Chapter 4
"Naruto! Please accept this gift!"
Sakura had started counting the moment they left his apartment and within the span of five minutes, not evening making it to the new restaurant that had opened up in town, there were a total of seven fangirls who had brought him presents, four of them had come as a group. So, she stood watching as Naruto's face heated up in embarrassment, thanking the seventh girl of the afternoon for the gift. One thing she noticed was that none of them seemed to really catch his attention, each one earning a sigh of relief the moment they were out of earshot. So, taking a few steps and the restaurant coming into view, Sakura saw one running up and she immediately grabbed his hand and they rushed to go eat. She had a feeling if she didn't do so, they wouldn't make it there before the sun had fallen behind the horizon at the rate they were going. When the girl ran to catch up, Sakura turned, giving the random girl a glare.
"He's taken today!" She rushed out, giving an awkward smile as she dragged him into the restaurant.
"Thanks, Sakura-chan." Naruto gave her a smile that came across as forced. "This gets tiring. I don't know how Sasuke did it."
"He ignored them is how he managed to get through it. Now, I think he gets those who think he's too dangerous to approach." Sakura gave a chuckle. "I've learned he doesn't seem to mind, though there are a few who still try."
"Well, I think he only has eyes for you, Sakura-chan." Naruto gave her a slight nudge with his arm, watching her face heat up.
"Thank you, Naruto." Sakura smiled up at him just as a server came to greet them.
"Oh, Naruto Uzumaki! I was asked to take you to our private room." The server, a woman a few years older than the two of them waved them through, walking past multiple tables filled with people and through a set of doors. The room they entered was filled with the Konoha 12, minus Sasuke and Hinata, while also including Sai. They cheered for their two friends and Naruto took a seat by Shikamaru and Sai while Sakura took the seat near Ino and Choji. It seemed that the instant the two sat down, everything seemed to calm as they enjoyed each other's company.
"Hey, where did Hinata-chan go?" Kiba asked suddenly, looking around at the table.
"She went on a mission with Sasuke-kun." Sakura responded and then glared when she saw the look on Kiba's face.
"What the hell do you mean she went on a mission with Sasuke?" He snapped, glaring right back at her.
"Don't start, Kiba." Ino warned. "Hinata is capable, and she'd honestly do well to team up with Sasuke and learn a few things."
Kiba snorted, but turned to talk with a few others, ignoring the others. Sakura felt her face heat up with anger, even though she knew there would always be those who did not agree with how Sasuke had been handled, they had no idea what he did for the village. However, to have someone near her who was being obviously abrasive about their approach rubbed her the wrong way. It was something that she would have to hope would change over time, but as she looked at the others, she saw that Shikamaru looked lost. Frowning, she glanced at Naruto who was busy chatting with Sai and decided to attempt to see if perhaps there was something else going on.
"Shikamaru-kun, is everything okay?" Sakura asked, brows furrowed with concern.
He looked up at her and gave her a smile that felt off, "it's nothing."
Food was ordered and chatter continued, everyone then seemed to be back to normal until the server came in, handing notes to both Naruto and Sakura, urging them to come to the Hokage's office. A moment before everyone else, they excused themselves and made their way to the tower, only to realize that Shikamaru was following them, but his mood seemed to be different. Sakura had a horrible feeling about this as they made their way to the door, Naruto knocking and waiting until Kakashi called them in. The first thing that surprised her was seeing the Hyuga clan leader and Hinata's father, Hiashi, standing there with two other members of the clan.
"Did something happen to Sasuke-kun and Hinata-chan?" Sakura heard herself blurt out, hearing the door close behind her. Shikamaru walked around them and made his way to stand beside Kakashi.
"Well, not in the way that you think, but I do believe that the two of you need to sit down. Hiashi here has allowed me the opportunity to talk to you about the situation at hand." Kakashi said, his face was emotionless, but something about it made Sakura feel uneasy as she and Naruto took seats. "Hiashi, would you like to discuss the situation with them?"
Hiashi made his way to stand on the opposite side that Shikamaru was standing, facing the two of them with a hard expression on his face. "This information must not leave this office under any circumstances. That includes discussing it outside of here amongst yourselves. If you desire to discuss it, I ask that you both come here to do so."
Sakura and Naruto nodded, Naruto being the first to ask what was going on as Sakura felt the unease in her chest threaten to restrict her breathing. Something about this told her that the information they would hear would break her, yet she couldn't place why, however, the moment that Hiashi began to talk, Sakura felt everything in her snap and fall apart little by little. Emotions threatened to burst through her that she had not felt in years. She gripped the arms of the seat, hearing the wood under her palms crack and groan. Then a tan hand fell over her own and she looked up at Naruto, an expression of pain and anguish on his face, whether for her or their friends, she couldn't be sure. That's when she felt the wetness on her face, realizing that she was unleashing tears that she didn't realize were even there.
"A document was found in the office that pertained to both the Hyuga and Uchiha clan, having been created a generation above me and who you would refer to as Sasuke Uchiha's parents. That document laid out terms and conditions that, unfortunately, were updated at the request of the previous clan heads. The document states that an arranged marriage between Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha is to commence to form a solid bond between two prestigious clans. Kakashi, here, and I have done everything we can to get out of the contract, but the Hyuga elders and the council of Konoha, on behalf of the Uchiha clan, have approved the contract. This means that, unfortunately, our hands are tied at this moment, and we are to abide by the vote of majority on this.
"I want it to be clear that at this time, neither party is aware of the arrangement, as this has just come to my and the Hokage's attention. At this time, the Hyuga clan is unable to push this forward, for now, as I have to meet with someone about a clan matter. I will be away for some time, and a wedding cannot commence without my presence. I am sorry to bring such news to you." Hiashi finished, his face was emotionless, but his eyes were fixed on Sakura.
"Hiashi, thank you for explaining this situation to them. You may take your leave and we will… make arrangements when you return. In the meantime, be careful and good luck." Kakashi responded, earning a nod from the Hyuga clan head as the three of them left. "Sakura, here."
Kakashi passed her a box of tissues, causing her to give a pained laugh as she reached to grab it, drying her eyes as quickly as possible. Taking a shuddering breath, Sakura closed her eyes and took a moment to gather her thoughts. It all made sense when she thought back to Shikamaru's expression the moment the two were mentioned. He had to have known but was unable to tell her. She looked up at him and he looked at her with an apology just on the surface. She mouthed to him that it was okay, and she understood, watching his face soften at her words. Leaning her head back against the wood of the chair, she looked up at the ceiling of the Hokage's office, the view unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time. Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke and how the two had just started to develop what she had always thought would be a long-lasting relationship.
Her heart broke at the knowledge that this would never be due to a decision made years ago. For a slight, fleeting moment she wished she could be Hinata, learning Sasuke all over again and falling in love like normal people do. The fact that Hinata would live the life she had spent her life chasing after hit her hard and she felt anger and resentment, but never at Hinata. She would suffer like Sakura was, knowing that her hope to spend her life with Naruto was gone. Sakura realized at that moment that three people, possibly four, were going to suffer for what those who made a selfish choice had decided needed to move forward. The room had been quiet for a long while, but then Naruto broke the silence finally.
"Kakashi-sensei, Hinata-chan and Sasuke have to get married?" Naruto asked and only then did Sakura hear his voice crack, causing her to look over at him.
"I'm sorry Naruto, but Hiashi and I are unable to change the minds of those above us, and we must abide by their wishes. Sasuke and Hinata will have to get married." Kakashi responded, his eyes drooping slightly.
"Excuse me."
Naruto quickly got up and left, slamming the door behind him as Sakura jumped up at the noise. She turned, seeing a few pictures rattle, the door closed firmly and Naruto nowhere to be seen. Kakashi got her attention, explained that Hiashi was to tell them not to discuss it, but as long as they were not caught, neither cared. Sakura nodded and ran out of the room and knew where he was going instantly, so she followed, feeling emotions well up in her own chest once again. So, when the Team 7 training grounds came into focus, Naruto standing in the middle, everything hit her at once. However, she knew she needed Naruto to explain why he was feeling emotional, even though she had an idea.
"Naruto! Are you upset on Sasuke's behalf?" Sakura asked, dropping all honorifics as she didn't care at this point.
"Heh." Naruto gave a forced laugh, bloodshot eyes looking at her, which showcased that he had also been crying. "I never looked her way, ya know? I can't say that. I did, but not enough, I guess. Hinata once told me she loved me and during the war, she risked her life to save mine. I was an idiot and didn't realize until I just knew that I took advantage of her feelings and felt I had time. I thought I had time to figure things out and then maybe see where things went with us, yet it took being told she has to be with Sasuke for me to realize that."
"She loves you, Naruto. Hinata has loved you for about as long as I've loved Sasuke. The four of us are being punished for something ridiculous, because the two of us are not the only ones hurt at the end of all of this. Now that I think about it, they don't even get a choice of who to spend their life with like we do. They are told 'this is it, fall in love or don't, but this is your life now'. Yet, we still have the option to choose and honestly, they have it far worse than we do." Sakura took a breath, shaking her head. "I don't even think they've interacted until this mission, Naruto. They are strangers."
"Well, then I guess this mission will help bring them together." Naruto gave a forced laugh once more, then he held out his right arm, palm up as a blue ball of air formed above his palm. Sakura saw his eyes focused on a boulder a few yards away, as though it was daring Naruto to release his anger. She watched him, his orange hoodie swaying from the force of the Rasengan, his shoulders tense as he took a step. Then another. Soon he was running toward the boulder at full speed, focusing purely on it as though it was the cause of their issues. She felt the force before it hit, felt the pain in his voice as he cried out the jutsu he was most known for and felt her own break further for him.
"Rasengan!"
He shoved the jutsu into the boulder, time standing still for a moment as he pushed the abnormal amount of chakra into the boulder. It was as though she could hear it creak and groan under the strain right before it exploded, pieces of the rock flying in every which direction, not a single part of it left standing. Once the moment passed, she watched him fall to his knees, both hands grasping his knees as he bent over, breathing hard. Sakura ran over to him, sitting beside him as she watched a tear fall from his face right onto the ground in front of him. It was proof that four lives were ruined, two of which had no idea what was in store for them. Sakura reached out and gripped Naruto's arm, providing whatever comfort she could before feeling his arms wrap around her. They hugged for a while, allowing their grief to ebb away before they both grew tired and went home.
The bamboo hut they had decided to stay in belonged to a few that Sasuke had met before the current mission, yet he didn't provide more information beyond that. It appeared that they had left a few days ago but had left a note for Sasuke to stay as long as needed. Hinata had already used the hot spring behind the home to bathe, now she sat in one of the vacant rooms, having lit a candle to give herself some light, she took to working on the red scarf. She thought back to the memory that it gave her, when Naruto had attempted to defend her from the bullies who made fun of her for her eyes. Recalling the memory brought a smile to her face as that was when she had developed feelings for him. The only sound was the clinking of the metal needles as she maneuvered them to further develop the scarf. It was the exact shade that she could recall from the scarf that the bullies had destroyed, pieces from that same scarf were a part of this one and she hoped that he would appreciate the gesture.
Hearing shuffling outside of the room she occupied, she bit down on her bottom lip and decided to wait a moment before checking to see who it was. As Sasuke had just paid a visit to the hot spring, as well, she didn't want to risk anything and preferred giving him privacy. When she felt enough time had gone by, she checked with her Byakugan, relief flooded her when she saw that it was Sasuke who seemed to be occupying himself with sharpening his tools. As he only had one arm, he seemed to have worked out a way to keep the tools in place, which seemed to work perfectly for him. Hinata turned off her Byakugan and went back to her scarf, focusing on perfecting it, with each thread she managed to pour as much love as she had for him.
A little later, she heard a light rap on her door, welcoming him in, she saw the door open in her peripheral vision and then close. She looked up to see Sasuke with a kunai in his hand, the kunai a different color than she was used to. She eyed it, setting down her scarf and needles to look at it as he held it out to her. Reaching out, she grabbed it from him, being careful to not cut herself as she noticed it was recently sharpened and polished. Curiosity flooded her as she took it and studied it, tilting her head slightly as she did so.
"You have lightning affinity, right?" Sasuke asked, still standing an arm's length away from her.
"Yes, but it isn't something the Hyuga focus on." Hinata responded, stretching her hand out to feel the weight of it in her palm. "Are you wanting me to practice with it so I can use this to conduct electricity through the copper kunai?"
"So, you understood my intentions pretty quickly. I believe it would benefit you in battle if you were to change your fighting tactics a bit. What we could be up against is the White Zetsu." His tone was flat, but it seemed to jar her.
"White Zetsu? Do you believe there is still an army of them out there?" Hinata asked, setting the kunai in her pouch that she had on the table near her.
"There is a reason that Kaguya felt the need to have an army under her when she had the power to handle things herself. Part of my mission is to figure out why and where she hid the others." He continued to stand, and though he was tall, the ceiling was still a few feet higher than his head. "I need you to see if there is anything in a hideout, I found that is distorted by your Byakugan."
"That makes sense. How many hideouts do you think she has?" Hinata asked, curious how much info he would divulge to her. She needed to have an idea of exactly what she was up against and it seemed he took the opportunity now to bring her in on everything. She had not realized just what he had been doing outside of the village, nor had she thought about it outside of the times she and Sakura chatted. And the two didn't talk often, but she enjoyed seeing Sakura and Ino out and about. Hinata found herself studying him for just a moment, curious what Sakura saw in the man before her. The man that Naruto had spent years chasing after to bring him out of the darkness, finally managing to with a bitter end. She could sense a much more calm presence around him compared to their time in the academy when she had sat across from him, the stairs between them.
"I haven't found them all, but it appears she had several throughout various dimensions." Sasuke shrugged. "It's going to take a long time for me to find them all, but I have to because there is a bigger threat looming in the future that I need to get all of us ahead of."
His hair was slightly damp still, so it wasn't covering his left eye at present, showcasing the mismatched colors of each one. The purple covering the entirety of his left eye and the right bore his normal, midnight eye in the other. It was startling until you got used to it, and then it felt just as normal as anyone else. He had naturally manicured brows that were thin and full, perfectly sculpted over his eyes. Straight nose that, even through battles, didn't have a single imperfection on it. Full lips and a chin that wasn't too big or too small. High, perfectly sculpted cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. Hinata blinked and looked away, her cheeks burning slightly as she realized she had been studying him to the point he raised an eyebrow at her. She could see why Sakura liked him, but he had been so distant as a child that she could never quite understand it. Now, he seemed a tad bit more open, but even still he was closed off and distant from her.
"Would I need to help you beyond this hideout?" Hinata asked, looking back at him when she felt that she could keep her blushing under control.
"The others won't concern you." He said bluntly and she felt her stomach drop, wondering if he was upset with her having stared at him for too long.
"I'm sorry if I upset you." She heard herself say, gripping her pants a bit too tightly.
"You didn't upset me. I'm just stating that anything beyond this I don't need your help for. It doesn't concern you to worry about. The only reason I asked for your help with this one is because it does concern you."
"The 'Byakugan Princess'. I honestly have never heard of that expression before." Hinata looked up at him.
"While you haven't, that means there could be something in the hideout that blocks your Byakugan. Once we locate it, that means we located what they don't want you to find. When we figure out what it is and take care of the problem, you can go back home." He then looked past her toward the scarf that sat on the table beside her. "For Naruto?"
Hinata looked back at the scarf and her cheeks gave her away entirely. "How did you guess?"
"I had fangirls chase me everywhere as a kid. There were times I thought you were one until I realized you only appeared when Naruto was around. And I knew that Sakura had purchased your yarn and she mentioned Naruto, so I had a feeling you were going to give that to him as a gift." Sasuke smirked. "About time someone liked that loser beyond being a war hero."
"He's not a loser." Hinata pouted, watching Sasuke's smirk broaden, her eyes forming into slits. "I don't know why Sakura likes you! You're mean!"
The moment she uttered the words, Hinata brought her hands up to her mouth in horror, eyes wide. She rarely was so bold to say things like that, and even worse she said them to someone who she didn't know and could easily kill her on the spot. His smirk didn't falter, if anything it stayed in place, but didn't reach his eyes this time around. Hinata felt instant shame and her cheeks reddened instantly as she replayed what she said in her head over and over. She couldn't believe what she had said to him. Just as she was forming an apology in her head, Sasuke shoved a hand into the pocket of his pants and stared directly at her.
"I don't, either." His reply held no emotion in it, yet she felt it slice through her like a kunai.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean that." Hinata squeaked out, bringing her fits to her chest. "I-I just don't think you should say things like that about Naruto-kun."
"You meant it. Whether you want to admit to that or not is not my concern." He turned to leave the room, then paused. "We are leaving at dawn tomorrow, so I'd make sure you get some sleep."
"Wait! Sasuke-san I'm really so-."
The door closed in the middle of her sentence and she felt hot tears threatening to fall. It wasn't slammed, but the sound was enough to make her flinch, shame and guilt riding over any other feelings that she could possibly have. Biting her bottom lip, she turned back to her scarf, deciding to put it up for the night. Hinata knew she messed up, or perhaps he didn't care about her feelings and knowing that her feelings for him were negative helped him to put distance between them. He had been talking with her, something that she hadn't expected and she had taken offense on Naruto's behalf. Even knowing that Naruto had referred to Sasuke as a 'bastard' meant that the words were merely their own language and Naruto would not have taken offense to being called a 'loser'. She sighed, racking her brain to try to find a way to make it up to Sasuke, as she didn't want to create tension between them when he had just started to open up a tiny bit.
"Oh! Sakura-chan! Um, I heard you were going to Sasuke-san's house and I wanted you to give him this as a thank you for saving mine and Neji-kuns life. I remembered you telling me he liked tomatoes." Hinata said, handing her the basket.
"He will enjoy this Hinata-chan! I hope you didn't put sweets in here as he doesn't like them." Sakura giggled, taking the basket with a smile on her face. "It's been so long…"
Tomatoes! Hinata leapt up from the chair and opened the door, peering around to see that the living room was empty, but the door to her right was closed, meaning that Sasuke had gone to the room he had picked out when they entered the home. She walked through the minimal living room, most of the items made of bamboo were as much decoration as there would be. She went into the kitchen, hoping that they had left food. Sure enough, she found a bowl of fruits and vegetables and found what she was looking for. Lifting up the bright, red tomato to her face, she smiled warmly and debated on what to make. She found rice and sheets of seaweed nearby and decided to make onigiri with a tomato filling in hopes that he would realize she was truly sorry.
Steaming the rice and cutting up the tomatoes didn't seem to bother him at all, as he didn't make a single peep, nor come out of the room to investigate. She bit her bottom lip, hoping that it was because she had been quiet this entire time. When the rice was done, she allowed it to cool and then began to put it together, using large chunks of tomatoes and stuffing them inside the rice, forming it into the triangular shape before taking seaweed and putting it around the bottom. Then she found chia seeds in a corner and had an idea, but she felt she would need purple and decided to look around. She found a tiny bit of some very vibrant purple cabbage and hoped using a few would work. Setting to work, she used the chia seeds to create hair and an eye while using the cabbage for the other eye. Looking at it, she giggled at the lopsided Sasuke-esque image she created on the onigiri that sat on top. She had a feeling he probably wouldn't be as amused as she was by it, but hoped that the thought would win her back some points.
Walking to his door with the plate of onigiri, she tried to contain her giggle while peering over at the onigiri Sasuke that sat on top. She knocked on the door and waited a moment, silence on the other side. She hoped he wasn't asleep, but hoped to try one more time before hearing him allow her entry. Opening the door, she saw that he was reading a book, ignoring her when she came in, eyes glued to the worn pages. Looking at the front cover, she noticed it was a romance novel and tilted her head, feeling that it didn't seem like his sort of thing. She wondered as he read it, if he thought of the pink-haired kunoichi back at home. He set the book down, then looked between it and her.
"It was the only one here." He explained, earning a nod of understanding from her. "What do you want?"
His tone wasn't harsh, but she still felt uneasy as she held out the plate. "I, um, made this for you. You can consider it an apology meal?"
He took it and then studied it closely, pausing when he saw the rather comical version of himself on onigiri. "Is that supposed to be me?"
"Well, I happened to see chia seeds and the idea sort of came to me. I know it looks horrible, but I was hoping it would at least amuse you." Hinata blushed, bringing her hands behind her back to clasp them tightly, hoping it would keep her in place. "I'm sorry if that was out of line."
"You apologize too much." Sasuke stated flatly, but the expression on his face looked calm as he looked over the onigiri. "Even found something for my Rinnegan."
"Took me a bit, but I did. I probably would have just put the seeds down in a way to look like the hair was covering it if I didn't." Hinata admitted, bouncing back and forth on her feet.
He took one that wasn't supposed to look like him and took a bite, he savored it for a moment. "You put tomatoes in them."
"Yes! I still remembered that you liked tomatoes!" Hinata smiled warmly.
He smirked as he took another bite, savoring it before finishing it off with a third. "They are really good, but I already knew that you were as I've had your cooking."
"Mm." She hummed in response, watching him eat another one and continue until the last one that looked like him remained.
"I almost hate to eat it." He smirked before he took a bite, the extra flavors hitting him. "It's good, though."
Hinata beamed with pride as he finished the onigiri, his posture seeming to have relaxed compared to earlier. She took the plate, which he glared at her amusingly before taking it into the kitchen and washing it himself, Hinata smiling at the gesture. Ten years ago, she saw a troubled boy who kept everyone at a distance, hated the world around him and kept to himself. Now she saw someone who was slowly letting certain people in, though she felt once the mission was over they would go back to being strangers. It saddened her somewhat as she was learning someone new that would probably drop her the moment he could. She wasn't a part of Team 7, nor was she part of the group he had been with after he defected from Konoha. Hinata wouldn't mind having a new friend in Sasuke.
"Do you think after this mission, we could be friends?" Hinata found herself asking and regretted it immediately when he paused before turning to look at her. "I just mean, we could catch up when we saw each other, is all."
"Friends, huh?" Sasuke was facing her fully now, hand in his pocket. "I'm not really someone who would make for a good friend, Hyuga."
"We don't have to be the kind to hang out or anything, but if I said hi, it wouldn't be awkward." She looked at her feet now, feeling foolish at the idea, even more when she heard him sigh.
"If you said hi to me, it wouldn't be awkward."
Hinata felt joy spread through her chest, knowing that was probably his way of accepting her friendship and she was pleased. Never had she thought she would be friends with Sasuke, yet within a small amount of time, she managed to earn her way up in his list of people enough to be considered in a positive light. She knew he needed more people to be supportive and to bring positivity in his life. While he had Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura, she didn't think having one more person that could be there strictly as a friend was a bad thing. She smiled and she watched him give her a smirk, this time it reached his eyes. It seemed that he had truly forgiven her after all.
A/N: Getting this out before I get busy and then put my focus on my other story (making sure I give them each equal love). This one I wanted to make just a "filler" to begin the process of everything as the next few chapters will be exciting to write. I'm getting these out quicker thanI thought, but may be slowing down here soon.
I-Love-Trunks1: I'm glad you are enjoying the story and that those two things stuck out the most for you!
Guest: Thank you so much!
Guest: I'm glad you are enjoying the plot!
Guest: I definitely plan to continue/finish this story! I know how I feel when a story isn't finished, especially one I just adore, so I plan to and hope it's enjoyed from start to finish!