Chapter 3: Plans.
A/N: So I have been inactive for many days and well I was not well and was not inspired enough to write anything new. I am fine now so I hope I would be able to keep up with the fics I have written. Also follow The Curse as I am going to update it soon.
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Pain.
That is what he felt, an immense pain in his chest, a gaping hole in his heart.
The first time it had ached so much was when he left Konoha, leaving everything and everyone behind.
The second time he felt this exact pain was when he learnt of his brother's devastating illness.
And this time it hurts so much that he grinded his teeth while his eyes stung and he teared up.
"Ssassuke~"
Sharingans snapped open as soon as he heard that hissing snake like voice. Such a despicable voice could only belong to one person.
Sasuke blinked the haziness from his eyes, trying to look around in the darkness. All he could see was out-of-focus glaring over lights and then after a few seconds a pale face emerged out of the darkness. Orochimaru's slit like eyes glistened as the candles flickered. "Soon I will become immortal and you will become my vessel"
He couldn't understand what Orochimaru was talking about as he could barely hear anything and then he gasped for breath, a pain jolted in his chest.
"What have you done to . . . me?" He struggled to say, breathless and disoriented.
A long tongue slithered from its crevices and licked a bead of sweat that rolled down Sasuke's collar bone. Slowly the slimy tongue of the man traced his sternum and stopped there. The boy shivered as the Sanin continued breathing down his skin. He felt violated and disgusted. Suddenly Orochimaru bit him right where his heart was, deepening his fangs, releasing his poison and at once he ripped out a large piece of his flesh.
"My heart . . . "
Sasuke clutched the front of his shirt and went down on his knees coughing blood before Orochimaru whose smile broadened with each passing minute.
A sinister laugh resonated and bounced off the walls. "The day your heart stops we'll become one"
Finally, Sasuke registered the meaning behind his words.
And just before his vision blackened, Sasuke promised himself one thing.
"Never. I will never let that happen"
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Otogakure's Border~
Sasuke stirred up from his sleep, panting and wheezing softly. His heart beats wildly against his rib cage as if he ran a marathon. His whole body hurts as he lay limp on the grass under the shade of a black pine tree. He must have blacked out again for he had absolutely no chakra left in his body.
A shadow fell on his face and he looked up to meet the familiar lavender eyes staring intently at him. Blue wild mane gave him shelter from the harsh sun as she balanced herself on her heels. A cool wind passed by, ruffling her inky tresses. If he didn't know the girl, he would think she is a tree fairy. She observed him for a while bringing her face near his. She was close, no actually too close for Sasuke's liking, her breathe tingling his own hair.
His brows furrowed as he glared at her though she remained unfazed and oblivious, still not moving away from him. Figuring out that his angry stare didn't work on her, he let his scowl fade away. She hadn't let more than a foot distance between them and frankly it was becoming quite annoying. When they walked together she stayed just behind him, sometimes holding his sleeves that he would jerk free. When they took break to sit somewhere as Sasuke needed rest, she would sit with their hands touching and Sasuke would have to scoot away. Somehow she wasn't scared of him at all; instead it seems like she felt safe with him. What a foolish girl!
He wondered how much she remembered of her life before she was captured by Orochimaru. Judging by her atypical behaviour not much otherwise she wouldn't follow him like a baby duckling. However, she still remembered him from their days in the hideout so it must mean something.
Shaking his head, Sasuke decided that he got enough rest and he should start moving as their destination wasn't far away. Looking dead in the eyes of the Hyuga girl, he muttered 'move' which the girl obediently followed. He was impressed with how easily she follows his orders.
He stood up clumsily and started walking slowly; his feet on the ground felt stout and heavy and soon after the girl followed him like a shadow remaining close by. He needed Sakura to treat him as soon as possible because the wounds on his hands have already become infected. He was not in the position to become weaker because he has a mission to accomplish and that mission needs him and no one else. His friends could help him only for so long as he didn't want to risk their lives. If they get into trouble, their heads would be on the literal spikes and he won't let any more people to throw away their lives for him.
His focus shifted on the girl again as he tried to listen to her light steps. She had been quite the entire journey and he did appreciate her for that. She seemed intelligent enough to keep her mouth shut and not ask him questions or maybe she was naïve enough to trust him without a single shred of doubt. Whatever is the case he was enjoying the peaceful silence that she provided for he knew that the quietness wouldn't last for long.
The girl was different, that much he knew but she confused him because he had expected her to either try killing him or at least attempt to run away from him. Some experiments of Orochimaru were just senile while others were cunning bastards. Some would attack you on the first sight while others would wait for the right opportunity. However, in both the cases their bloodlusts were just un-paralleled but this girl was very calm and this is what threw Sasuke off. However, Sasuke knew not to let his guards down.
He could feel her eyes on his back. It seemed as if she was scared to lose him from her line of sight. Not that he would run away because even though she didn't know, she played a huge role in all this mess. So she is going to be with him for a time being until he figures out what to do with her.
They were almost near the hideout and he could feel the buzzing chakras of his team mates, especially Naruto's. Sasuke was about to get a hard fist to his face, he was sure about it as he literally ghosted them and Naruto doesn't like to be left behind like that. It was obvious that the hyperactive knucklehead would make a ruckus about it but Sasuke was ready to handle anything at this point of time. Without wasting even a second Sasuke pushed open the entrance and made a hasty appearance drawing different sets of eyes on him. Hinata had hid herself just behind him and was clutching his shirt for her dear life. Her chakra level spiked and others became alert. Sakura came to the front.
"Who is that Sasuke-kun?" Sakura started, her eyes searching but then she gasped as she saw Sasuke's battered condition. There was so much blood dried to his sleeves and his skin had shrivelled to the bone.
"How did this happen?" Sakura asked even though she didn't wait for an answer as she started healing the wounds, trying to close it off. "Here take this pill; it will help recover your chakra level"
Of course they must have noticed that his chakra was almost nil, non-existent. He was lucky that he didn't die of chakra deprivation if not anything else. He popped the pill in his mouth while Sakura worked her magic on his injuries.
As soon as his hands were healed, he flexed them a bit moving them around to test their mobility. They were as good as new, like nothing ever happened. He must say that Sakura was a great healer.
"Now please tell us Sasuke-kun what happened" Sakura's forest green eyes searched for the answers that he knew he had to provide.
"I know you all want to know where I went but before I tell you that I have to show you something" Though Sasuke addressed everyone in the room, his eyes were specifically fixated on Naruto who was dead silent at this moment. He had expected Naruto to be mad but he looks even more upset than he had anticipated.
This seems bad.
Sasuke took a deep breath and grabbed Hinata's hand that was fisted around the collar of his shirt. "Come" He urged the girl to come in the open view of all the occupants in the room and just like that time stood standstill for some minutes.
A sharp inhale came from the direction of his long-time friend while others wore a look of disbelief on their faces. In a flash, Naruto stood in front of him and Hinata. His eyes strained on the Hyuga's face while the girl looked at him with large fearful eyes and flushed cheeks; after all she had been isolated from humans far too long. Before she could react in any way, Naruto already had his hands on her shoulders keeping her captive.
"Hinata?" He whispered gulping as he gently brushed apart her long matted hair away from her face to reveal the identity of the girl who haunted his dreams since so long. He tilted her chin from side to side and then he traced her arched brows as if trying his best to confirm that this is reality and not some illusion. The said girl, on the other hand, was taken aback witnessing the boy being so close and upfront. She shook her head visibly and utterly confused.
"Who?" She asked uncertain, her fingers still held the sleeves of Sasuke's shirt.
Others shared a look with Sasuke as if asking him for an explanation while Naruto still observed the Hyuga. His cerulean eyes searched deep within the lavender pools, diving into them and resurfacing with literally nothing. He came to a realisation very fast.
"You don't remember . . . "Naruto's hands dropped from her cheeks to his sides and then he turned towards Sasuke, his eyes bleeding red "What's the meaning of this?"
Hinata ducked back to her safe space again that is behind Sasuke's back as soon as she saw the eyes of the boy changing right in front of her.
"S-Sasuke . . . " Hinata called out in fear as she tugged at his collar, trying to persuade him to go back the way they came from.
'Good job Naruto!' The Uchiha thought as he pinched between his eyes as Naruto had scared the girl shitless, almost making her run away.
Idiot.
But now at least he knows that Hinata indeed doesn't remember anything from her past.
Sasuke sighed as he answered honestly "I am still trying to figure out too so give me a break"
Naruto narrowed his eyes "What's that supposed to mean? You knew about Hinata's whereabouts, didn't you? And you dare not tell us?"
Even Sakura and Kakashi looked at him questioningly. Sai on the other hand was indifferent to everything, just absorbing information like a sponge.
"Naruto, keep it together" Kakashi tried to cool down the hot-headed Uzumaki because everyone knew that things could go downhill very quickly. Hinata has always been a very sensitive topic to Naruto as he still blamed himself for what had happened to her years ago. Very few people knew about the iniquities that the Konoha's hero had committed- all for Sasuke of course.
"Sasuke-kun, why didn't tell us anything even when we asked you about Hinata?" Sakura asked her hands near her bosom. She looked upset with his lies.
Sasuke knew it's better to not hide anything from them. "She was sealed" He turned his head to look at the girl in question.
"Believe me that labyrinth is a death trap. I have Orochimaru's chakra in me and even then I found it impossible to break through the cursed seal" And that was true, it was just his luck that he somehow made his way through the barrier and still live to tell the tale. The reason being that the seal was bound with soul. Anyone trying to break it would just drop dead. The only one who could break it is the one to build it in the first place. After all it was Orochimaru's powers that helped him undo the seal and not his own.
"You couldn't have helped me even if you guys wanted to" He finished at last, letting his words sink in. That seemed to silence all of their questions except Naruto's who still had more to ask. It was far from over.
"How does she remember you?" Oh yes, she had called his name just a few minutes ago and Sasuke was kind of surprised to see that nothing escaped from Naruto's attention to detail. His silly friend has matured a lot. However, he was being put in a difficult situation.
He hated to accept it but the way Naruto framed that question seemed to unsettle him. He knew Naruto was questioning his relationship with Hinata and he was not sure what or how to answer. He didn't have any deep bond with the Hyuga girl but there was something between them which Sasuke was not ready to reveal yet. How could be possibly explain that he used to watch her every night fascinated with her mere existence? How was he supposed to tell them his heart raced and his head got flooded with memories whenever he was near her? How should he describe that pull he felt in her presence? He had at least started to feel something after so long. He had almost believed that he might have lost his ability to form emotions that soon he got hung over the feeling, addicted and started observing her from afar just to feel something. Anything.
No one would understand even if he tried his hard to explain so he lied.
"Don't forget Naruto that she spent years in Orochimaru's hideout and I was there too" That made sense because if anything he was the last person Hinata interacted with from Konoha. Maybe that's the reason she remembered him still. Sasuke didn't know if it was true but this seems to be the most probable case.
His answer indeed shut Naruto up but Sasuke was sure that the Uzumaki still didn't completely believe him. Naruto wanted truth but as of now Sasuke just couldn't provide him that.
He just hoped this might be the last time he has to lie yet again.
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Konoha~
Heavy footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. The dim lights gave an eerie feeling to the young Black Anbu who was currently on his way to deliver the news to his master. Normally, he wouldn't feel anything because that is how these Anbus were trained. His master always said, "Emotions are dangerous"
However, sometimes even the strongest of the soldier felt fear and he indeed feared his master, Danzo. Recently he has turned desperate and frantic to fulfil his end goals and those in his way were simply plucked and crushed. Any small mistake in the missions would be penalised with death and currently many of his brothers paid with their life because they failed to meet the expectations of his master, he was hard to impress.
He stood in front of the large oak door and knocked it three times. That is how Danzo preferred it.
"Come in" He heard a rusty voice speak and so he entered the room with his head bowed down.
Never meet the eyes of master.
He kneeled in front of the man and greeted.
"Hokage-sama, I have news" He handed a scroll to the man and waited patiently for him to take over the scroll but Danzo made no movement.
"Moth, rise and read me the news" The young Anbu lifted his head to see Danzo staring outside the window to his office, staring down at the Konoha. Hokage tower was the tallest architecture in Konoha so they could almost see the vast stretches of settlement from up there.
Konoha has changed. It was no longer beautiful and full of life but instead has turned into a hub of ruthless power under Danzo's rule. A village so colourful has now become gloomy and miserable. A power hungry state that doesn't care for its own innocent people or their lives. The only thing it cares about is expansion of its territory – A dream of Danzo's that is soon to become a living nightmare for the world.
Some even dared raise their voice against Danzo because he has killed far too many under his reign and those spoke against him had the worst death till now that is being skinned alive along with their whole family. Needless to say, he didn't want to share the same fate as others so he naturally he was wary of Danzo.
Danzo was a self-proclaimed Hokage that no one accepts but is rather forced to accept under the bad circumstances.
The boy hurriedly untied the strings and read loudly. The message was very short. "Sasuke Uchiha has seemed to visit the snake's hideout"
And that's it. No more contexts but that news seemed to bring a sense of joy in Danzo's face as he swiftly turned back to face him and snatched the scroll from his hands. His visible eye squinted as he read the news again and then laughed throwing his head back.
Everything is so confusing.
"The Uchihas always fall right into my trap" Danzo spoke as if he had been expecting this news for months and it finally happened but the Anbu was still perplexed.
"Master, What business does the Uchiha have in Orochimaru's hideout?" Danzo glared at the boy. He shouldn't have spoken until he was asked to speak first but it was already too late to take back his words. However, today was a great day and Danzo was in an equally great mood so his insolent actions were forgiven.
"What else but to save the Hyuga princess!" Danzo stated as if it was too obvious and the boy was dumb to even ask that. He then walked towards his chair with his hands behind his back. "I have heard that the Uchiha seems to be quite interested in the Hyuga girl"
They had sent a scroll to the team seven stating about the latest bounty issued on the Hyuga girl's head. Their latest mission was to hunt her. She was the only one among Orochimaru's experiments that has not been found or even been identified yet and so the villages across the world decided to put her in the list of potential threats, especially considering that she possessed one of the world's deadliest dojutsu, the Byakugan. However, it was all Danzo's ploy. Kakashi and his team were stupid if they thought that he would not know that Sasuke was under their care. They are the ones hiding and sheltering the last Uchiha. No traitor could ever escape from Danzo as he has birds everywhere.
The news regarding the Hyuga girl was intentionally sent to the team, knowing very well that they would ask the Uchiha about the princess' whereabouts in order to reach her first before the ninjas of other nations. He did this because he knew the Uchiha boy would go out of the way to find the girl. He seemed to be quite smitten with the Hyuga based on the information provided by the red headed Kunoichi.
And if the Uchiha brat reaches her so will Danzo as he didn't know where Orochimaru had hid the girl as his hideouts were always so well concealed from anyone that even his birds could not reach the place. No living soul ever came out alive from the snake's den.
But see where Orochimaru ended– murdered by his own student.
"Orochimaru was a fool that he believed in an Uchiha" He mocked. "Uchihas are always the one to stab your back"
His master really seemed to hate the Uchiha. The young man didn't know the reason but he was clever enough to agree with whatever Danzo said.
"However, it is always a pleasure to play with an Uchiha's life, turning it upside down"
Danzo then grabbed the scroll again and performed some hand signs that revealed a hidden message inside.
The pawns are now right in their places.
The players are ready to play.
The game has just begun.
The victory is already decided.
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Yo, some of you guys need to review and that tell me how you like the story because otherwise how would I know.
So I hope you would love this chapter and review. Good and bad review, whatever the case, they are allowed.