Hi everyone! I hope that you are all doing safe and well in these uncertain times. Please take care of yourselves, and only leave your house when it is absolutely necessary.
I absolutely love reading your reviews, so please do not hesitate to give me your opinion! Again, english is not my first language, so I apologise for any mistake in this chapter.
Thank you for your support, and I hope that you will enjoy this chapter.
The next day
The harsh sun was shining on the village of Suna, while the dry desert breeze was gently blowing. At the top of the tallest tower of the village, a young man was standing, as his emerald eyes were following a group of kids running through the streets of Suna. He did not move as he sensed a familiar chakra appearing a few feet behind him.
"Do you think that I have not noticed?" the young man asked, still observing the children.
The person behind him slightly shifted at his words but did not show any of it on her face. "What do you mean, Gaara?" She asked, as if she did not understand what he meant.
"That you are taking up every single mission requiring you to travel to Konoha." Gaara replied, as he slowly turned to face his beloved sister.
Temari's eyes widened, as her cheeks slightly turned pink. She was not surprised that Gaara finally noticed what she was doing, however, she felt embarrassed to be called out. "I don't know that you are implying Gaara. Most of the available missions lately have been connected to Konoha, somehow." She replied, putting a hand on her hip.
"Sure…" The Kazekage looked at her for a few seconds, before speaking again. "I called you because I need to travel to Konoha, to attend a meeting with Kakashi-san." At the mention of travelling to Konoha, his saw his sister's eyes light up. He could not help but softly smile. "I need you to travel with me, and… discuss our villages' security matter with Naruto's advisor, Shikamaru."
Temari blushed, and with a huge smile, nodded. "Of course, I'll come with you Gaara."
The Kazekage's smile did not leave his lips. He was eager to see Naruto, whom he had not seen for over six months due to his busy schedule.
Kō looked through the window of his room, and saw Hinata leaving the compound to join her teammates at the training grounds. A soft smile appeared on his lips, as he remembered being assigned as her guardian when she turned three years old. She would always hide behind him every time she felt embarrassed, and tightly clutch his kimono sleeve. And she was now an accomplished kunoichi, heiress of the strongest clan of Konoha. He was proud to serve her.
He yawned, as he recalled that his first duty in the morning was to oversee the breakfast prepared by the maids. He put his grey kimono on, and walked towards the other side of the Hyūga compound, as the kitchen was purposefully located the farthest possible from the residential area.
Kō could see some rooms light up, as we walked towards the kitchen. The clan was well known to despise tardiness and had a strict schedule. Today, three maids were in charge of preparing the breakfast. Kō remembered them to be childhood friends, who would always giggle and talk about the latest news in town. However, that particular morning, Kō felt like something was off. He was only one block away from the kitchen, and he still could not hear the maids' lovely laugh, or any delicious smell. He could have used his Byakugan to scan his surroundings, however, the Hyūga clan upheld a very strict policy of not using the Byakugan in the compound, except for training purposes. The first thing Kō noticed as he was approaching the kitchen door, was that it was not locked. He further noticed that the lights were not on. He slowly pushed the door, his heart pounding. He could feel it. Something was wrong. His blood froze upon seeing what he saw in the kitchen.
Sasuke suddenly woke up, Sharingan activated, katana drawn out, drenched in sweat, and panting. It took him a few seconds to realise that it was only a nightmare. That cursed night kept repeating over and over in his nightmares, and he noticed that this has been reoccurring more often lately. He wiped his forehead sweat away with the back of his hand, and after taking a deep breath, he got up of his bed. He looked up at his clock, and realised that it was quite late. He needed to report to Kakashi. The survivor stepped into the shower, internally sighing. Oh, he definitely needed a cold shower to numb his beating heart. He recalled his painful past as the freezing water glided on his toned body. The Uchiha survivor did not know what to do to stop these incessant nightmares. No matter how many tablets he took, his nightmare always had a way of coming back.
As he put his cloak on, he felt a familiar presence stepping into the Uchiha grounds. Curious, the Uchiha survivor opened the door, before the person could knock. What on earth was she doing here? Standing in front of him was the Hyūga heiress, with a startled look on her face.
"Oh, Sasuke-san, good morning." She greeted, slightly bowing her head in sign of respect. She wondered how many minutes ago he had sensed her presence. He truly had scary skills.
Sasuke simply nodded, confused. Did she become one of his fangirls overnight? Why was she at his door? He could see droplets of sweat pearling from her forehead. She was also wearing her (ugly) oversized purple jacket, which was opened enough to show her fishnet top, and her training pants. He concluded that she might have come straight from training.
"I apologise for disturbing you so early in the morning. I…I just wanted to thank you for bringing me home, after Naruto-kun's party."
The survivor saw the heiress slightly blush in embarrassment as she mentioned Naruto's party. He remembered holding her hair as she was throwing up everything that she ate that day and shortly passing out after that. He did not think of it as a big deal. He had simply done what anyone else would have done in the same situation: bringing the girl home. He recalled that the person who opened the Hyūga gates did not seem very pleased by his presence. But who wouldn't?
"It's fine." He simply replied, his eyes locking into pale lavender eyes.
He wondered how, after witnessing all the horrors of the war, she could keep such innocence in her eyes. He also thought about how calming her presence was, and how she had a way of making him more talkative than usual. He did not like it. At all. He was not a very social person. However, for some reason, she had a way of making him talk. He observed her, as she took a package out of her bag. His eyes slightly widened, as he noticed that it was a…bento box. With the Uchiha crest on it.
"I made this to thank you." She offered the blue box to him. "I hope you will like it."
The Uchiha froze, his eyes still on the Uchiha crest. The image of his mother handing him his bento box for the academy flashed in front of his eyes for a few seconds.
"How… where did you get this?" The survivor asked, with an icy tone. How did she get her hand on this? Was she trying to get his attention in such a poor manner?
Hinata sensed his agitation. "Mikoto-san and my mother were friends. And… I found this box in her stuff a long time ago, but before I could give it back… the incident happened." She noticed that the Uchiha's gaze still was on the box. "And as I was thinking of a way of thanking you… I just remembered that my mother kept this." The heiress slightly bowed her head. "I…I apologise."
Sasuke's eyes never left the Uchiha crest. He carefully took it from the heiress' hands and examined it. It was really his mother's bento box. He recognised the scratch on the right side of the box. He remembered causing that scratch by accidentally dropping the box while training with Itachi. He unconsciously caressed it, sweet memories of his brother and his mother flashing in front of his eyes.
And again, Hinata witnessed Sasuke's features soften. She wondered whether she should leave and let him dwell in his memories. Would that be impolite of her? Maybe she should first excuse herself. She was going to open her mouth when the person in front of her finally spoke.
"Thank you." He whispered.
It was said in such a soft manner that Hinata was actually surprised that this was Sasuke's voice. However, she did not mention it. Understanding that this was her cue to leave, she politely bowed her head again.
"Have a nice day, Sasuke-san."
The survivor nodded, as he watched her turn around and walk toward the exit of the Uchiha grounds. Sasuke suddenly felt a presence approaching the heiress at a very high speed.
"Hinata-sama!" he heard a voice shout.
Sasuke looked up, and saw a man appearing in front of the heiress. He recognised him. He was the one who opened the gates when he brought her back. And for some reason, panic was written all over his face.
"Kō?" asked Hinata, concerned.
"Hinata-sama, you must return to the compound right now!" He said, his voice firm.
He did not understand how the Hyūga clansmen thought they had the right to enter his grounds whenever they seemed to have forgotten that this was the Uchiha district, and as long as he was alive, this land belonged to him. And no one was allowed to enter without permission. However, after examining Kō's face, Sasuke decided that something very important must have happened. He therefore gave them a chance to disappear, while he entered his house to put the bento box in the fridge. He could definitely use the food for diner tonight. He then looked at the clock, and realised that he had spent too much time talking with the heiress. He needed to report to Kakashi about his last mission at the border. However, he could still sense both Hyūga's chakra, at the entrance of the Uchiha district. They had not even moved one bit. Sighing internally, Sasuke locked his door, and walked towards them. They needed to leave.
"They were…murdered?" Asked Hinata, her voice shaking.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he heard the question coming out of the heiress' mouth. A murder? Who was they? As part of the ANBU Black ops, he could not leave upon hearing such a thing. Especially if it involved the Hyūga clan. He finally approached the two Hyūga.
"Uchiha Sasuke." The man named Kō finally acknowledged his existence, with a dry tone. His pale eyes bore into dark eyes.
"Who was murdered?" calmly asked Sasuke, turning his head towards Hinata.
"Do not get involved in personal clan matter, Uchiha." Kō glared at the survivor. "This is none of your business."
Sasuke's eyes turned to the Hyūga shinobi. Kō could feel the threatening aura emanating from the Uchiha. He did not have to move, or even activate his doujutsu. His mere presence made Kō's heart beat faster.
"You are discussing a murder on Uchiha grounds." Sasuke stepped closer to Kō. "As part of the ANBU, it is my duty to investigate this."
"Duty?" asked Kō, mockingly. He was a traitor, how could he even talk about duty to Konoha.
"Kō." Calmly interjected the heiress, silencing him. She knew the reason why Sasuke was getting involved in this. "Three maids were…brutally murdered this morning, in the compound." She lifted her eyes up to look at the Uchiha. "And I am a suspect, as I left early in the morning to go to the training grounds."
The Uchiha stared a few seconds at Kō, before turning his head towards Hinata, silently listening. Given the current circumstances in the Hyūga clan, he thought that there may be a link between the dissident faction and this incident. And as part of the mission, he needed to investigate this.
"Hinata-sama, you must come to the compound, and clear your name." begged Kō. "The elders are having a meeting, and they are expecting you."
"I'll come with you." Declared the Uchiha, still looking at the young woman.
"How can you come to a Hyūga clan meeting?" hissed Ko, glaring at the survivor. He did not like this at all. "Even the Hokage does not have the right to interfere into personal clan matters."
"Kō is right, Sasuke-san. I will deal with this myself." Hinata held Sasuke's gaze.
"I don't think so." The Uchiha glanced one last time at the heiress, before disappearing into a puff of smoke.
"Wh-where did he go?" Kō activated his Byakugan, looking around. "You must not have shared this matter with him, Hinata-sama."
The heiress sighed, and massaged her temples. She had absolutely no idea what Sasuke had in mind, and this worried her the most. However, she did not have time to ponder over this. She first needed to go back to the compound, and investigate what had happened.
When the heiress stepped into the room, she felt all the pale eyes turning towards her, scrutinizing every single move she made. Saying that she hated elders' meeting was an understatement. In front of her, sitting in the centre, behind a large traditional table, was her father. As always, his emotions were concealed, and he did not even greet his daughter when she entered the room. Her grandfather, Hisato Hyūga, was sitting at his right. His grey hair was cleanly combed, and his piercing pale eyes stared at the heiress. Hinata despised him with all her heart. It was very hard for her to hate anyone. However, her grandfather was the reason behind the sparring combat that took place between her and her sister in order to choose the heiress. He was also the reason why her Uncle Hizashi had sacrificed his life. All in all, he was the reason why the Hyūga clan was rotten. Her grandfather was a man who knew well how to play clan politics, and she suspected him of getting involved with Danzo in the extermination of the Uchiha clan. He was known for being ruthless, and his motto was "Hyūga clan first". He had ruled the clan with iron fist, and now, his son was doing the same. Nothing had changed.
Hinata noticed that sitting on the left side of her father was no one else but Akio Hyūga. If the heiress has a list of people she hated, her grandfather would be number one, and Akio would be number two. He was her distant cousin from the main branch, and was only a few years older than her. And, all he did was being her grandfather's literal dog. He would follow him to the end of the world if needed to. And, obviously, the reason for this was to climb the ranks within the Hyūga clan, by licking Hisato's butt, and maybe even marry the heiress. He had achieved the rank of the youngest general of the Hyūga clan. Hinata hated everything about him, from his malicious eyes, his pointy chin, his arrogant smirk, to his long brown locks. Hinata tore away her eyes from him, to quickly glance at the Hyūga clan generals, sitting on either side of the clan leader.
The heiress politely bowed to her father and her grandfather, and sat down in front of the clan leader. She noticed that Hanabi was nowhere to be seen in the room, and she wondered what had happened to her.
"Hinata." Her father finally looked at her. "You are late."
"I was training with my teammates." She replied, holding her father's gaze. She was trying her best not to stutter. Although her stuttering had improved, these meetings still made her nervous.
"Hiashi, leave her alone." Hisato finally spoke, his raspy voice hurting Hinata's ears. He offered her a thin smile. "Hinata, three maids were murdered early this morning. The only Hyūga who left the compound early today was you." His soulless eyes examined the heiress' face. "Did you see, or hear anything?"
"I…" Hinata took a deep breath. "I, as you already know, woke up at four this morning. I went t-to the kitchen, to prepare three bento boxes." Her stuttering was coming back, and she was not even lying. She just felt uncomfortable under all these scrutinizing gazes. "I did not see or sense anyone in the kitchen. A-after preparing the boxes, I went back to my room, to prepare myself and then left the compound."
"How long did you take to 'prepare yourself'?" asked Akio, with a mocking grin.
"Thirty minutes." She coldly replied, without even looking at the young general.
Hisato furrowed his eyebrows. "This incident happened within a thirty-minute timeframe. Very strange."
"With all due respect Hinata-sama, why would you prepare three bento boxes early in the morning when you can ask maids to do it for you? And why three?" Asked Akio, his pale eyes surveying her face.
"Are you insinuating that the heiress would kill her own?" Hiashi asked, his tone cold enough to freeze the whole room. Akio gulped. The clan leader did not understand what his father saw in that young general.
"I have always prepared bento boxes myself for my teammates, to eat after our training." Calmly replied the heiress, finally locking her eyes with Akio's.
"Well, well. Thank you Hinata, for your precious information." Intervened Hisato, sensing the tension arising in the room.
He was going to end the meeting, when he suddenly felt an immense power overwhelming the compound. He was on his feet in a few seconds, in the Gentle Fist stance, followed by all the Hyūga present in the room, except for Hinata, who simply stood up, and turned her head towards the door. She knew who this was.
Sasuke Uchiha stepped into the room, his dark eyes scanning the Hyūga surrounding him. One had moved fast, and held a kunai at his throat. All of the Hyūga members has their Byakugan activated, and ready to kill him if needed to. He however noticed that Hinata was looking at him, with widened eyes, which were indirectly asking him if he was mad.
"Good morning," The Uchiha greeted the Hyūga clan, ignoring the kunai under his chin.
"Who let you enter? How dare you?" Yelled one of the Hyūga generals.
And all the generals started yelling, slowly stepping closer to the Uchiha. Hinata could catch a lovely words such as "traitor', "dirty Uchiha", and a few more. However, she kept staring at the mad man that was standing in front of her. How did he even enter the compound?
"Silence." Hiashi's harsh tone could be heard, and the noise died down, as all the Hyūga clan members were looking at their leader expectantly. They were all ready to kill the Uchiha, if needed to. None of them deactivated their Byakugan.
The clan leader, followed by Hisato, sat down. He then locked eyes with the Uchiha. "I hope that you have a good reason to barge into our meeting, Uchiha." The Hyūga general holding a kunai under Sasuke's chin slowly backed away, but still within the right distance to strike him if needed to.
Sasuke approached the table, and stood next to Hinata. He could sense the killing intent directed at him in the room, however, no one moved as their clan leader was ready to listen. He put the scroll in front of Hiashi Hyūga. "The ANBU has been authorised to investigate the three murders that took place this morning within the Hyūga compound." He declared, holding his gaze. "We will therefore require the three bodies to be transferred to Konoha Hospital for an autopsy. We will also ask Hinata Hyūga to come with me, to be interrogated."
"How dare Kakashi interfere!?" Akio leaned over the table, and glared at the Uchiha. "This is ridiculous. This is a personal clan matter, and Konoha has no right over this."
Hinata stiffened. What was the Uchiha doing? He was going to make this situation worse, and draw the suspicions of the dissident faction if he involved Konoha in this. She peered at him from the corner of her eye. He seemed calm, and totally unbothered by this situation.
Sasuke kept his gaze on Hiashi. "As per article 55 of Konoha's constitution, Konoha will not interfere with personal clan matters, unless it involves a murder, or any breach to human rights." Sasuke pointed at a paragraph on the scroll. "I believe the current circumstances are within the exception of Article 55."
"Many murders have happened in the clan. Never has a Hokage dared to interfere with the Hyūga clan." Snapped Akio Hyūga, slamming his fist on the table. "And how dare a traitor and ex-missing nin lecture us on the law?"
Hisato Hyūga raised his right hand, stopping Akio from continuing his sentence. "I understand. As the strongest and oldest clan in Konoha, we are to set the example, and will therefore abide by the law." A thin smile appeared on the old man's lips. "You may take our heiress with you for interrogation. However…" His piercing eyes shined with a threatening glint. "Should our heiress be mistreated in any way, the Hyūga clan will not stay still. She must be back to our compound within three hours. If not,… well, I am sure you will not let this happen, Uchiha."
Sasuke studied the elder's face carefully. He did not need the sharingan to see that he was powerful, despite his advanced age. The aura surrounding him was very dark and threatening. He reminded him of the members of the Uchiha council, that he once met with Itachi when he was younger. They spent their whole lives plotting, scheming and backstabbing for the "greater good" as they would call it.
The Uchiha simply nodded, and looked at the heiress standing next to him. They exchange a silent gaze for a few seconds. Her posture was rigid, and her big pale eyes were filled with worry. He could not read into people's mind, however, her eyes seemed to be screaming at him that he was insane. Which was a valid point. He had taken a great risk in interrupting a clan meeting, and involving Kakashi in this. However, this needed to be done so that they could get a hand on the autopsy and check whether this has a link with the dissident faction. He carefully stepped closed to the heiress. He absolutely hated any kind of physical contact, however, this was required for the mission. Sighing internally, he made a few hand signs, and grabbed her wrist. He felt the heiress stiffen under his touch.
"Don't you dare touch her!" hissed Akio.
But it was too late, as the heiress and the Uchiha had disappeared into a puff of smoke.