Okay first off I am SO sorry. I am so late T_T I've been working 60 hour weeks so I've been writing/sleeping any chance I get. So this chapter might not be the greatest since its been slowly being written for the past... *looks at calendar* two weeks. Gah. Either way... here you go.
"Niisan?"
"Hmm?"
"Why can't we be friends with other clans?" A three year old Sasuke asked as they sat on the back walk-way at their home. The setting sun was casting fiery colors over the small lake that sat just down the hill from them. They usually sat together to watch the new recruits for the Police force train in the fields. It was always fascinating to watch them train in rows and how they synced up as they moved.
Itachi leaned back onto his palms and closed his eyes. The wind carried up the sounds of the recruits below and then ruffled their hair. Sasuke had his knees up to his chest in a slight embrace with his cheek resting disappointingly against his knee. He thought back to when his father found out about his visits to the Hyuuga estate and the stern talk. Sasuke didn't see the harm, but it was apparently a bigger deal than he thought.
"You shouldn't question the wishes of Father." Itachi said finally although Sasuke wasn't convinced by his response. He lifted his head up with a small pout on his face. Itachi closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.
"Were you curious about the Hyuuga girl?"
"She had these crazy looking eyes." Sasuke said sheepishly. Itachi hid a small smile. Only being a few years older than Sasuke, he was still a child, but he had matured enough to be considered a young adult.
"It's their Kekkei Genaki." Itachi said as he sat up. "It is called the Byakugan and it can see far distances, chakra flows, chakra points and even more as it advances."
"W-Wow!" Sasuke whispered while his eyes widened. "That's so cool."
"The Sharingan is stronger and proven more useful in the field." Itachi said dryly. Sasuke frowned and let his legs stretch out in front of him. He was still too young to fully understand the concept of his own Kekkei Genkai or what made it so strong.
"Yeah, but I bet they'd be even stronger together." Sasuke said thoughtfully. "I hope one day I can use my Sharingan."
"You will." Itachi said as he stood up. "It will change everything."
There was a frown on Sasuke's lips as he looked up towards his brother. Itachi's Sharingan had come much earlier than predicted and he was excelling well within the Academy. Sasuke suddenly felt jealous. It wasn't often he was jealous of Itachi, or anyone, for that matter. Sasuke was care free and had little to worry about. He usually just admired his brother, but now he had a feeling to become just as strong.
His father talked day and night of Itachi's bright future as an Uchiha in a bustling world of ninja. Sasuke often wondered why his father wouldn't talk about him although there wasn't much that could be said for the child. It was around this time that Sasuke stopped being so curious about the others around him and started to concentrate on becoming something that his clan could be proud of.
The clinking sounds of kunai interrupted his thoughts and he stood up to see the recruits below working on their close combat skills. Sasuke felt a large grin spread across his face in glee and he looked to his older brother expecting to see the same expression. Itachi's face was void of anything; in fact he wasn't even looking in the direction of the ninja below. His eyes were far off into the distance and his lips were a thin line.
"Niisan?" Sasuke asked quietly. Ever since he had gone to the Academy, he saw an extreme change of behavior with Itachi. They would no longer share secret giggles when their Father would fall asleep sitting up at the dinner table. Itachi stopped sneaking into Sasuke's room to tell him stories.
"I read something today," he said slowly as if in a trance. "I can't stop thinking about it."
"Oh. What did you read about?"
There was a very long pause and Sasuke stepped forward to tug on Itachi's sleeve. Itachi's dark eyes widened while changing into the Sharingan and out of reflex his hand shot down to grip Sasuke's wrist tightly. He yelped out of surprise and stared deep into Itachi's eyes. They looked like a wild animal's and that at any moment he could harm him. After several tense seconds, Itachi immediately released Sasuke's wrist and he shut his eyes. Rubbing his eyelids, Itachi felt the Sharingan retreat and he opened them to see the sad expression on his brother's face.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry." He mumbled. Itachi watched his eyes welling up with tears. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and looked away.
"I'll never be as good as you, Niisan." Sasuke murmured. Itachi smiled childishly and then flicked Sasuke in the forehead.
"Ow!" Sasuke rubbed the reddening spot on his head and sent a pouting glare to his brother, but he couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Never say never, Sasuke."
It was the same wild look in Itachi's eyes that Sasuke remembered. It was inhuman and it was not who his brother was—not even before his death. Sasuke watched helplessly as Kabuto began to slice through the skin around Itachi's eye. Everything was in slow motion as if he was locked in place with shock and with fear. His hand was shaking as his sword remained lodged into Itachi's stomach.
It was as if his nervous system was failing; he screamed at himself to do something. He screamed at himself to stop Kabuto and to save his brother but his muscles weren't responding. Sasuke could feel Itachi's blood on his face trickle down his cheeks.
"Sasuke-kun!" That voice that always sent shivers down his spine and caused his stomach to feel strange caused a ripple in his hypnotic stance. His eyes rolled to the side in his head to watch a lion-infused shuriken spin towards Kabuto's hand.
It collided with the metal scalpel causing it to fly from his grasp and land several feet away. Sasuke felt as if things were speeding back up to normal speed as this had snapped him out of his daze. With a wince, he pulled his sword from Itachi's stomach and quickly moved to try to get to Kabuto. This proved to be more difficult as he was using his brother as a human shield. He smirked as he could clearly see Sasuke's frustration and unusual flustered expression.
"What's the matter, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto said as he continued to jerk back Itachi each time Sasuke went towards him. "Isn't this what you wanted?"
He didn't give him a chance to say a word as Kabuto's eyes went from Sasuke towards the snake still battling against Gamabunta. It was a tough but evenly matched battle that was thoroughly destroying the landscape around them. Naruto and the giant toad were finding its movements to be faster than previously thought and could just barely keep up. Kabuto jerked back his head which caused the giant snake to suddenly stop mid attack and start on its way towards them.
"Oh no you don't!" Gamabunta grunted. "I'm not done with you." The giant toad reached out and grabbed the snake's tail which caused a disgruntled hiss. It reached back to lunge at the toad and resume the fight against the wishes of Kabuto. It didn't seem to bother him as the other snake, which had thoroughly defeated Kiba and Akamaru, was there to assist. It slithered quickly and then leapt up in the air to travel underground.
"Sasuke-kun! Watch out!" Hinata called out. The ground was shaking as if an earthquake was erupting all around them and Sasuke leaped out of the way just in time for the snake to emerge below them. With the hasty escape, Kabuto was now standing atop of the snake's head with Itachi still in his grasp. His laugh echoed once the dust settled and Kabuto reached into his pack for another scalpel.
"Finally… all my hard work has paid off." He muttered with a slightly exasperated tone.
It had been a while since Sasuke had felt this much emotion; he felt shock, anger, sadness and even guilt. Sasuke didn't like toying with done deals. Itachi had died and he was able to leave it at that. He was able to move on with his life. Kabuto was messing with the dead and the laws of life.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi said. His voice was urgent. Sasuke ignored him and brought his sleeve up to wipe his brother's blood from his face. He knew that he had to get to Kabuto before he took Itachi's eye and wreaked havoc with the Two Vision Kekkei Genkai. He was about to leap upwards towards the head of the snake when he saw something that caused his heart to momentarily stop.
Itachi's limp body was falling from up above. Sasuke had to make a split decision; catch his dying brother or prevent Kabuto implanting the Sharingan into his own body. He gritted his teeth and jumped up just in time to grab Itachi before he hit the ground. There were a lot of things in his life that were gruesome—his slain clan was at top of the list and even some of the disturbing things he found Orochimaru doing. Looking back, it was all very faint. This was smacking him right in the face as Itachi was missing an eye and was essentially bleeding to death. The man was incoherent and didn't even seem to know where he was or who he was. Sasuke felt his knees getting wobbly and the weight from Itachi caused him to fall to the ground.
"Sasuke-kun!" He heard Hinata's voice cry out to him and the next thing he knew she was there on the other side of him. Sasuke's dull eyes looked up to hers and he could hear that she was talking, but the words were getting far away. There was something surging inside of his body and it felt familiar. It was the same anger that fueled his life of becoming stronger and it was the same sudden jolt of adrenaline that kept him going for so long.
Sasuke looked over his shoulder and Sakura was busy tending to a wounded Kiba while Kakashi and Shino were attempting to distract the snake. His gaze returned to Hinata who had a mixed expression of fear and the willingness to help.
"Stay with him," Sasuke said firmly. Hinata could feel her throat tighten as her eyes looked down towards Itachi. Sasuke was so strong even at the worst possible moments of his life. She nodded.
"Don't worry." She said quietly but with some confidence to her tone. Sasuke held up a hand to cup her cheek momentarily but he did it so quickly that Hinata didn't have a chance to blush. He stood up and unsheathed his katana.
Hinata wasted little time grabbing the hem of her purple long sleeved shirt and began to tear the fabric. She gently used this to wrap around the open gash where Itachi's eye used to be and this caused the bleeding to subside for the time being. He seemed unfazed by everything and just moaned as she tried to apply pressure to the stomach wound.
The air began to feel buzzy as electricity surged through Sasuke's body. He opened his eyes to reveal the Sharingan's set target: the large snake that was causing problems to the rest of the ninja. With his katana in his hand, the bolts of lightning began to ruffle his hair before it traveled down the long blade. His feet pushed back dirt as he suddenly took off with incredible speed that was simply feeding off the anger.
Summons were easier to fight with summons, but the snake wasn't Sasuke's enemy—Kabuto was. Sasuke caught the eye of Kakashi who nodded as if he was aware of what was happening. Kakashi leaped out of the way of swishing tail end of the snake and threw together signs as several Shadow Clones appeared then dispersed around it. Each held up a hand with the screech of the Chidori filling the air.
This didn't give the snake much choice but to go after them one after another. Sasuke smirked slightly as it caught the summon off guard. He jumped into the air and quickly sped up the back of the snake with the electricity in the blade dancing. With the Sharingan, he could see Kabuto huddled down on his hands and knees within a crook of the scales atop of the snake.
Flashes of his brother and his family shot through his mind while the adrenaline of locking into his target went into over drive. He thought about Itachi and all the feelings that he never addressed after his death. Sasuke even thought about Hinata and the loss of her own father. It was all fuel to the raging fire as he got closer to Kabuto. He lifted up his blade ready to send the lethal shots of electricity through Kabuto's body.
He could see him knelt over with his wrist covering his eyes and the millisecond before Sasuke's blade sliced Kabuto in half, he saw a sly grin upon his lips. The sword carried through and electricity dazzled all around until Sasuke realized that Kabuto was not there. ... It wasn't a clone? The lightning faded and he suddenly felt a presence behind him. Sasuke swung around seeing no one and then he felt a fist land straight into his jaw.
This sent him flying backwards onto the snake's head and Sasuke looked around wildly. Even the Sharingan couldn't keep up with his moves. … Ni Bijon… The words of Hyuuga Hiashi echoed in his mind. The Ni Bijon can essentially foresee the future. Kabuto was seeing each move Sasuke had in his arsenal several seconds before he could even think of them.
"Sasuke-kun…!" Kabuto's voice echoed around him. Sasuke could feel more anger surging through his body. Finally, the man appeared behind him several feet away and Sasuke whipped around to see him.
"It sure is fitting…" Kabuto said as he blinked. "One Byakugan… and one Sharingan. Aren't the colors striking?"
The light blue and the dark red were such a contrast that it looked sickening. Sasuke tried to stand straight but he could feel vomit in his throat threatening to come out. There was dried blood around Kabuto's eye socket from hastily cutting his own eye out. Sasuke had seen worse things—things that were more brutal and gruesome but this was different. He recalled learning of his own clan taking each other's Sharingan for the Mangekyo and even came to realize his brother's reasoning behind having it.
Sasuke was cold and he was selfish but he was not one to steal and certainly not to betray. Itachi wanted him to acquire the Mangekyo through Naruto but he refused. He was not going to murder for strength. Sasuke wasn't like Orochimaru or his brother. The only way Sasuke would kill was to get revenge… to avenge… to make that one person suffer as they did to others.
"You might have reached your goal, but I still have yet to reach mine." Sasuke muttered. "And even if it takes me ten years… I follow through. You should know that."
Kabuto's smile didn't falter but within milliseconds, the man disappeared and Sasuke just barely missed a kunai to the ribs. The snake they were standing on was very hard to grasp footing so Sasuke began to descend to try to get to firm ground. Kabuto was there to meet him at his destination and their blades instantly clashed.
If Kabuto was facing any other opponent, they would most certainly perish against the Ni Bijon. Sasuke had the upper hand with having the Sharingan and he was able to somehow (and sloppily) dodge attacks. Combining the two Kekkei Genkai meant 'time travel' or in realistic terms seeing what an opponent will do farther ahead than the prediction of the Sharingan. The Ni Bijon did more than copy moves, it saw the future.
Hinata watched helplessly several feet away with Itachi's head in her lap. Sasuke was having a hard time keeping up with Kabuto's strikes and it was one of the first times she had ever seen the Uchiha be challenged. Itachi moaned and she glanced down to wipe sweaty locks of hair from his forehead. Fever… She could see the resemblances in him and Sasuke. Itachi had more frown lines and his eyebrows almost seemed permanently furrowed. Even his jaw line was similar.
"Hinata!" Sakura's voice rang out as she sprinted over towards them. Her eyes widened upon realizing that it was the eldest of the brothers and she slowly sank to her knees at his side.
"T-This is…!" She whispered. Sakura sat and stared at the man before snapping to her senses. "You did good to stop the bleeding of the eye… but we must tend to the stomach wound first. It is the most fatal."
Green chakra lit up on her palms as she began to apply it although the expression on her face was grim. Hinata let her hand rest on Itachi's forehead and a frown settled onto her lips.
"Sakura… he's got a high fever." She said. Sakura nodded and slowly boosted the amount of healing within the chakra.
"His wounds are not good. If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die."
Those words were expected although they sent a shiver down her spine. Die… Die again. Hinata was aware of the relationship that Sasuke and Itachi had. Sasuke built his entire life around that man and took the help of a feared villain just to reach his level. Although finding and defeating Itachi was his main goal, Sasuke never really mentioned the outcome if at all. In fact, Hinata didn't know much of anything about Itachi except for what was in the history books.
Would Sasuke be glad to see his brother die a second time? Would he be sad? Hinata didn't know. Her gaze lifted from the dying man in her lap to the one fighting for their lives. She felt helpless. Itachi coughed and blood spilled down his chin which caused both women to gasp. Sakura knew that there was little hope for the man to make it and even if he did, it wouldn't be good. Hinata re-positioned him up gently with his back in her lap and his head against her chest so that way he didn't drown in his own blood.
Sakura continued to pump healing chakra into his wounds which was slowly easing the damage although Itachi still was in trouble. Hinata could only make him comfortable and wipe the blood from his mouth. For a few moments, they just sat there while Sakura provided the medical attention. The sounds of the battles around them echoed; Naruto and Gamabunta were still trying to keep the other snake at bay while Kakashi, Shino and a wounded Kiba were up against the second one. Sasuke was struggling against Kabuto, but the Uchiha wasn't backing down. Hinata felt as if she should be fighting alongside Sasuke… alongside her team.
Suddenly Itachi's head stirred against her chest and she glanced down at him. Sakura looked over and her features were tense. Even though the man was dying and his eye was gone, he was still one of the most powerful Uchiha's ever to live. No one quite knew of his mental state or what could have happened upon reincarnation although his condition would certainly prevent him from using the Mangekyo.
His arm began to tremble as if he was trying to muster up the strength to lift it. Hinata could feel her heart beating in her chest and it was louder than the fights going on around them. Itachi was gritting his teeth until finally he was able to bring his arm up to motion for Hinata to lean in closer. She frowned and caught the gaze of Sakura who seemed just as hesitant as she did.
With her arms holding him in front of her, she gently leaned down. The words he muttered were quiet and eerie as goose bumps shot all over her body. Her eyes widened as she pulled back to look down at him again. A very faint smile tugged at his bloody lips and then her eyes looked up to Sasuke.
Sasuke was having a hell of time trying to keep up with Kabuto although he made sure not to show his frustration. Kabuto found it amusing as each attack was carefully thought out and planned well in advanced. Sasuke could feel his chakra slowly being depleted through wasted attacks simply because he had no way of knowing where Kabuto even was. It looked like super speed, but it was more than just that.
This is pointless. I need to come up with a plan. He moved his hands into the seals for the Uchiha's classic fireball jutsu which would create a slight diversion for him to hide out behind an uprooted tree. Sasuke went through his options of how to counter attack or provide some sort of offense. So far he had only been able to defend himself against attack after attack. It was certainly one of his most challenging battles. No one really knew how to fight off someone with the Ni Bijon so figuring out his next move wasn't coming easy.
Before he could figure it out, a kunai whizzed past his head to stick itself in the trunk of the tree behind him. The sound of a paper bomb about to go off caused Sasuke to jump forward fast enough to avoid injury. Debris from the splintered wood flew all around him as Kabuto was right at him with another attack.
"Well now… not even your Sharingan can keep up, eh?" Kabuto said with a laugh. "I recall you always saying how you didn't need the Mangekyo, but I'm sure you could find it useful now."
Sasuke dodged a blow from his kunai and reached around to narrowly meet it with his own katana. Maybe Kabuto was right. It would certainly come in handy at this point in time, but Sasuke still refused. His arms and legs were on fire at the constant movement as there was little rest time. He also avoided eye contact with the man knowing that there was a slight chance he could fall into a genjutsu. Little was known of Ni Bijon so he tried his best to be safe rather than sorry.
Kabuto managed to disappear and head up right behind the Uchiha. As Sasuke moved to dodge the attack, Kabuto knocked the sword from his hand. It flew through the air and landed several feet away. Sasuke was quick to grab a kunai from his pack as he fell to a knee but that too was also knocked from his hand. It's no use… He is too quick! Kabuto had stopped using his Kekkei Genkai for a moment to pick up the sword from the ground. He turned and pointed the blade right at Sasuke who was catching his breath.
"This is brilliant. It was everything I read it to be… Sasuke-kun, I can see your moves from a mile away. It's as if I am going at the speed of light and you are as slow as a child." Kabuto said with an amused tone. Sasuke quickly reached into his pocket for another kunai but as soon as he got his fingers around the metal, Kabuto shook his head.
"It is no use, Sasuke-kun." He said. "The battle is over and I have won." Kabuto lifted Sasuke's sword in air with intent to deliver a fatal blow, but suddenly a shockwave of pain was sent through his head. The sword fell from his grasp as he brought his hands up to his eyes and then buckled over with severe pain.
…What… is going on!? Kabuto could feel his eyes watering and when he pulled his hands back he could see traces of blood on his palms. … Am I over using it!? Impossible… I've barely done much at all! Unless… His eyes narrowed and Kabuto glanced over his shoulder at Itachi who was almost half a mile away. How dare you reject my body!
Sasuke took this opportunity to grab his katana and sprint forward with it. Kabuto looked back towards Sasuke and just barely avoided it. He could tell that his Kekkei Genkai was much slower than it had been before but Kabuto was still able to predict Sasuke's moves well before him.
The large snake that Naruto was attempting to defeat was desperately trying to get back to its summoner although the large toad wasn't letting it off so easily. Gamabunta was wary and way past his limit but Naruto knew that they had no choice but to keep fighting. Something had to give—either they defeat the snake or Sasuke defeats Kabuto. Naruto was very far from the original area that everyone else was, but he would on the occasion glance back. The other snake was preoccupied with rest of the group. Come on, Sasuke!
Kabuto outstretched his hand to send out another trio of snakes from his sleeves to which Sasuke saw coming thanks to his Sharingan. Using his jutsus was a waste if Sasuke could barely keep up with the hand-to-hand combat and he wasn't going to waste his chakra. The ground rumbled below and a smaller snake exploded from underneath Sasuke to which he jumped away from but within seconds, Kabuto was there with his hands lit up with chakra.
His hand just barely grazed Sasuke's arm that held the katana and a jolt of pain shot up into his muscles. Kabuto had cut the tissues of the muscles in his arm that held the sword so it was essentially useless now. Sasuke fell to his knees and gripped his arm. He had always seen Kabuto do it to other foes but now he was experiencing it firsthand.
Sasuke could see blood trickling down Kabuto's face as each eye was seemingly rejecting his body and his uses of the eyes. He gritted his teeth and watched Kabuto retrieve Sasuke's sword once more. He managed to smirk through the pain.
"What are you going to do if you defeat me?" Sasuke muttered. "Even if you kill me, and my comrades, your eyes wouldn't last a week."
This made Kabuto's own smirk slowly fade as he approached the Uchiha. He frowned and then quickly kicked Sasuke in the stomach. He leaned forward on his good arm and coughed violently. Jutsus were out of the question once again as his arm was lifeless at the moment. For some reason, Sasuke wondered if this was finally going to be the end of him.
Sasuke had been on the edge of death many times before but had always managed to pull through because he knew there were things he still had to do, but there wasn't much left in life for Sasuke. Except… except for one person. There was one person who was worth seeing. He hated to admit it to himself but Sasuke enjoyed her company. His stomach always involuntarily churned when he saw her and he had even had the opportunity to sleep with her on more than one occasion but didn't.
He had never been in love before so he wasn't entirely sure if it that was what it was. But he had failed... he had failed himself, her father, and her. His eyes looked up towards Kabuto who was in the process of swinging his katana down upon him. Kabuto suddenly stopped and quickly dodged an oncoming large shuriken. Hinata was nowhere to be found but the chakra that was infused with it was unmistakable. Kabuto squinted his eyes as more blood trickled from his eye sockets, but he was dead set on killing Sasuke in this moment. Kabuto gritted through the pain as his Kekkei Genkai was starting to fail again but the sword was on its way down towards Sasuke.
Sasuke was seconds away from avoiding the blow when a light blue blur whizzed past him. He looked up to see Hinata standing in front of him. The blade from his katana had sunk into her shoulder, but Kabuto wasn't moving. It wasn't until several seconds later that Sasuke realized Hinata's hands were lit up with chakra and two fingers were shoved into Kabuto's chest right at his heart. Kabuto was frozen with the sword still shaking in his grip.
Hinata chewed on her bottom lip as the pain from her shoulder was almost unbearable, but she kept the fatal contact between the two. A splatter of blood from Kabuto's lips fell onto her cheeks and she slowly looked up to greet the gaze. For the first time, she stared into her Father's eye. Although it was pupil-less, Hinata found it to be more empty than usual. Itachi's Sharigan was also fading in color as Kabuto was slowly dying.
"Why…?" He whispered. The weight on the sword was slowly beginning to ease. Hinata frowned at her own sympathy for Kabuto. He had killed thousands of innocent people and even took the life of her Father and yet she felt sorry for him. She recalled back to the information on Kabuto and it was revealed his family had been killed. Orochimaru recruited him based on the fact that he had nowhere else to go. His whole life had been love-less.
The blade dropped to the ground and Kabuto's eyes slowly began to close. Hinata watched her Father's eye disappear behind an eyelid and he fell backwards. The chakra from her hands disappeared and she let go of the breath she had been holding in. Everything began to get quiet as the two other snakes had disappeared due to Kabuto's death. She glanced over to see the rest of her team wounded and thoroughly worn out.
Hinata was now fully aware of the pain from her shoulder and she dropped to a knee. She could hear her name being called and rumbles throughout the ground as Gamabunta was leaping back towards them. She had never really been close to the toad summons before but as she looked up, it was very intimidating.
"Oy! Thanks." Naruto said as he was still atop the toad.
"Next time I see you, I expect you to be Hokage." Gamabunta said warily. Naruto scratched the back of his head with a grin then launched himself downwards.
"Hinata! Sasuke!" He yelled. Sasuke, who had been quiet this entire time, was seemingly angry. He was angry in the fact that he was unable to defeat Kabuto on his own; he was angry that Hinata had gotten hurt trying to rescue him; and he was angry because he knew his brother was dying just several feet away. It was a whirlwind of emotion all hitting him at once now that his brain had time to catch up.
Naruto noticed the blood from Hinata's shoulder and was at her side. She smiled lightly through a wince of pain and glanced back over towards Sasuke.
"I-I'm fine, honestly." She said. Sasuke avoided her eye contact and slowly stood up. The muscles in his arm were torn but otherwise he was fine. Naruto gently helped Hinata up and wrapped an arm around her waist for support as he helped her. She could feel her cheeks exploding with color at Naruto's touch but her only main concern was Sasuke. Even with the chaos in his mind, there was still room for a slight pang of jealousy which he didn't care for one bit.
Hinata swallowed hard and wondered if she had done something wrong. The look he had given both of them was harsher than his usual glares. Her eyes fell to the ground in defeat and Naruto frowned.
"Hey, Sasuke!" But Naruto was ignored as Sasuke was limping over in the direction of his brother and Sakura, who was still attempting at medical treatment. He gripped his arm as he went and the closer he got the more damage he could see. Kiba and Akamaru had gashes and wounds all over their body. Shino was favoring his left foot and even Kakashi was scratched up a bit. They were all silent as Sasuke came upon his brother and Sakura looked up at him.
"… Sasuke-kun." She whispered. He ignored her and fell to his knees to look Itachi over. He was alive but just barely. His breathing was quick and although the bleeding had finally subsided it was still apparent that it was just a matter of minutes. Itachi's one eye rolled to look at Sasuke. It had reverted back to normal pupils; the same ones he remembered as a child. Sasuke's expression was blank and he didn't say anything.
Naruto and Hinata had followed behind Sasuke and she frowned. There was something that she needed to say. She glanced over at Naruto and smiled gently. His blue eyes stared into hers as if to ask if she was sure to which she nodded. His arm loosened around her and she was able to limp forward before falling next to Sasuke. He didn't stir upon her arrival although he was fully aware.
Sasuke felt as if he had failed everything. He was unable to prevent anything from happening whether it was saving his clan or keeping his promise to protect the woman he had come to adore. Not only that but he was witnessing his brother dying a second time. He worked his whole life for this moment, but it wasn't satisfying even knowing that he was the reason for his death.
"I…" He started to say but was interrupted with a very small smile from the man before him. Sasuke frowned and continued. "… failed."
Hinata almost winced at that word. It was a familiar feeling as she carried the same thoughts. She was silent as more began to spill from Sasuke's mouth.
"I was never as good as you. I was never the one that Father was proud of. I was never good enough for anyone…!" His voice had progressively gotten louder out of self-loathing and frustration until he felt something poke his forehead. Itachi had mustered up the last bit of strength he had to land his finger right in the middle of Sasuke's forehead.
"You are…for her." Sasuke watched his outstretched arm fall and the life seemingly disappeared from his remaining eye. Hinata looked at the man lying before them and his labored breaths had stopped. Sasuke's expression didn't change nor did he say anything. Instead he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly opened them again.
Hinata froze and her stomach got knots in it. Although she wasn't look directly on, she could see the redness in Sasuke's eyes but this wasn't his normal Sharingan; because of Itachi's death he had received the ultimate Mangekyo. It terrified her down to her bones and she looked away.
Sasuke blinked away his Kekkei Genkai and stared down at his dead brother. It was mind numbing to know that he had received something so great but wanted nothing to do with it. Sasuke's brain was swimming with so much emotion and yet there wasn't a trace of it on his face. He reached out to Itachi's dull eye and slowly shut the eyelid.
No one said anything. Even though Itachi was an enemy for Konoha and even for Sasuke there was a sense of grief in the air. Even though this was a victory for them, there was still a loss. His words echoed in Hinata's mind you are for her and she couldn't help but wonder who 'she' was- perhaps his mother or maybe even an old friend.
Although in the back of her mind, Hinata knew deep down… that she was the person Itachi was talking about. Those words he whispered to her still caused goose bumps to form when she thought of it. It was eerily reminiscent of her Father's wish. Much to her surprise Itachi had said protect Sasuke.
Konoha was quiet. It had been quiet for several months after Kabuto's death. The tension that had settled across the nation was eased and the sun seemed to be brighter than before. Hinata noticed that more children were playing out in the streets and the security around the Hyuuga estate had loosened as well. Hinata wasn't quite sure but she thought she even saw a smile from Neji upon hearing that Hanabi was expecting her first child.
Things were especially quiet for Hinata. She had resumed her duties in the library shortly after their return and recovering from her shoulder injury. There were less missions since any henchmen under Kabuto had presumably scattered due to no structure. Another reason life seemed so quiet was because Uchiha Sasuke was hardly around at all. Although when Hinata had asked Naruto about it the other day he looked at her like she was crazy.
"I see that guy every day and he's still the same cold bastard." She recalled him saying.
Hinata understood that he was dealing with a lot. She couldn't imagine losing Neji or Hanabi twice within the same year. Even with Itachi's background with Konoha, there was still a small ceremony for him. He was placed into an old Uchiha cemetery just on the outskirts of town.
She just couldn't help but shake the feeling that Sasuke was avoiding her. There were times Hinata would catch a glimpse of his expressionless face in marketplace or even in the halls of the Hokage Building. Every time, Hinata would do a double-take only to find he wasn't there in the first place—or was just simply hiding from her.
Hinata had tried to get more from Naruto on Sasuke's whereabouts but he was quite busy in finalizing his internship to become Hokage. Within the next few weeks, Tsunade would step down and he would officially realize his dream come true. It was an exciting time; there would be a festival held the night of to celebrate. Things were changing right before her very eyes; Naruto was becoming Hokage, her sister was going to have a baby and even Kiba was skipping out on training sessions to visit a girl he had met.
Training had slacked a bit considering the slowness of incoming missions to Konoha, so on this particular evening after work, Hinata decided to play catch up. Instead of heading to the usual training spot within Konoha, she felt the urge to train in privacy. Hinata ascended up the staircase from the library and began to take the familiar hallway towards the exit.
"Hinata." A voice caused her to stop and she looked over her shoulder.
"O-Oh, Tsunade-sama."
The large busted woman was carrying several stacks of papers in her arms as she emerged from her office. Hinata wondered if she was ready to step down as Hokage, but the irritated look on her face said otherwise.
"Is your shoulder still stiff in the mornings?" Tsunade asked as she walked towards the Hyuuga. Hinata subconsciously rolled the shoulder that had been wounded and shook her head.
"No... I've been doing those exercises l-like you said."
"Ch... well at least one of you listens to me." Tsunade said with a snort. "That damn Sasuke still loses feeling in his fingertips. But if he would just do what I tell him..." She stopped herself knowing it was pointless to bitch. Hinata folded her hands in front of her and stared down at her toes that were peeking out from her shoes.
"T-Tsunade-sama? You've seen Sasuke-kun lately?"
"Hmm, yes he came to see me the other day. Why?" She asked. Hinata frowned and hesitated before she glanced up with a polite smile.
"Oh, it's nothing." She said gently. Tsunade pursed her lips and then sighed to herself. Poor Hinata.
"The kid doesn't show it but he is taking his brother's death to heart." Tsunade said. Flashbacks of holding Itachi in her arms as he died moved through her mind and she simply nodded. Wasted deaths- that was exactly what they were. Her father died a death for nothing as the Ni Bijon failed.
"I see."
"By the way, those scrolls you found among your father's belongings, I finally had a chance to look at those." She said adjusting the stacks of papers. "Its the most information we have to date on the Ni Bijon... how he had those in his possession is a mystery. There is a 50/50 failure rate for the Ni Bijon... now that is just going by unnatural standards."
Unnatural meaning taken; stolen. The eyes knew that they were in a foreign body that was evil and thus they rejected Kabuto's body. They simply stopped working and would have eventually become useless completely. Hinata wasn't sure if that made her feel any better than before, but upon leaving the Hokage building, she only felt worse.
Hiashi was a stern man and had always voiced his displeasure on things, but he was still her father. She loved him dearly. The same could be said for Sasuke; Itachi was with an evil group that was dead set on causing destruction and mayhem to the world. He also murdered an entire clan for no apparent reason, but Sasuke still felt a bond with him.
Hinata let her feet carry her through the busy streets of the village until the buildings and houses were fewer and finally she had reached the outskirts. The setting sun still provided enough light for her as she walked towards her secret training spot—the same one that she had visited before the invasion of Konoha. Hinata hoped that it would bring her a sense of peace and distraction from the Uchiha man who was constantly running laps in her mind.
As Hinata approached the spot that she called her own, she stopped in her tracks upon feeling someone else's presence. She looked ahead to see the person she had been looking for all along; Uchiha Sasuke was sitting in the middle of the clearing with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. Hinata was surprised not only that she had actually stumbled across Sasuke, but because he was in her spot… which apparently was no longer secret. Maybe it never had been.
Hinata watched him for a short while behind a tree and her hand was brought to her chest. Her heart was racing nervously which wasn't unusual; he always intimidated her but this felt different. It was racing because she was in his presence which was familiar to how she felt around Naruto before. She wondered if she should leave him alone but there was something she had been meaning to tell him ever since his brother died.
She willed her feet forward but she was quiet with her steps as if she was approaching a flight-risk animal. His eyes slowly opened and his head turned to watch her. Hinata felt her cheeks go pink, but she smiled at him. Sasuke didn't return her smile nor did his icy gaze soften the closer she got.
"Sasuke-kun… I didn't know that anyone knew about this place." Her voice was gentle and quiet even though her emotions were running amok in her brain. He didn't say anything. His gaze returned out towards Konoha and it almost seemed as if it was fire from the way the sun's rays casted orange hues.
His lack of response wasn't suspicious but she began to fidget with her long braid unsure of how to go about talking to him. At times it was like talking to a wall… at least that was what it used to be. Before, Sasuke would at least give her a snarky comment to prove he had been listening. Hinata's small smile slowly disappeared as she realized he felt like a complete stranger.
It had been several months since she had spoken to him and the last thing he had spoken to her was during the chaos at the West border with Kabuto. It was upsetting simply because they had gotten so close and had been through so much. Hinata didn't expect him to be her knight in shining armor and she certainly wasn't a damsel in distress… but she sort of missed his over protective stance.
"U-Um… I've been meaning to speak with you about somethi-"
She stopped speaking as he promptly stood up and began to walk past her. Hinata could feel her knees gently shaking and in any other case, she would swallow her protests and allow the situation to be. But she was tired of being walked on. Anger was bubbling within her body and her hands formed tiny fists at her side.
"Why are you avoiding me!?" Hinata suddenly said with as much confidence as she could find within herself. Sasuke stopped with his back still at her. He closed his eyes and let the cool early winter breeze toss his hair around. He heaved a long drawn out sigh and slowly opened his eyes again.
Sasuke really wasn't sure why he had been avoiding the Hyuuga girl. He thought of her every day ever since they had returned. His mind felt waterlogged; it was constantly running with no rest. During his teenage years he was able to block it all out by focusing on that one thing… finding his brother. He figured that all that grief, blood, sweat and tears would pay off, but in the end he realized it was pointless.
Sasuke was grieving. Had she have been around the first time Itachi died, it would have been the same. His idea of getting over something was to completely shut every single person out. There was no room for comfort or tears. He wouldn't dare cry for his brother because it almost seemed counterintuitive… one wouldn't expect him to weep for the man who was the source of his pain. At least that was his thinking.
"I'm not." He finally said, clearly a lie. Hinata stared at him but even with his back still turned to her he could tell she was flabbergasted.
"A-After everything we've been through… seeing each other for the better part of two years…" Hinata said fighting through her stutter. "And you a-aren't avoiding me?"
Sasuke was slightly surprised by her outburst but in a way, she was the same way as him. They both bottled up their emotions trying to keep their weaknesses hidden from the outside world. It was something that was essential to be a ninja and some had a hard time distinguishing what would affect them personally versus professionally… but Hinata was a calm soul. Sasuke was not.
He had enough of the conversation. It was much easier to rip the band-aid off quickly rather than slowly peel it off. Sasuke began to walk away again much against the musings of his conscious. Kiba had been right. Hinata was a girl who was one of a kind and she deserved someone who was also one of a kind. She deserved someone to protect her—something he was unsuccessful at many times. Hinata didn't need him to protect her. She was a Jounin ninja and had done just fine.
Sasuke could hear her quick footsteps as she came running up behind him. He moved swiftly out of the way before grabbing her wrist. Sasuke pulled her arm behind her back firmly and then his other arm wrapped securely around the front of her waist so her back was pinned up against him. Sasuke could feel her breathing heavily and he held her there for a moment. It was slightly affectionate but at the same time also sending her the message that he wasn't messing around. The sweet although subtle lavender scent from her hair was enticing and almost caught him off guard.
"I promised your father I would protect you." Sasuke said quietly after a few painstakingly silent moments. "… but I don't think I can."
Hinata was silent for a moment as she had stopped struggling against him. She thought back to Itachi's words and then closed her eyes.
"Before Itachi passed, he told me something." Hinata said with a whisper. "He asked me to protect you. But the difference between you and I is I protected you because I care not because Itachi asked me to."
Sasuke's eyes widened at what she said. Some of Itachi's final words were for his own sake. He suddenly felt angry; angry at himself. He had sculpted himself into this cold hearted monster knowing that it would be much easier to fend for himself this way. He didn't realize the consequences of after the fact… Sasuke knew he couldn't change his ways. He wondered if maybe they weren't fated to be together; maybe Hiashi was right all along. Uchihas and Hyuugas cannot be friends not just because of their clan names but because of their ways of thinking.
Uchihas were black; Hyuugas were white. Like mixing oil and water it would never mix completely. To her, there was good and there was evil. To him there were boundaries in between. Hinata cared for him without doubting it for a second. He cared for her but there were other factors that caused his hesitation. Sasuke grit his teeth and let go of her.
"I don't need you—or anyone." Sasuke lied bitterly. Rip it off quickly. "We weren't friends. We aren't friends."
It was for her own good. She needed to come to the terms he had come to long ago: he was Uchiha Sasuke and he would be stuck alone. He had been avoiding her light eyes because they always brought him a feeling of happiness, but the moment his dark eyes met hers, he knew the damage he had done.
Hinata wasn't crying. In fact, there was no emotion whatsoever in them. Usually he could gauge her mood based on the glints in her eyes but this time there wasn't anything. No sadness, no disappointment, no tears… for a split second, Sasuke wondered if she was going to faint.
She broke his gaze and looked down at her feet with a very small smile. Love had not been good to her. Hinata poured her heart into loving and protecting Naruto only for it to go unnoticed. She had poured her heart into loving and protecting Sasuke for it to go unwanted. Even with her chest aching and her eyes threatening to fill with tears, she couldn't help but smile.
"Y-You're right. G-Good night Sasuke-kun." Her voice had returned to the polite tone as it was when they were first working together in the library. It was formal sounding and very generic. He hated it, but didn't address it. Hinata turned from him and began to walk away. Life was often bittersweet. It gave moments of pure joy like the time she had finally mastered the Gentle Fist and seeing her father's reaction. It also gave her the most awful feelings of loneliness and being unwanted. She wondered if it would always be like this.
Sasuke watched her walk away and the anger only built inside. He was pissed. Royally pissed. Not at her, not at Itachi and not even at Kabuto. He was angry at himself. Sasuke could only do one thing and that was to shove away every feeling back down into that bottle of his and pray that it would hold.