I discovered you really were." It almost sounded like she was continuing a conversation that had never started. "I deduced, after being drowned for months in you, that you're nothing but a heartless opportunist… But that really did happen, huh? You really did save me."
She sighed at his guarded expression and brushed back her hair in frustration. "It always confused me why I had a crush on you back then. I mean, you've never been nice to anyone before, not even to your own friend; so why did I think you were good enough to like? You weren't funny or thoughtful or even noticed the others around you." The faintest scent of flowers lingered in the air between them while she looked at everything but his eyes. "But with her, you're different… I know all about you, but I'm seeing a proper human being capable of proper human conversation. It pisses me off, but I don't have to do anything about it even if you liked her to bits." Their eyes met for a long, tense moment, and then she grinned. "Because she loves only Naruto, did you know that? You don't stand a chance."
"Your logic has as many gaps as a fishing net." He quipped and pushed away from the vending machine to drop the bottle into the waste bin; it hit the bottom with a heavy thud as it was still half full. "You're a fool if you think you know anything about me, an even bigger one if you thought the great Uchiha would consider anyone as anything but temporary amusement."
His feet took him to that familiar hallway that led to the indoor arena with leisure, but his mind was zooming at lightning speed through everything he knew about life, recalculating everything.
Uchiha Sasuke, liking a girl?
Girls were ridiculous creatures; he'd established that fact a long time ago. They were weak, shallow, unreliable and emotionally unstable. They were always devious, plotting foxes chasing their own desires. Whether it was his money or his fame or his body, he never trusted a woman with any of them.
The only reason he would seriously consider a long term relationship with a female was if she was designated to providing him with children, to reach that point she'd have to be his wife and to be granted that status a girl had to pass through a list of nearly-impossible standards. Actually liking said wife wasn't even on his list of things-a-girl-should-have-to-qualify, so why would he waste time and energy liking a girl if he didn't need her to bear children?
What was it like to love someone in that manner, anyway? He wasn't one to hand out flowers or buy expensive chocolates, or like Naruto; humiliate himself in front of the girl to gain her affections. He'd never craved anyone's affections and if the thought ever crossed his mind in a moment of weakness, he could now crush it right away because he didn't need anyone.
People were fickle beings that could change their mind like the pendulum of a clock; one minute they're all over him, blushing while they offered promises of undying love, the next a woman is too insulted by his rejection that she wouldn't look him in the eye and in some cases, like a certain redhead with glasses, turn against him completely.
Sakura had shown a tendency to be indecisive, too, before she settled to liking only Naruto. It was confusing and unreliable, and the more women he met the more frequently he was reminded of it. If he was going to allow himself to rely on someone's affections, he should at least choose someone who was consistent and trusted to be there forever, like a mother or a daughter, someone who was hard-wired to put him first and foremost. Wives cheated, lovers broke up and mistresses always asked for a price.
Besides, to actually put himself in a position where he needed someone was a stretch; who would want to be at a disadvantage when they had the option to not rely on anyone at all?
Also, when –and if- that ever happened, such as with his unfortunate blond friend; why should the boy jump through so many hoops just to convince the girl that he liked her?
Why couldn't she just take his word for it?
Having to buy her expensive chocolates on Valentine's Day, flowers and a card when they're too far away to meet, confessing his love to her over and over on any and all occasions. Apologizing when he wasn't wrong, taking the blame for something he didn't do, and having to put up with monthly mood swings… Not only Naruto, he'd heard enough stories about couples breaking apart because the boy wasn't vocal enough about his feelings or the girl was too insecure.
Bah.
If the boy liked her, it should be obvious through actions and actions should be enough; if he didn't then he doesn't, and there's no helping it. Same with the girl: If two people can't reach a mutual understanding, then there's no use wasting time hoping a dud-explosive seal would work.
With that in mind… What did his actions say about Hyuuga Hinata?
He liked her smell, he hated her tendency to apologize without fully understanding her mistake. He liked that she didn't think of him as a crazy psycho but never really doubted his ability to kill someone if he wanted to. He hated how easily influenced she was, and the way she would stop talking when explaining something would take too long, but she understood his need for silence and personal space. He loved the feeling of holding her in his arms, and hated having known it. He liked how she took good care of her hair and nails, but hated the way she neglected common taste in her clothes. She was a so-so nurse, a good conversation partner and generous to her friends, but she would probably be worthless in an actual battle with those fragile limbs, she would take forever to understand sarcasm with that innocent mind and is more likely to switch sides the minute he hurt her loved ones.
Every time he found something he liked about her, his mind would shoot it down with something he didn't like. He was playing frigging badminton with his common sense, and it irritated him that he couldn't end it with one decisive hit.
It looks like it's no longer something he could put aside and hope it disappears of its own accord, it's been gnawing at him for a while now and the less he saw of her the more it occupied his mind. now Hanabi made sure that he'd never let it go, not when she'd gone and said it out loud. It was one of those things that bothered him until he reached a final conclusion, like that time he wanted to know his brother's whole story, and that idea Suigetsu planted in his head that Karen was actually a gay man who had a butler fetish, and the short-lived curiosity about how Tsunade looked like without the illusion she wore every day.
Did he like Hyuuga Hinata?
Did he not like Hyuuga Hinata?
A more thorough investigation was in order, it seems, and if he knew himself at all, he would sinfully enjoy every minute of the process of pursuing something –no matter how mundane- even if all he would find in the end is disappointment.
That, or an inconvenient attachment to a girl who was only interested in his best friend…